According to the legislation in force, (Law 66/23.03.2022 published in M.O. 283/2022) the Romanian Auto Register does NOT issue the TAXI APPROVAL CERTIFICATE if the cars in question have on their windows foils or other chemical treatments (paint) that obstruct the visibility.

However, there is also the particularity that the rear side windows and the rear window, which are NOT part of the main field of vision, can have less transparency, but only if the glass in question has been approved as such by the manufacturer.

Following the decision of the authorities not to extend the state of alert on the territory of Romania, the obligation to present the green certificate at the entrance to public institutions is NO longer in force starting with March 9, 2022.

Thus, in the representative offices of the Romanian Auto Register, the respective document is no longer requested.

At the same time, according to the new regulations, wearing a protective mask in enclosed spaces has the status of a recommendation.

Thank you for helping us to follow the sanitary rules during this difficult time!

At the beginning of spring, we register a premiere at the Romanian Auto Registry! A lady took over the leadership of the institution!

Mrs. Alina Nita is the new general director of RAR. Alina Nita has been in the Romanian Auto Registry team for 7 years, and in the last two years she has been the economic director. As an economist, he is determined to focus his management actions on digitalization, debureaucratization and economic management of the institution, in a difficult context, generated by the aggravation of the problems in the automotive market.

“I am committed to transparent communication and identifying solutions that are rapidly applicable. I will be actively involved, together with my experienced colleagues from the technical area, so that the Romanian Auto Register guarantees through all the levers the increase of traffic safety. After 7 years in RAR, I know what expectations the people who cross our threshold have and I will not hesitate to prove that the respect for the customers, the professionalism of the employees and the quality of the activities performed are a normality. About all the projects that will define my mandate as Director General I will constantly inform you. Until then, I wish you a hopeful spring!”

With appreciation,
Alina Niță

General Director of the Romanian Auto Register

THE ROMANIAN AUTO REGISTER – R.A., as holder, notifies the interested public about the initiation of the framing stage, according to H.G. no. 1076/2004, in order to obtain the environmental permit for “P.U.Z. for the construction of the headquarters of the R.A.R. Cluj representative office and the Zonal Center, car canopy, gate cabin, car and pedestrian access ways, vertical systematization, exterior arrangements, fencing, connections to utilities and site organization”  in apahida commune, str. Liberty, fn, CF no. 64925, jud. Cluj.

The first version of the P.U.Z. can be consulted at the headquarters of the Romanian Auto Register – R.A. in GILĂU, DN 1- E 60, nr. 1A, Cluj County on Mondays – Fridays, between 8:00 – 16:00, from 25.11.2021.

The interested public can send, in writing, comments and suggestions, until 27.12.2021, at APM Cluj, Calea Dorobanților nr. 99, block 9B, 400609 code, phone. 0264 – 410722, fax.  0264 – 412914, e-mail: office@apmcj.anpm.ro

Dear customers,

We inform you that, in accordance with the legal provisions, RAR cannot issue the documents necessary for registration in Romania for vehicles that have been decommissioned.

Therefore, RAR advises buyers of used vehicles, coming from other states, not to purchase them without the necessary documents for registration. It is also necessary to check, at the time of purchasing the vehicles, that the registration documents are not altered with the intention of concealing the status of an end-of-life vehicle (for example: it has erasures, areas covered with various labels, etc.) or that they do not contain any indications showing their decommissioning.

In view of the special situation, in order to limit travel and personal contacts, the re-certification programs of roadworthiness tests and workshop drivers were suspended for a period of 3 months.

In order for this suspension not to affect the activity of itp stations and workshops, at the proposal of RAR, the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communications adopted Order no. 766/11.03.2020, published in the Official Gazette of Romania, Part I, no. 214/17.03.2020, which extends the validity of the attestation certificates of roadworthiness test inspectors and workshop drivers by 3 months.

Consequently, all the attestation certificates of the roadworthiness test inspectors and of the drivers of the workshops issued until 16.03.2020 extend their validity by 3 months from the expiry date stated in the existing certificate.

No new certificates will be issued and the existing ones will not be modified, the extension being carried out on a computerized basis.

It is not necessary to contact RAR in order to extend the validity; in case of problems related to this aspect, the RAR staff – The Personnel Evaluation and Training Department will be contacted by the contact means provided on the RAR website www.rarom.ro, under the heading Useful information / Attestation of roadworthiness surveyors; Retesting of roadworthiness tests inspectors, respectively Useful information / Certifications of workshop leaders.

After the expiry of the extended validity, re-certification will be carried out in accordance with the existing procedures (available at the addresses indicated above).

In the context of the debates in the public space, regarding the possibility of introducing taxes for the traffic on certain road sectors in the Capital depending on the polluting emissions, the Romanian Auto Register makes clarifications on how you can identify the pollution norm of your vehicle.

Given that there are several types of identity cards (CIV), we will explain the different situations that may arise.

