RO e-Transport 2026 runs on the same core rules the system had in 2024: the same weight and value thresholds, the same 3-day declaration window, the same UIT code validity. What changed is enforcement. According to Romanian specialist sources, sanctions became fully applicable from 1 January 2026, after the grace periods, including those covering vehicle positioning data. If your company shipped to or from Romania during the grace years, the rules you learned are still correct. The consequences of ignoring them are not.
What RO e-Transport 2026 did not change
These come from the text of the legislation and are the ones to build a process on.
The two goods thresholds are alternatives. One pallet of clothing weighing 120 kg but worth 40,000 lei crosses the value threshold on its own. The 2.5 tonnes refers to the vehicle’s rated mass in its documents, not to the load.
Declaration window. Under OUG 41/2022, art. 11, the declaration is filed at most 3 calendar days before the declared start date, and in any case before the vehicle is set in motion or presented at the road border crossing point.
UIT code validity. Five calendar days from the declared start date; 15 days for intra-community acquisitions and the operations named in art. 2 pt. 9 letters g) and j). The validity runs from the declared start date, not from the day you obtained the code.
Response retention. ANAF keeps the answers to your messages, including the signed XML and any errors, for 60 days (Order 1.337/1.268/2024, art. 6).
The full picture, including operation types and who declares each one, is in the RO e-Transport overview.
What is reported, and by whom
The following is repeated consistently by Romanian specialist press and trade associations. It is not quoted here from the text of an act, so treat it as reported and verify the current wording before changing a procedure.
| Reported change | Reported timing |
|---|---|
| International goods transport covers all goods, not only high fiscal risk goods | from 1 July 2024 |
| Sanctions fully applicable after grace periods, positioning data included | from 1 January 2026 |
| Positioning data transmitted by the transport operator; sanctions postponed by OUG 29/2025 | from 2025 |
| Fines: 20,000 to 100,000 lei for legal entities, 10,000 to 50,000 for individuals, 5,000 to 10,000 for the driver, plus confiscation of the value of undeclared goods | as amended in 2024 |
The distinction matters commercially. A foreign shipper deciding whether to declare a 400 kg consignment worth 15,000 lei needs the threshold, which is in the order. A foreign shipper budgeting for compliance risk needs the fine range, which is reported. Both are useful; they carry different weight in a dispute. Appeal routes and deadlines are covered in the guide on fines and appeals.
What this means for a foreign company
Three practical consequences follow from the 2026 position.
Your Romanian counterparty may not be the declarant. The obligation follows the operation. On an import into Romania, the beneficiary or importer declares. On an export from Romania, the supplier or exporter does. A foreign seller shipping into Romania on DDP terms and a foreign buyer collecting ex-works are in different positions, and the assumption that “the Romanian side handles it” is exactly the assumption that produces an undeclared transport.
The driver needs the code before the border, not at it. The declaration must exist before presentation at the road border crossing point. A code obtained while the truck is queuing is late by the wording of art. 11.
Positioning data is a separate obligation. It sits with the transport operator and its in-vehicle device. Obtaining UIT codes through an application does not discharge it, and no declaration software transmits GPS data on your behalf.
Where foreign shippers lose time
Two failure patterns show up repeatedly, and neither is about the law.
The first is data format. Romanian country coding in this system uses EL for Greece, not GR; text fields reject leading, trailing and double spaces; Combined Nomenclature codes lose their leading zero the moment a spreadsheet treats them as numbers. An ERP export that is perfectly valid elsewhere can be rejected here for reasons that have nothing to do with the shipment.
The second is the meaning of the code. ANAF issues the UIT code after checking the file structure, before the content rules run. A code in hand is not an accepted declaration, and a declaration rejected minutes later looks identical on screen until you read the status response.
Official sources: ANAF’s RO e-Transport guide (2025) and the Ministry of Finance technical information page. The procedure cited here is Joint Order ANAF/AVR 1.337/1.268/2024, Official Gazette 597 of 27 June 2024.
Frequently asked questions
What is RO e-Transport?
RO e-Transport is Romania's national system for monitoring goods transport, set up by Government Emergency Ordinance 41/2022. Before a qualifying transport starts, the party with the obligation declares it to ANAF, the Romanian tax authority, and receives a UIT code of 16 digits. The code identifies that specific consignment and movement, and it can be checked during a roadside inspection.
Did the high fiscal risk goods list change in 2026?
According to Romanian specialist sources, the list set by ANAF Order 802/2022 remained unchanged in 2026, with no Combined Nomenclature codes added and none removed. The categories include vegetables, edible fruit, alcoholic beverages, salt and construction minerals, clothing, other made-up textiles, footwear, and iron and steel products. Always check the classification on your own eight-digit NC code.
Are e-Transport penalties fully in force in 2026?
According to Romanian specialist sources, sanctions became fully applicable from 1 January 2026, after the grace periods, including those relating to vehicle positioning data. Reported amounts run from 20,000 to 100,000 lei for legal entities, plus confiscation of the value of undeclared goods. Treat these figures as reported rather than as text read directly from the ordinance.
Does a foreign company need a Romanian UIT code?
It depends on the operation, not on where the company is registered. Under OUG 41/2022, art. 8 to 9, the beneficiary or importer declares imports and intra-community acquisitions, while the supplier or exporter declares intra-community supplies, exports and domestic transport. A foreign company on either side of a qualifying movement can therefore be the declarant and needs access to ANAF's system.
Who sends GPS data to ANAF?
The transport operator, through the device fitted in the vehicle. It is not the declarant's obligation and not something a declaration application performs. According to Romanian specialist sources, the positioning data obligation started in 2025 and OUG 29/2025 postponed the related sanctions. Obtaining the UIT code and transmitting the position are two separate duties, usually held by two different companies.
