Safety in Romania

Your Main Safety Concern: Theft on Public Transportation

First of all, no traveller from an English-speaking country needs to be overly concerned about any aspect of personal safety in Romania.

Otherwise, you have almost no real concerns other than the odd silly scam artist or stray dog. Few guns and only a couple of dozen murders in the entire country each year make Romania a very safe choice for anyone from an English-speaking country.

Travel Considerations

The Group Mentality

Simply put, Romania is a very safe country, and you are safer in 99% of Romanian towns and cities that you would be in comparably-sized cities in the USA or UK.

Violent crime in Bucharest remains very low, averaging about 24 murders annually (Houston, a city of the same size as Bucharest, had 334 last year) and around 1000 other violent offences each year, making the odds of a tourist being involved extremely low.

Gun deaths are very rare, and the murder rate and drug use rates are laughable compared with America's, making Romania a distinctly safer society for tourists and citizens alike.

Around 75,000 British nationals and 280,000 Americans visit Romania every year (Australians and Canadians about 8,000 each). Most consular cases involve petty crime, lost or stolen passports and car theft.

Out and About in Romania

Guard Your Bags and Pockets

You should also be alert to the risk of petty theft in large towns, especially in Bucharest, and for pickpockets and bag snatchers in crowded areas, particularly near exchange shops, hotels, on public transport (especially to the airport), main railway stations and inside airport areas.

Pick-pocketing is far more common, occurring mainly on the city's public transport network. Beware of young pickpockets in city centres especially in crowded areas e.g. buses, trains and busy streets. Keep valuable belongings in a hotel safe where possible. Additionally, confidence tricks such as the Maradona scam are sometimes common, especially in regards to tourists. Levels of crime are higher in the southern districts of the city, particularly in Ferentari, a socially-disadvantaged area mainly inhabited by people of Roma ethnicity.

With street kid numbers having declined significantly since the 1990s, currently lying at or below the average of major European capital cities, begging has waned as a visible activity for tourists.

Romanians really do consider themselves as one people, and if you are targeted for pick-pocketing or another scam, it's nothing personal -- it's only because you are a tourist!

General Street Behaviour

It is illegal to change money on the streets. Money should be changed in recognised exchange shops, banks and hotels.

Kissing a woman on the hand at a first meeting is only polite, and not a big deal for Romanians. When u get to know someone well, you can do two kisses on each cheek. Men pass their hands across each other sometimes just to touch, not really to grab the hand.

Holding open doors is not a big custom, so don't expect it. It's not really normal for strangers to engage in the sort of mindless chit-chat you can find in retail stores and in public places in America, so don't try it too much. Romanians tend to have a logical demeanour that is, like their language, very context-driven. They really don't understand being addressed without a clear purpose being evident, or without a client-vendor relationship established by context.

See more about Romanian attitudes in our Culture Section.    

Gays in Public

Homosexuality is no longer illegal (read more here about this), but attitudes to the subject tend not to be broadminded and the gay community keeps a low profile, much like in the US and UK in the 1960s and 1970s. So, hand-holding in the street or kissing in the park is really a very bad idea.

No Photo Zones

Most airports, embassies, and military bases will have signs prohibiting photography. It is always advisable to ask permission before photographing anything potentially sensitive (eg. official buildings, police cars). Usually a special security staff will jump out and scare you if you try this, so don't think you can steal a happy snap without them noticing. Photography in some places like the Presidential Palace at Cotroceni, despite being a tourist destination, is completely banned.

The "Tipping" Thing

Mild forms of routine corruption is widespread but also sort of institutionalised in Romania -- it comes from a very long tradition through centuries, so is neither unexpected nor surprising for the local inhabitants.

As a tourist, you should be aware that there have been reports of policemen stopping foreign cars and demanding payment of fines in hard currency for spurious offences. Bogus policemen may also approach pedestrians and ask to check their documents as a way of stealing cash. If approached in this way, you should decline to pay any fine or hand over any documents but offer instead to go with them to the nearest police station.

These incidents are becoming increasingly rare however, so don't expect to be necessarily shafted by anybody -- just remain aware, and remember your best option is public exposure of the inappropriate requests.

