I have received a summons from a Romanian court. What should I do first?

Establish the date on which the claim was served on you, because every deadline runs from that date and not from the date of the hearing. A defendant must file a statement of defence within 25 days of service, under Article 201 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

Can procedural deadlines be extended in Romanian civil proceedings?

As a rule, no. Most procedural time limits in Romanian civil proceedings are forfeiting, which means that the right to take the step is lost once the period expires. Relief is available only on narrow grounds, where the failure was caused by circumstances outside the party's control.

What happens if a foreign company does not file a defence or does not appear?

The case proceeds without it. A defendant who fails to file a statement of defence within the period loses the right to adduce evidence and to raise defences, save for those the court must consider of its own motion. Judgment can be given in its absence and becomes enforceable against the company's assets, including within the European Union.

How long does a commercial dispute take in Romania?

Romanian civil procedure is written and front-loaded: the exchange of pleadings is governed by fixed statutory deadlines under Article 201 of the Code of Civil Procedure, after which the court sets hearings at intervals it controls. Duration is determined mainly by whether the court orders a technical or accounting expert report, whether jurisdiction or admissibility is contested at the outset, and the caseload of the court seised. An appeal is a separate stage with its own timetable, and enforcement is a third.

Why is the Romanian court fee payable in full at the outset?

Romanian court fees are ad valorem and are a condition of the claim being examined. The fee is calculated on the value of the claim under Article 3(1) of Government Emergency Ordinance 80/2013 and must be paid when the claim is filed. A claim that is not stamped is annulled. The fee on appeal is a further 50% of the first instance fee, under Article 23(1).

Can we recover our costs from the other side if we win?

In principle yes, under Articles 451 to 453 of the Code of Civil Procedure. In practice the court fee and the expert's charges are usually recovered in full, while counsel's fees are frequently reduced by the court to what it considers proportionate to the value and the complexity of the claim.

Can a claim be secured before judgment in Romania?

Yes. Interim attachment of the debtor's assets or of funds in its accounts is available, and is decided quickly and often without the other side being heard first. The court will normally require a security deposit calculated on the value of the claim.

Do company directors have to travel to Romania for the hearings?

Not as a rule. A company is represented at the hearings by its lawyer, under a power of attorney, and in the ordinary course no officer of the company needs to attend. Attendance in person becomes necessary only where the court orders the examination of a party or a confrontation of witnesses.

In what language are Romanian court proceedings conducted?

Romanian. Every document in the evidence file must be filed in Romanian, in a translation by an authorised translator, and the cost of those translations is a real item in the budget of a document-heavy dispute. We correspond with clients and report in English.

Can a foreign judgment or arbitral award be enforced in Romania?

Yes. Judgments from other EU Member States circulate without a declaration of enforceability under Regulation 1215/2012 and go directly to the bailiff. Judgments from outside the European Union require recognition proceedings before the Romanian courts. Arbitral awards are recognised and enforced under the New York Convention, to which Romania is a party.

What happens if the debtor becomes insolvent during the proceedings?

Individual enforcement is stayed and the claim has to be pursued within the insolvency proceedings, by lodging it with the judicial administrator within the period fixed in the opening decision. That period is short and missing it is usually fatal to the claim. Recovery then depends on the ranking of the claim and on what the estate contains.

Is it worth bringing a claim against a Romanian counterparty at all?

The question turns on four things: the strength of the evidence, the court fee payable at the outset, the time the dispute will occupy, and whether the counterparty has assets against which a judgment could be enforced. Where the fourth answer is no, the first three do not matter.

Corporate and commercial litigation in Romania,
conducted for companies based abroad.

Our litigation practice in Romania acts for foreign companies, their Romanian subsidiaries and their directors in corporate, commercial, tax and employment disputes before the Romanian courts and in arbitration. We advise on the merits of a claim and the prospects of success, on the appropriate course of action, and we conduct the proceedings through to judgment and enforcement.

Request a free case assessment See what litigation costs

We will read your summons, contract or correspondence and set out in writing where you stand, at no cost and without any obligation to instruct us. Where our view is that a claim should not be pursued, we will say so.

Budgeting corporate litigation in Romania, before you commit to one.

Romanian court fees are ad valorem and payable in full on filing. For a claim of any size this is the single largest external cost in the first year, and it is the figure most frequently omitted from preliminary budgets prepared outside Romania.

