Send money to Romania

From Italy or Spain (the largest corridors), SEPA-funded transfers through Wise or Revolut deliver the most RON per euro. From the UK, Wise offers tight GBP/RON margins. Traditional bank wires from Eurozone countries charge EUR 15–40 in fees plus 2–3% FX markup, making specialist providers dramatically cheaper.

SEPA transfers from EU/EEA countries arrive at Romanian banks in one business day, sometimes within hours. SWIFT transfers from outside Europe take 1–3 business days. Cash pickup at Western Union agents is available within an hour. Romania's interbank system processes domestic settlements throughout the business day.

Romanian IBANs are 24 characters: 'RO' followed by 2 check digits, a 4-letter bank code (e.g., BTRL for Banca Transilvania, RNCB for BCR), and a 16-character account identifier. Example: RO49 AAAA 1B31 0075 9384 0000. Your recipient can find their IBAN in their online banking app or on any bank statement.

No. Romania uses the Romanian leu (RON). Despite being an EU member since 2007, Romania has not joined the Eurozone. Euro adoption requires meeting convergence criteria on inflation, budget deficit, and exchange rate stability. Transfers from Eurozone countries incur EUR-to-RON conversion costs, making rate comparison essential.

You need the recipient's full legal name, their IBAN (24 characters starting with RO), and optionally the bank's SWIFT/BIC code (e.g., BTRLRO22 for Banca Transilvania, RNCBROBU for BCR, BRDEROBU for BRD). The IBAN contains the bank code, so it's sufficient for SEPA routing within the EU.

Italy is Romania's largest remittance source. SEPA transfers from any Italian bank reach Romanian banks within one business day. Wise, Revolut, and WorldRemit offer competitive EUR/RON rates on this corridor. Western Union also has extensive cash pickup coverage in Romania through Bancpost and dedicated agent locations.

Western Union and MoneyGram operate cash pickup locations across Romania, including inside Banca Poșta (postal bank), OMV gas stations, and dedicated currency exchange offices. Cash pickup is available in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Timișoara, Iași, Constanța, and smaller towns. However, bank deposit via IBAN is the norm for most recipients.

Romania does not tax incoming personal remittances. Transfers between family members are not subject to gift tax if under certain thresholds. Romania's flat income tax rate of 10% applies only to earned income, not to personal gifts or family support transfers from abroad.

All major Romanian banks accept SEPA and SWIFT transfers: Banca Transilvania, BCR (Erste Group), BRD (Société Générale), Raiffeisen Bank Romania, ING Bank Romania, CEC Bank, and UniCredit Bank Romania. Banca Transilvania and BCR have the most extensive branch networks, covering virtually every Romanian city and town.

Revolut has become extremely popular among Romanians, with one of the highest per-capita adoption rates in Europe. Many Romanian recipients hold Revolut accounts with RON IBANs, making person-to-person Revolut transfers fast and cheap. However, Revolut-to-Revolut transfers use Revolut's own rate, so comparing against Wise and others is still worthwhile.