Romania on a Spanish Licence — The Rovinieta Vignette Catches You First

Spanish drivers need no permit and no translation in Romania. An EU licence is valid as it stands, so the paperwork you carry is your licence, your passport or ID card and the car’s documents. The two things that differ are an electronic payment you must arrange yourself, the rovinieta, and an alcohol limit of exactly 0.0.

Buy the rovinieta before you leave the border area

Romania has no toll booths on most national roads. Instead it sells an electronic road-use vignette registered to your number plate. You must hold a valid one before driving on a national road or motorway. There is no sticker to put on the windscreen, because cameras read the plate, and driving without one brings a fine. Buy it online or at a petrol station and keep the confirmation on your phone. Our vignette guide and vignette calculator compare the Central European systems. A Spaniard used to the peaje on a motorway may expect to pay at a barrier; here you pay in advance.

From 0.05 to 0.0

Spain’s general limit is 0.05. Romania’s is zero, with no allowance. A glass of wine at lunch that is legal in Spain puts a driver over the Romanian line, and police checks are common. Do not drive after any alcohol.

Speed limits against Spain’s

The open-road figure matches, but a road signed 90 in Romania can carry horse-drawn carts, slow lorries and broken surfaces, so the number tells you less than it does at home. Motorways are few and short.

Penalties use points

For speeding, Romania uses penalty points: 2 points for 10-20 km/h over, 3 points for 21-30 over, 4 points for 31-40 over and 6 points at 41-50 over. Above 50 km/h over, the penalty is a Class IV fine and a 90-day suspension. A red light carries a Class II fine and a 30-day suspension, and holding a phone a Class III fine plus 4 points. Without a seatbelt the fine is RON 580-1,450, against EUR 200 and 4 points in Spain. For a visitor the suspensions matter more than the fines, since the trip cannot carry on without a driver. Model an offence with the speeding fine calculator.

What the car must carry

Four items are compulsory in Romania: a warning triangle, a reflective vest, a fire extinguisher and a first-aid kit. Spare bulbs are recommended. Spanish cars use the V-16 beacon, which is a Spanish requirement and not the Romanian one, so do not bring your own and assume it is enough. A hire car should come with the four items, but check the boot before leaving.

No side to relearn, but a different rhythm

Traffic keeps right in both countries, so the controls, the lanes and the overtaking side are familiar. The change is tempo. Spanish towns often drop to 30 km/h on one-lane streets, while a Romanian town is a flat 50 km/h with cameras that are active. Minimum driving age for a car is 18 in both countries, which matters if a younger friend is expected to share the driving on a hire contract.

Settling into the first day

Pick up the car in daylight if you can. Buy the rovinieta before you reach the first national road, set the map app while parked and keep the plate number from the contract at hand when you pay. Drive the first stretch on the right-hand side with the same care as at home, because traffic keeps right in Romania as in Spain, and watch for slow vehicles that appear without warning round bends.

Emergencies

Romania uses 112 for police, ambulance and fire. Spain uses 112 as the general line, but also 091 for police, 061 for ambulance and 080 for fire, so only the general number carries over. The full country rules are in the Romania driving guide.

Sources

• CNAIR, official Romanian rovinieta portal (electronic road-use vignette): erovinieta.ro