Claim value

Currency

RON per EUR

Court fee, first instance — Enter a claim value

Appeal, 50% —

Indicative. Payable in RON on filing, at the National Bank of Romania rate of that date. Art. 3(1) and 23(1), OUG 80/2013. Claims not assessable in money are taxed separately.

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Request received

We will reply by email, usually within one business day. If you have documents, we will send you a secure link for them.

Litigation insights

Debt recovery and disputes
from our desk.

Practical analysis for foreign creditors and businesses pursuing or defending claims before the Romanian courts.

View all

Practical guide

Debt Recovery

Debt recovery in Romania: a 2026 guide for foreign creditors

How an unpaid foreign creditor recovers a debt in Romania, from the first demand letter to enforcement. The procedures available, what each one costs, and how the whole process is run remotely, in English.

Guide Read full analysis

Cost-benefit analysis

Dispute Resolution

Is it worth suing a Romanian debtor?

Before you file, weigh the evidence, the court fee, the time the case will take and, above all, whether the debtor has assets to enforce against. A framework for deciding whether the claim is worth bringing.

Guide Read full analysis

Risk advisory

Dispute Resolution

Your Romanian debtor is insolvent or closing down: can you still recover?

Your Romanian debtor has stopped paying and may be insolvent or dissolving. Recovery is often still possible, but only if you act within the deadlines. Where you stand, and what to do first.

Guide Read full analysis

Common questions

Litigation in Romania: questions we are regularly asked.

Selected Matters

A selection of corporate, commercial, tax and administrative disputes in which we have acted before the Romanian courts, in arbitration and in enforcement.

Payment Orders

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Advising and representing creditors in proceedings for the recovery of outstanding receivables, including applications for payment orders and the related court proceedings.

Tax Litigation

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Challenging tax inspection reports and tax decisions issued by the Romanian Tax Administration (ANAF), as well as precautionary measures and tax enforcement measures.

Enforcement Proceedings

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Advising creditors and debtors on enforcement matters, including the preparation and pursuit of challenges against enforcement measures, and representation throughout enforcement proceedings.

Insolvency

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Advising and representing creditors and debtors in insolvency proceedings, including challenges to statements of claims and other procedural matters.

Contractual Disputes

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Acting in disputes concerning contractual termination, contractual liability, damages and other forms of contractual compensation.

Arbitration

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Advising and representing construction companies in arbitration proceedings.

Administrative and Commercial Litigation

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Advising and representing public authorities and companies in administrative and commercial disputes, including matters involving clients active in the automotive and construction sectors.

Public Procurement

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Advising and representing clients in challenges arising from public procurement procedures.

Insurance Disputes

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Advising and representing clients in disputes against insurance companies, including claims arising from insurance policies and the recovery of compensation.

Moral Damages

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Advising and representing clients in claims for compensation for non-pecuniary loss and other forms of moral damages.

If your matter falls within one of these, send us the document and we will set out in writing where you stand, at no cost.

Request a free written assessment

Our litigation practice in Romania: what we handle and where we are instructed:

We act for foreign companies, their Romanian subsidiaries and their directors across the disputes that arise from doing business in Romania.

Commercial litigation Tax litigation Administrative litigation Employment litigation

Corporate and shareholder disputes Debt recovery and enforcement Enforcement of foreign judgments and arbitral awards Arbitration Insolvency and creditor claims Interim and protective measures Construction and infrastructure disputes Post-M&A and warranty claims Banking and finance litigation Public procurement disputes Insurance and liability disputes Real estate and property litigation Intellectual property litigation White-collar and regulatory investigations Director liability

Corporate and commercial litigation in Romania,conducted for companies based abroad.

Budgeting corporate litigation in Romania, before you commit to one.

Instruct a litigation lawyer in Romania.

Request received

Debt recovery and disputesfrom our desk.

Debt recovery in Romania: a 2026 guide for foreign creditors

Is it worth suing a Romanian debtor?

Your Romanian debtor is insolvent or closing down: can you still recover?

Litigation in Romania: questions we are regularly asked.

Selected Matters

Our litigation practice in Romania: what we handle and where we are instructed:

Mihai Attorneys

Corporate and commercial litigation in Romania,
conducted for companies based abroad.

Debt recovery and disputes
from our desk.