Transportation Safety

Road Safety

If driving, you need to be alert for horse-drawn carts and livestock especially at night. The police carry out frequent checks, and it is essential that you observe the speed limit, ensure that your vehicle is roadworthy and have with you all your car documents including evidence of insurance valid in Romania. Note that there is zero tolerance for drinking and driving. In winter, equip your car for extreme conditions.

See more in our Driving section

Riding the Rails

If travelling by train, you should check with operators on the availability of sleeping compartments and whether bicycles can be taken on board. This may vary between regions, and there may be additional charges. Thieves do operate on trains, so take particular care that documents and other valuables are safe. 

In the Air

As a foreign national, you should take your passport with you for all domestic air flights. Romania does not have any particularly higher or lower profile as far as a terrorist target goes, so there are no particular out of the ordinary precautions to take.   

Cashing In and Cashing Out

Romania is largely a "cash only" economy, but luckily ATMs are everywhere. While an increasing number of businesses do accept credit cards, travellers are advised to use cash for goods and services to avoid any problems.

We recommend that you use the national currency, the Romanian Leu at all times. You look less like a tourist a bit, and there is no particular advantage trying to bargain in another currency -- you'll just end up paying more if you try that.

If, for some reason, you feel a need to carry a foreign currency, we recommend that you carry Euros in Romania. Dollars and Sterling are not always easy to exchange for the local currency especially outside of Bucharest. See more in our Romanian Money section.

Travellers’ cheques are next to useless, and credit cards are really only used in major stores and in major cities, don't count on using a credit card even at national gas station chains, most of which are franchise stores which may or may not take cards, so always check first.

A handful of vendors have been known to misuse credit card information by making illegal purchases on individual’s accounts. ATM machines are located all throughout major cities, and travellers are advised to particularly use ATMs located inside banks. Please note that Travellers' cheques are of limited use but may be used to purchase local currency at some exchange houses.

From Mike Ormsby's new must-read book 'NEVER MIND THE BALKANS, HERE'S ROMANIA!', with a laconic English perspective on life in Romania and the Romanian people Read More Here

The Notary

The clerk in the next office scrutinises my documents through gold-framed spectacles.  I show her the three red wax seals on my expensive parchment from the notary.  

"They're official.  They cost me EUR200," I explained.  

She glances up from her desk and gives me a grin.  A plastic name tag says Lucia.  She has brown hair cut in a neat French bob and wears a grey polo-neck sweater. 

But suddenly she looks puzzled and says:   "What are you, stupid?  EUR200?  You don't need candle wax."   She reaches into a steel drawer and pulls out a yellow form, nudging it across the desk.  "You just need this."  

Then she explains: first, I must fill it in.  Then I must photocopy it three times.  Then must take it across town for another stamp.  Then I must bring it back.  

"Wow, so easy?"  I ask.   She gives me another grin and replies:   "By the way, the notary ripped you off.  There's no charge for what you need."      

-- from the tale "Romania has Cancer"

Medical Considerations

There have been a number of Hepatitis A cases in Romania. You are advised to seek medical advice about inoculations before travelling. You should drink only bottled water where possible.

As a low-risk disease to humans, it is not a surprise that no human infections or deaths have been reported from the isolated incidences of Avian Influenza in the Danube Delta, Transylvania and Bucharest from migrating birds. The Romanian authorities have taken measures to contain the outbreaks including restricting access to affected areas.

As a precaution, you should avoid visiting live animal markets, poultry farms and other places where you may come into close contact with domestic, caged or wild birds; and ensure poultry and egg dishes you might eat in Romania are thoroughly cooked. Even if you ate a raw egg somewhere, the odds of you developing any symptoms from bird flu are negligible at best.

Get Advice and Insurance Before Travelling

You should seek medical advice before travelling and ensure that all appropriate vaccinations are up to date. It's always a good idea to buy some comprehensive medical insurance before travelling. You should check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for the activities you want to undertake. See more on the medical front in Romania here.

Rest Romania does not offer medical advice, and you should seek the advice of your doctor prior to travel about any and all travel-related medical subjects.

If you know something about , let us know here!  We'll review and include your helpful info in our next update of this page!

Dogged Determination

According to the head of the Contagious Diseases Institute Matei Bals, 70 to 80 people come to hospital each day after being bitten by dogs. Each year about 6,000 people in the capital are attacked by stray dogs.