Starting today, any person who owns or intends to purchase a vehicle can check its history (the condition being that the car has passed at least once to RAR), by accessing the official website of the Romanian Auto Register www.rarom.ro.

The data is obtained if the applicant enters in the application “VEHICLE HISTORY” the email address and the identification number of the vehicle in question (body/chassis series). The application will generate an access code, will send it to the email address entered and, after its validation, will provide to the same email address the information that we considered useful for the owner or future owner of a vehicle.

We would like to inform you that, lately, some representative offices of the Romanian Auto Register (RAR) have been received requests for the issuance of the documents necessary for the registration in Romania of vehicles from EU Member States, for which it was found that there is information on their dismantling.

For example, vehicles from Germany which have on their registration documents particulars such as ‘VERWERTUNGSNAGHWEIS LAG VOR’ or the like containing the term ‘VERWERTUNGSNAGHWEIS’.
According to the legal provisions in force, RAR cannot issue the documents necessary for the registration in Romania for such vehicles.

In this regard, RAR recommends buyers of used vehicles from other states not to purchase them without registration documents. It is also necessary for them to verify, at the time of purchase of the vehicles, that the registration documents are not altered with the intention of concealing the status of an end-of-life vehicle with a view to dismantling (e.g., it has erasures, areas covered with various labels, etc.) or that they do not contain indications of decommissioning for dismantling.

Thru HG No 343/2004, which transposes Directive 1994/94/EC, was established the obligation to inform consumers about the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of new passenger cars and light vans put up for sale.

A new more realistic test procedure for measuring the CO2 emissions and fuel consumption of these vehicles (WLTP) entered into force during 2017, replacing the previously used NEDC procedure; for this reason, for a short period of time there will be an overlap of the respective data (there will be vehicles approved according to the NEDC procedure and vehicles approved according to the WLTP procedure).

It is specified that the CO2 emission and fuel consumption values used to inform consumers are values measured in accordance with the dynamometer test procedure of the vehicles concerned (where applicable, NEDC or WLTP); they do not represent the values obtained under real circulation conditions.

For this transitional period, it is important to clarify which values are to be used for the purpose of informing consumers, in order to ensure that consumer information remains comparable for all new motor vehicles and for all the Member States of the European Union.

To this end, the European Commission has developed Commission Recommendation (EU) 2017/948 of 31 May 2017 on the use of type-approved fuel consumption and CO2 emission values measured in accordance with the worldwide harmonised light-duty vehicle test procedure when information is made available to consumers under Directive 1999/94/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council.

*New cars – the first roadworthiness test at 3 years
*itp annually starting from 12 years old

The Romanian Auto Register puts forward to the parliament two proposals for carrying out the roadworthiness test meant to increase traffic safety.

1. The Romanian Auto Register will propose, as a measure to increase road safety, in the current context of the evolution of the national car park, the increase of the frequency of roadworthiness tests for cars starting with the age of 12 years, from 2 years as it is currently to 1 year.
Our institution has been and will permanently remain very attentive to the evolution and technical condition of the active car park in Romania and especially to the current trends generated by the elimination of the environmental stamp.

2. Regarding the same subject of the frequency of roadworthiness testing for vehicles, but in counterbalance with the first measure announced, RAR is also considering increasing the deadline for carrying out the first roadworthiness test for new cars (M1).  Thus, a newly purchased car will perform the first ITP at 3 years and not at 2 as it is currently.  This differentiation related to the first roadworthiness test is already implemented for light commercial vehicles with lower MATWs at most equal to 3.5 t (N1) performing the first roadworthiness test at 2 years and the subsequent ones annually.

1. With regard to the proposal that roadworthiness tests should be carried out at 1 year for passenger cars from the age of 12, RAR has carried out a number of statistics as an argumentative basis. According to them, the average age of the vehicles that make up this active fleet, is on an upward trend since 2009 when this value was 8.63 years, reaching last year the value of 12.06 years.
That is why the Romanian Auto Register, as a body and technical service, considers opportune and even mandatory the manifestation of a certain type of reaction, of a technical nature, of maintaining under control the technical condition of the national car park, of preservation and even of subsequent reduction of its average age.
This approach obviously does not exclude various measures and reactions that other state authorities or institutions may have sooner or later.
It is worth noting that our proposal to tighten up roadworthiness tests is permitted by European legislation, which establishes only minimum requirements for roadworthiness tests, including with regard to the categories of vehicles subject to testing and their frequency. Moreover, this 12-year seniority is confirmed by a similar (optional) provision of the new Directive 2014/45/EU which will enter into force in May 2018 and which gives member states the possibility to introduce additional inspections including for vehicles exceeding 160,000 km run.

Thus, relative to this provision, for an easier and objective application, without influences from elements that may be subject to fraud (odometer), by reference to the general average annual course of cars in Romania – which is 12,976 km, according to the latest surveys and studies conducted by RAR on the average annual journeys by categories and subcategories of vehicles – the value of 12.3 years is obtained.

