To obtain a gambling B2B license in Romania you apply to ONJN for a Class 2 license under OUG 77/2009 and HG 111/2016. It costs €10,500 once, then €35,000 a year (€20,000 license fee plus €15,000 responsible-gambling contribution). It is valid for 10 years, and a clean file takes about two to three months. The full procedure, fee table and ten-part document checklist are on our Romania Class 2 (B2B) license page. This article covers the decisions to make before you start, because they decide how fast the file moves.
Why a Romanian B2B license is worth having
Romania is a fully regulated market. A Class 1 operator may contract only with Class 2 holders, so without the license you cannot sell to any Romanian-licensed casino or sportsbook. The ONJN register showed 413 Class II license rows held by about 355 companies on 5 October 2026, against 28 Class I rows. Most of the market’s B2B suppliers already hold the license.
The license also carries weight outside Romania. It is issued by an EU member-state regulator at a fixed cost with no tax on revenue. Payment providers, banks and tier-one platforms read it as evidence that the supplier has passed fit-and-proper checks and is under supervision.
Two claims from the 2024 version of this post need correcting. First, holding the license does not exempt a foreign company from tax. Romanian fees are payable to the state budget, and tax on the supplier’s income depends on where it is resident and whether it has a Romanian permanent establishment. Second, the license does not by itself open bank or crypto-exchange accounts. It helps, but each institution runs its own due diligence.
Decision 1: which activity you are licensing
ONJN licenses activity categories, not products. The Class 2 categories include:
- Production and distribution of gambling software, including transmission of live-casino images.
- Management of platforms and hosting, including remote-gambling integration platforms and data centers.
- Production, distribution, repair and maintenance of gaming equipment, including import, export and intra-EU trade.
- Payment processing.
- Affiliate activity (see Class 2 for affiliates).
- Certification, audit and conformity assessment.
Each category is a separate license with its own fees. An aggregator that also hosts and processes payments may need three. Map your revenue streams to categories before you file. Adding a category later means a new application.
Decision 2: which entity holds the license
You can apply through a Romanian company or through your existing foreign company. OUG 82/2023 requires Class 1 operators to be Romanian companies or EU/EEA/Swiss entities with a Romanian permanent establishment, but many foreign suppliers hold Class 2 licenses directly. A foreign holder appoints a Romanian representative, uses a Romanian address and gives a power of attorney before ONJN. It also registers with ANAF for a Romanian tax identification code, using form 015 under art. 82 of the Fiscal Procedure Code, so that it can pay fees to the state budget.
The trade-offs are covered in Class 2 for resident and non-resident companies. In short, a Romanian company costs more to run but makes local banking, hiring and audits simpler. A foreign holder is faster to set up but must manage permanent-establishment risk.
Decision 3: whether your people and documents will pass
ONJN checks shareholders with 5% or more, ultimate beneficial owners and directors. It needs criminal-record certificates from each country of residence, proof of good reputation and relevant expertise. Corporate documents must be apostilled and translated into Romanian. Any person with a past sanction or an unclear source of funds should be raised at pre-screening, not discovered by ONJN.
Decide early who will run compliance. ONJN expects a named person responsible for AML and for the Class 2 obligations, with the authority to stop a client integration. For a small studio this is often a director. For a platform or payment provider, it should be a dedicated officer with documented training. ONJN will ask who this person is during the review and again at every inspection.
Decision 4: whether your technical file is ready
Software and content suppliers need certificates from an accredited testing laboratory recognized by ONJN, source-code registration for the games or systems supplied, and evidence of IP ownership. We usually register proprietary software with ORDA, the Romanian Copyright Office, as well. You also need an AML policy under Law 129/2019, a data-protection framework, risk management and a business continuity plan. Missing lab certificates are the most common cause of delay.
Decision 5: who represents you in Romania
Every Class 2 holder needs someone who can receive ONJN correspondence in Romanian, attend inspections and answer information requests within the deadlines ONJN sets. For a Romanian company this is usually a director or compliance officer. For a foreign holder it is the representative named in the power of attorney. Choose a representative who will still be in place in five years. The license runs for 10 years, and a gap in representation is one of the easiest ways to miss a deadline.
How long it takes
On a clean file the project takes about two to three months:
- Week 1: pre-assessment. Structure, activity categories, fit-and-proper pre-screening and a gap list.
- Weeks 2–6: dossier. Corporate, financial and personal files; policies; technical documentation; translations and apostilles.
- Weeks 6–7: filing. Submission to ONJN through the representative.
- Weeks 7–11: review. ONJN examines the file and asks questions. It must decide within 30 days of a complete file, and silence is not approval.
- Around week 12: issue. Fees are paid and the company appears on the ONJN Class II register, which operators check before integration.
Delays almost always come from the applicant’s side: a laboratory certificate that is not ready, a shareholder’s criminal-record certificate that has expired, or a translation that does not match the original. Any of these can add weeks. Start the laboratory work first.
Government fees
| Charge | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative (issuance) fee | €10,500 | Once |
| License fee | €20,000 | Every year |
| Responsible-gambling contribution | €15,000 | Every year |
| Year 1 total | €45,500 | |
| Year 2 onward | €35,000 a year |
There is no file-analysis fee (the €3,500 fee applies only to Class 1), no GGR-based tax and no financial guarantee for Class 2. Professional fees for the dossier, translations, laboratory work and representation are additional.
What changed since this guide was first published (2026)
- Law 107/2024 (in force 28 April 2024) prohibits Class 2 holders from serving operators that accept Romanian players without a Class 1 license. Breaches are fined RON 150,000–200,000, the proceeds are confiscated and the license is revoked. See the Class II supplier ban.
- Law 141/2025 (Monitorul Oficial no. 699 of 25 July 2025) requires software, platform and payment licensees to geolocate players independently, ask operators to block Romanian access to unlicensed sites, and report monthly to ONJN by the 10th. Class 2 fees were not changed. The Class 1 authorization fee rose to 30% of GGR.
- Enforcement has become routine. ONJN reported about 3,500 inspections of online operators and about 500 inspections of other associated entities between April 2025 and April 2026.
In summary
Decide the activity category, the holding entity and the tax setup first. Then pre-screen the people and assemble the technical file. With those settled, the ONJN stage is the shortest part of the project. We prepare and file the dossier and represent suppliers before ONJN for the life of the license; see our gambling consulting services or contact us for a quote.