While there have not been any reported problems with rabies, travellers are advised to avoid all stray dogs, although rabies has largely been confined to the rural areas.

If bitten, you should seek medical assistance as soon as possible. If visiting rural areas of Romania, you should consider having a course of rabies inoculations.

There have been unconfirmed reports that some dogs may carry the tick-borne African Typhus disease, which can affect the elderly, the young and the infirm.

The issue of stray dogs in Bucharest and around the country has been brought into the spotlight in early 2006 after a Japanese citizen died, following an unfortunate attack downtown. He managed to crawl for 10 meters, but he was bleeding severely because the dog had torn one of the arteries in his leg.

As a result, Local authorities are trying to change current legislation and adopt harsher measures against people who abandon dogs. Many Bucharest residents oppose the killing of stray dogs, and many adopt dogs from the animal shelters but do not take proper care of them and refuse to assume responsibility, putting them back on the streets.

The deputy mayor, Adrian Videanu has vowed the those who leave their dogs unsupervised will be fined about 550 euros. In Bucharest there are over 50,000 stray dogs, about a quarter of the nation's strays. Videanu said that he is considering inviting about 1,000 foreign students from veterinary faculties in Europe to do their internships in Bucharest, sterilizing dogs.

Dog lovers in the city fought the killing of sick and old dogs, and in November that year, the legislation was softened. The results of that campaign were that 40,000 dogs were taken from the streets of the capital, and efforts continue.

Source: Bucharest Daily News

Import-Export Restrictions

Romania's customs authorities may enforce strict regulations concerning temporary importation into or export from Romania of items such as firearms, antiquities, and medications. Romanian law allows foreigners to bring up to $10,000 in cash into Romania.

No amount in excess of that declared upon entry may be taken out of Romania upon departure. Sums larger than $10,000 must be transferred through banks. No more than 1,000,000 Romanian lei (ROL) may be brought into or taken out of the country. It is advisable to contact the Embassy of Romania in Washington or one of Romania's consulates in the United States for specific information regarding customs requirements.

Crime in Romania

For anyone watching any of the American or UK crime dramas on television, the world is a very different place than reality Romania.

Crime Fighters

When crime does come, Romania's special police forces are more than capable of handling it.

It is almost incomprehensible to travellers from English-speaking countries to comprehend how comparatively inconsequential the types of crimes actually are in Romania.

Romania does not have the mafia of Russia, nor the problems with burglary of the UK or France. “Organised crime is more active in Bulgaria,” says Muresan [security and defence director of the think-tank EURISC foundation]. “Businessmen are killed on the street there. That's not happening in Romania.”

This country is very lucky, says Constantin Turmac, a management consultant who has written reports on Romania's security industry. “Romania does not have professional burglars.”

But as a nation develops, so do its crimes. When Romania becomes both the EU and NATO's border, Muresan says the increasing threats are likely to come from organised crime, such as smuggling, human trafficking and blackmail, but not terrorism.

“I am sceptical of a genuine terrorist threat,” he says. “We are not on the map as a priority for terrorists.”

Protecting the infrastructure will be of high importance. This includes oil and gas pipelines, where public and private partnership is essential, especially as Romanians are often caught siphoning off gas and electricity from their own nation's network.

... With many homeowners, the fashion is to have a villa with a security guard even though there may not be anything worth stealing. This gives the impression of wealth. However, in a mostly plastic economy where the middle class is tying all its money up in property and furniture, there is little money left to spend on luxury goods.

Source: The Diplomat

See more information on the Romanian Police, the Gendarmerie, and Private Security firms in Romania.

Keeping Your Heart Safe

It is so difficult to stop yourself from becoming deeply, deeply fond of your Romanian hosts, friends, and possibly a love interest too!

It is impossible to ignore the striking way Romanians share a sweet togetherness with one another. It is a bonding where they treat each other as family (hence the open swearing in the streets at each other when they drive poorly!).

The child-like exuberance with which they approach life and love is disarming and completely charming, so very different from the more awkward and less fluid mechanics of tackling the daily grind that residents of America and the UK are used to (Australians are actually more easy-going generally).

