CAEN Rev. 3 Reclassification in Romania: Deadline, Procedure, and What Every Company Must Do by September 2026

What changed and why

On 25 March 2025, Government Decision No. 284/2025 entered into force, officially adopting the new Classification of Activities in the National Economy — CAEN Rev. 3 — which transposes the European NACE Rev. 2.1 standard into Romanian law. The previous version, CAEN Rev. 2, had been in use since 2008 and no longer reflected the realities of the modern economy. The new classification introduces updated codes for sectors such as IT, renewable energy, e-commerce, and the circular economy, while merging, splitting, or recoding numerous existing activity categories.

Who must update

Every entity registered with the Trade Register is required to align its object of activity with CAEN Rev. 3. This includes limited liability companies (SRLs), joint-stock companies (SAs), branches of foreign companies, as well as sole traders (PFAs), individual enterprises (IIs), and family enterprises (IFs). There are no exemptions — the obligation applies regardless of company size, turnover, or industry.

The deadline — and why you should not wait

The law provides an 18-month transition period starting from 25 March 2025, during which both CAEN Rev. 2 and CAEN Rev. 3 are accepted. This means the legal deadline to complete the update is 25 September 2026. However, the practical deadline was 31 December 2025. Since that date, many Trade Register offices have begun requiring all filings to use CAEN Rev. 3 codes exclusively. More importantly, the ONRC will not process any other company amendments — such as a change of director, registered office, share transfer, or capital increase — until the CAEN reclassification has been completed. This means that postponing the update can effectively block your ability to make any changes to your company.

What types of changes does CAEN Rev. 3 introduce

The reclassification involves three main types of changes. Some CAEN Rev. 2 codes have been merged into a single CAEN Rev. 3 code — for example, codes 6202 (IT consulting) and 6203 (management of computing equipment) are now combined into a single code 6220. Other codes have been split into more specific categories — for instance, the old retail code 4791 has been divided into multiple new codes reflecting different types of retail activity. A third category involves simple recoding, where the activity description remains the same but the numerical code changes — for example, code 4110 (real estate development) is now 6812 under CAEN Rev. 3. The National Institute of Statistics has published a full correspondence table mapping all old codes to their new equivalents, and the European Commission has published a detailed correspondence table for NACE Rev. 2 to NACE Rev. 2.1 as well.

How to file the update

The procedure involves submitting an application to the Trade Register (ONRC) using the standardized registration form. For legal entities (SRLs, SAs), this is Annex 2a. For PFAs, IIs, and IFs, it is Annex 2b. If the filing concerns only the CAEN code update and no other amendments, the application is straightforward — typically only the form itself is needed. If someone else files on your behalf, a power of attorney is required. Filing can be done through the ONRC online portal, in person at any territorial Trade Register office, or by post or courier. Online submissions benefit from a streamlined process dedicated solely to the CAEN update. Upon completion, the ONRC issues a new registration certificate and an updated trade register extract free of charge.

Can you combine the CAEN update with other filings?

Yes, and in many cases this is a practical approach. If your company also needs to change its registered office, appoint a new director, increase share capital, or make any other Trade Register amendment, you can bundle the CAEN reclassification with that filing. However, all documents in the combined submission must already use CAEN Rev. 3 codes. If you choose to file the CAEN update separately first, subsequent amendments will proceed without the reclassification blocking the process.

Opportunity to review your articles of association

The reclassification is also a good moment to conduct a broader review of the activities listed in your articles of association. Current Romanian law no longer permits the inclusion of CAEN codes for activities that the company does not actually carry out. If your articles contain outdated or irrelevant codes, this is the time to clean them up and ensure the object of activity accurately reflects your real business operations.

Impact on authorizations and licenses

Companies should be aware that the CAEN reclassification may affect existing authorizations, permits, or licenses that were issued based on a specific CAEN Rev. 2 code. If that code has been merged, split, or recoded under CAEN Rev. 3, the relevant authorization may need to be updated or reissued. This is particularly relevant for regulated industries such as food production, construction, transport, financial services, and healthcare. We recommend verifying with the issuing authority whether any action is required following the code change.

What happens if you do not update

The most immediate consequence is that the Trade Register will refuse to process any other amendments to your company file until the CAEN codes are updated. This means you cannot change directors, transfer shares, relocate your office, or increase capital — all of which may be urgent in the normal course of business. Beyond the Trade Register blockage, failure to update can lead to exclusion from certain tax regimes or loss of eligibility for tax incentives, problems with licensing and permits, and potential legal liabilities for company representatives operating under outdated classifications. With the broader compliance tightening introduced by Law No. 239/2025 — including stricter penalties for fiscal inactivity and net-asset breaches — maintaining an up-to-date Trade Register file is more important than ever.

Key dates at a glance

25 March 2025 — Government Decision No. 284/2025 enters into force; CAEN Rev. 3 becomes binding. 31 December 2025 — practical deadline; most ONRC offices now require CAEN Rev. 3 for all filings. 25 September 2026 — legal deadline to complete the reclassification. The transition period ends and CAEN Rev. 2 is no longer accepted.

How we can help

Mihai Attorneys handles the full CAEN Rev. 3 reclassification process — from mapping your existing codes to the new classification, reviewing and updating your articles of association, preparing all documentation, and filing with the Trade Register. If you also need to make other amendments (director change, capital increase, office relocation), we can bundle everything into a single filing to save time and costs. The CAEN update is included in all three of our corporate secretarial retainer packages, or it can be handled as a standalone fixed-fee engagement. You can also use our free CAEN Rev. 3 code search tool to find the correct codes for your company's activities.

Contact us at alin.mihai@mihaiattorneys.com or through our contact page — we respond within 12 hours.