Also, according to the data provided by the statistical analyses carried out by RAR after the activities of Technical Control in Traffic (CTT) and Surveillance of the stations authorized by the roadworthiness test, this threshold of approximately 12 years old is the one from which the analyzed vehicles register non-compliance percentages higher than the average percentage calculated.

It is important to note that this approach to increasing the frequency of roadworthiness tests for older vehicles is not a new one, as it is even one of the important strategies for increasing the level of technical compliance of vehicles during use, inserted in a 2007 study commissioned by the European Commission and carried out by an international consortium led by CITA and of which research bodies were part, academic institutions and independent consultants.

Also, this stuffing of successive roadworthiness tests until they become annual is not an isolated practice at European level. On the contrary, taking into account the information collected and available in the case of 13 out of the 23 States that provided this data, there is an increase in the frequency of roadworthiness testing up to 1 year from the age of vehicles starting from 3 years (Latvia) and can reach 11 years (Spain). Other examples: Austria-6, Belgium-5, Luxembourg-4.5, Netherlands-9 (petrol)/4 (diesel), Poland-6, Portugal-9, UK-4, Slovenia-8, Sweden-7, Finland-6, Iceland-9.
So these would be, in short, the arguments for why RAR intends to make this proposal for a legislative amendment. The measures would be implemented from 2018.

2. With regard to rar’s proposal that for new cars the first roadworthiness test should be made at 3 years, it falls among the measures for relaxing the roadworthiness tests, it is in line with European practices, it does not affect essentially, according to the assessments made by other MS, the level of road safety, given that most manufacturers have extended the guarantees granted to new vehicles and have implemented important levers to keep under strict control the mandatory checks  imposed during this period, has the role of encouraging the purchase of new vehicles but also of testing the impact of this relaxation measure at national level in order to calibrate the introduction of possible other such legal provisions in the future.

According to the RAR proposal, the schedule for carrying out the roadworthiness test would be as follows:
– Cars: 3-2-2-2-1-1- (years)

Roadworthiness test schedule already applicable for:
– Light utilities: 2-1-1- (years)

INDIVIDUAL APPROVAL OF VANS N1

RESULTS FROM THE CONVERSION OF M1 PASSENGER CARS

The national legislation, which entered into force on 4.10.2013, no longer allows, as of that date, the conversion of passenger cars (type-approval category M1) into vans (type-approval category N1), with the following exception:

Approval of a vehicle of category N1 obtained by the modification of a vehicle of category M1 shall be permitted only if:
– the vehicle of category M1 subject to modification is derived from a vehicle of category N1; and
– the final vehicle of category N1 complies with the requirements in force for classification in category N1.
A vehicle of category M1 derived from category N1 means a vehicle the part of which, behind the front-side windows (upright B) is the same as that of a type of vehicle pre-existing category N1 having a bb-type bodywork (van) with no side windows behind the B-pillar.

The following 2 situations can be encountered in which the conversion of M1 – N1 and the individual approval in Romania are legally possible:
1. M1 vehicles that are derived from N1 vehicles, such as VW Transporter, VW Caddy, Renault Kangoo, Citroen Berlingo, Mercedes Benz Vito, Fiat Doblo etc. They may be changed from category M1 to category N1 if they meet the technical conditions for classification in category N1 (number of seats, structure for the protection of occupants against movement of goods, etc.).
2. Imported used vehicles which are not derived from N1 vehicles but which have been individually type-approved in category N1 in the country of provenance before 4.10.2013. This is the most common case. These vehicles can be legally approved in Romania based on the presentation of a written proof of registration in category N1 prior to that date. The written proofs can be: registration certificate in category N1 dated before 4.10.2013, technical inspection previous with the mention of category N1, document obtained from the registration authority of the country of origin certifying the classification in category N1 before the mentioned date, certification from the manufacturer / bodybuilder regarding the date of the conversion. These approvals cannot be refused, since the technical conditions applicable in Romania at the time of the type-approval of these vehicles in the country of origin did not include the said prohibition. Approval is subject to compliance with the applicable technical conditions and the technical condition of the vehicle.

We note the situation of the vehicles for which the manufacturers have obtained Community type-approvals in both category M1 and N1, although the basic type is the one approved in category M1 (e.g. Porsche Cayenne). In these cases, if the vehicle presented is Community type-approved in category N1, it cannot be refused classification in category N1, since Romania, as an EU Member State, is obliged to recognise the Community type-approvals as they were granted. If, however, the vehicle presented is approved in category M1, it cannot be re-approved in Romania in category N1, even if that type also has approval in category N1, since in this case it is necessary to re-approve the individual re-homologation that falls under the above-mentioned prohibition.

According to OMT 1640/2012, undertakings performing transport on their own account and transport operators must equip their vehicles with plates showing the maximum authorized dimensions and masses of each vehicle.

According to OMT 788/2013, the term by which the endowment with plates becomes mandatory will be 01.01.2014. There are exempted certain types of transports provided for in article 19 of the OG no.27/2011 on road transports.