So, protect your heart and take some sensible precautions as you inevitably fall for your beautiful and fun Romanian love interest!

Your Romanian Sex Partner

Romance Not Optional

Romanians are curiously romantic, and pride themselves in their abilities to woo and charm. An in-built function to most Romanian youth on the prowl is incredible politeness and deference to a prospective sex partner, and watching the ritualised courtship process is not unlike watching a wildlife documentary.

So, as a foreigner, you must take the lead of your (prospective) sex partner, and observe the societal norms and rhythms to avoid conflict, accusations of unwanted advances, or even worse consequences of not understanding the standards of romance in Romania.

Family is everything, and you will do well to meet them and meet their stamp of approval. Even those without close family will have friends which act as surrogate inspectors and approvers of your advances with their friend.

Uniform Age Rule of 15

The legal age for sex under Romanian law is uniformly 15 years (for both heterosexual and all homosexual sex), a bit higher than Croatia's 14 years or Spain's 13 years. The Romanian authorities take sex offences very seriously, and custodial sentences can be expected for any foreigners convicted of such offences.

It is not uncommon in Romania to see relationships with older men and younger women, and women, especially in urban areas, will begin dating from 15 or 16 quite readily. Engaging in sexual conduct with a minor is a crime punishable with a 3-10 year prison sentence, if the minor is under the age of 15, or if the minor is under the age of 18 and the adult has abused the minor's trust or the influence/authority held over the minor.

The Church and The Bank

The Romanian Orthodox church does play a significant role in some of the mores and expectations involving dating, and of course, eventually marriage. All priests in the Romanian Orthodox national religion are married, and there is a long list of customs which come from the church.

In addition to the church, the money factor which arises with a relatively rich foreigner and a relatively less advantaged Romanian must be considered as well, and dealt with quietly and sensibly.

Westerners often do not understand the underlying hypersensitivity that Romanians have to money. After years of insane communism, and then a painful burst into a market economy, the bottom line in any equation is a commodity never to be ignored, and necessarily influences all decisions about love, life and the future together.

So, do not be at all offended when money inevitably creeps it's way into certain situations where it would never appear so brazenly in English-speaking countries. Your love partner is not being rude or greedy, and their suggestions and negotiations in the middle of your love sessions are almost entirely normal for their culture and society.

Simply be prepared, know your own positions on money, and treat is as part of the Romanian culture. Don't forget, you are dealing with a country where 13 year old virgin brides are still sold in village towns!

Condoms Required

The very last thing you would want to happen is being convicted of passing on a sexually transmitted disease in Romania. The penalties are stiff, and the legal process ponderous and less than enjoyable. The next to last thing of course, would be to get a sexually transmitted disease!

The name brand "Durex" is sometimes used to mean condom, much as "Xerox" is used for copying in English-speaking countries. As a tourist, you can find condoms at any kiosk or pharmacy of course, and a few dispensers can be found at some nightclubs too.

Gay & Lesbian Issues

Homosexuality, including public manifestations of it, was decriminalised in Romania in 2001, when Article 200 of the Penal Code was fully repealed. Since 2000, the country has an anti-discrimination law which explicitly prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

However, despite this, social attitudes remain conservative and discrimination remains widespread and rarely reported and investigated, with the 2006 Bucharest GayFest, held in early June 2006, provoking a violent reaction from many passers-by, even if it took place successfully due to heavy police protection.

Gay rights organisations have also complained that when the anti-discrimination law is applied, fines are too low (the average fine for an employer discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation is about 300RON).

Incidents Still Occur

Even though homosexuality is fully legal and protected under anti-discrimination laws, homophobia and violence against LGBT people remains widespread in Romania and is seldom investigated.

Two gay teens were fined and assaulted by police on 27 July at around 23:30 after cuddling, holding hands and kissing in a public park in Bucharest, Romania. According to their report, the two were subject to humiliation and physical assault by the officers and park guardians, who had approached them on the pretext of checking their identification cards.

After beating up the two, one of the officers allegedly said that, "I should tie you up with chains and fuck you until you are cured of your sickness". The two teens were each fined 500 lei (approximately €140 or USD179) for "disturbing the public peace", the other alternative being a criminal record for the same offence.

They consider this charge to be ungrounded and an act of discrimination against sexual orientation, considering that a heterosexual couple were not prosecuted for engaging in similar acts a few metres away. One of the teens stated that: "I will never forget the hypocrisy with which they said they only wanted to see our id’s, that they were only doing their job, when at 10 metres distance, a girl and a boy were having sex in the bushes."

Additionally, the police officers threatened the teens that they would beat them again, with "no witnesses", when they were off duty.

Source: Wikipedia

Of Love and Money

It is known throughout Romania that the country is blessed with very good looks and great performance in bed. Romanian men and women can be very attractive, the sultry Latin look irresistible to unaware English-speaking browsers of internet chat rooms and video chat websites.

English-speaking travellers should exercise extreme caution when travelling to Romania to meet individuals known only through contact over the Internet. Romanians have a long tradition of the artful con, and there are countless confidence scams involving Romanians who contact their prospective American "sponsors" through chat rooms or personal advertisements.

They generally identify themselves as young Romanian woman and men, and develop a fairly complex and meaningful relationship with their client over months and even years using video chat and promises of undying affection. Whilst the relationship can be quite rewarding for both parties (with the client and the Romanian online lover reaping their own special benefits), in time the relationship usually turns sour as the client slowly realises they are simply being taken for an expensive ride.

Turning the Tables

Variations of this scam have emerged, but money remains the ultimate goal of the person in Romania. Americans who finally admit they have fallen prey to this kind of situation should contact their Citizens Services branch of their Embassy for advice (probably a stern admonition) and assistance (there are limited remedies that can be made).

In the end, some of these relationships are relatively harmless, and others can destroy the lives of the clients as their bank balances dwindle with their hopes of finding true love with their Romanian fraud artist.

If you want to seriously help a Romanian you have fallen for, leave the fantasy world behind and simply get to know them -- the "real" person -- know their family, their way of life, their love partner (almost all internet chat hosts are either married or have a "real" partner). Romanians are generally quite wonderfully warm, enjoyably sensuous and delightfully humorous people, with an ever-sharp wit and always with a keen eye on the money, because they have had so little for so many decades.

Solutions

Credit Card Solutions

You should be aware that there are reports of credit or charge cards being 'copied' when used in some bars and restaurants, resulting in illegal charges being raised against the user account.

The simple remedy for this is to have your card replaced. Major card companies can get you a replacement card in 24 to 48 hours, and if you immediately report the loss or theft, you are not generally liable for any of the fraudulent charges, although same cards will ding you the first 50$ of the unauthorised transactions.

Just Make a Complaint!

Your complaint is appreciated by law enforcement, and may help others to avoid your same problem!   According to the legislation in force, the police can be notified through complaint or "denouncement", or ex-officio takes notice when it has information that a crime has been committed.

When, pursuant to the law, initiating penal action is performed only on the basis of prior complaint or of notification of legally competent bodies, with their authorization, criminal proceedings cannot be started without these.

The Complaint is the notification made to judiciary bodies, by any natural person or corporate body to whom injury was inflicted or damage was caused through an anti-social deed.

The complaint must include:

• the complainant’s family name, first name and place of residence;

• description of the deed that forms the subject of complaint;

• indication of the perpetrator, if known, and the means of evidence;

The complaint can be made personally or by proxy/representative (the proxy must be a special one; the mandate remains attached to the complaint).

The complaint can also be directly told to a competent person who writes it down in an official report upon hearing the content.

Also, the complaint can be filed by one spouse for the other or by the major child for his/her parents. The injured person for whom the complaint was filed can later declare that he/she does not agree with its content. For the persons deprived of capacity of exercise, the complaint can be made by their legal representative. Persons with restrictive capacities of exercise can file a complaint with approval from the persons stipulated by civil law (Art.222 from the Criminal Procedure Code).

The Third-Party Denouncement

The Denouncement is the notification made by any natural person or corporate body about commission of an anti-social deed. In this case, as different from the complaint, the person filing the denouncement has not been subjected to any injury or damage. The respective person notifies about somebody else having become victim to such a deed.

The denouncement basically contains the same information as the complaint. If it is told directly, the denouncement must be written down in a report by the competent body to whom it is told (Art.223, Criminal Procedure Code).