An affiliate that earns commission on players it sends to Romanian-licensed gambling operators needs an ONJN Class 2 license under OUG 77/2009. Since OUG 82/2023 the license costs €20,000 a year plus a €15,000 responsible-gambling contribution, after a one-off €10,500 fee: €45,500 in year 1 and €35,000 a year after. When we first wrote this post in May 2022, the same license cost €6,000 a year plus €1,000.
This post explains the conditions an affiliate must meet and what changed since 2022. The full supplier procedure, document checklist and timeline are on the Class 2 (B2B) license page; here we focus on the questions specific to affiliate sites.
Who counts as a B2B affiliate
Romanian law treats marketing affiliates as gambling suppliers when their revenue depends on the players they direct to B2C operators: revenue share, CPA or hybrid deals. Comparison sites, bonus portals, tipster sites and streamers working on commission all fall in that group if they send Romanian players to Romanian-licensed operators.
A site that earns only flat advertising fees with no link to player activity is in a grayer area. In practice, Romanian operators ask any traffic partner for its Class 2 license number before signing, because they may contract only licensed suppliers.
License validity and when fees are due
The Class 2 license is valid for 10 years from the date it is granted, provided the annual fees are paid.
In 2022 we described the payment mechanics in the norms as follows. The first-year fee was due by the 25th of the month after ONJN approved the file. Later annual fees were due at least 10 days before each one-year period ended. The license took effect on the first day of the month after payment. If the first-year fee was not paid on time, the approval lapsed by law without further formality.
The principle still governs: no payment, no license. Plan to pay as soon as approval is communicated, and set a calendar for the annual renewal payments. Our compliance calendar lists the recurring deadlines.
Fees: 2022 compared with 2026
| Charge | May 2022 | Since October 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Annual license fee (affiliates) | €6,000 | €20,000 |
| Responsible-gambling contribution, per year | €1,000 | €15,000 |
| Recurring cost per year | €7,000 | €35,000 |
| One-off issuance fee (year 1) | not covered in our 2022 post | €10,500 |
| Year 1 total (2026) | €45,500 |
In 2022 we called the €6,000 fee demanding and predicted it would thin out the market. The fivefold increase in recurring cost under OUG 82/2023 did exactly that: the affiliate license is now a filter for serious operators, a point developed in Romania’s Class II affiliate license: the €35,000-a-year filter. There is still no tax on the affiliate’s revenue and no financial guarantee.
Documents ONJN expects
The 2022 list had eight items. They remain the core of an affiliate file:
- Application form in Romanian, signed by the legal representative or an authorized person, with registered office, contact details and the activity to be licensed.
- Index of the documents submitted.
- Trade-register certificate or the equivalent from the home registry.
- Registry extract showing legal form, name, registered office, registration code, subscribed and paid-in share capital, shareholders, legal representatives, main activity and secondary offices.
- Articles of association, current version.
- Description of the activity, prepared by the legal representatives, with the internet domains through which the affiliate operates.
- Criminal-record certificates for each legal representative, shareholder and director, from the country of last domicile or registered office, showing no final conviction for a gambling offense or for any intentional offense punishable by two years’ imprisonment or more.
- Affiliation agreement with a licensed remote gambling operator, where one already exists.
Since 2022, ONJN files have become more demanding. Expect to add KYC on every holder of 5% or more, an AML/CFT procedure under Law 129/2019, a GDPR statement, and, for a non-resident (EU/EEA) licensee, an authorized representative in Romania with a power of attorney. Foreign documents need certified Romanian translations and, where required, an apostille. A clean file takes about two to three months from kickoff to the ONJN register.
Rules that now bind licensed affiliates
Only licensed operators. Law 107/2024 bars Class 2 holders from providing gambling-related services to entities that lack a Class 1 license and accept players from Romania. The fine is RON 150,000 to 200,000, the proceeds are confiscated, and the Class 2 license is revoked. For an affiliate, that means one link to an offshore casino that accepts Romanian players can cost the license.
Bonus advertising is channeled. Bonuses may be promoted only on the operator’s own sites and premises, on licensed affiliates’ sites, or to players who opted in. A licensed affiliate is therefore one of the few lawful places for bonus content. The trade-off is that its pages must meet the same advertising rules as the operator’s.
Influencers and public figures. Since October 2025 the Audiovisual Code bars public figures and online influencers from audiovisual gambling advertising. Streamers and personality-led affiliates should review their formats.
Blacklisted domains. ONJN’s blacklist held 2,881 domains on 25 September 2026. Linking to them, or running a mirror of an unlicensed brand, is the fastest route to an inspection.
Does the license pay for itself? A simple test
Take an affiliate earning a 30% revenue share from Romanian operators. To cover €35,000 a year in statutory charges, its Romanian players must generate about €117,000 of net gaming revenue for the operators each year, before the affiliate’s own content, compliance and representation costs. In year 1, with the €10,500 issuance fee, the threshold is about €152,000.
On CPA deals, divide €35,000 by the payment per first-time depositor. At €150 a player, the affiliate needs roughly 233 qualifying Romanian depositors a year just to cover the license.
Three factors move the answer:
- Operator access. Without a license, a compliant Romanian operator cannot pay the affiliate at all, so the comparison is not license against no license but license against leaving the market.
- Credential value. A Class 2 license is an EU regulatory credential. Some affiliates use it to support banking, payment and partner onboarding beyond Romania.
- Concentration. With 28 Class I license rows on the register, a few operators account for most of the market. An affiliate dependent on one or two of them carries more risk than the numbers show.
Run the test with your own traffic data before filing; it is the first question we ask an affiliate client. Our 2026 guide to affiliate opportunities with Romanian-licensed operators works through commission models and contract terms.
What applies now (2026)
- Fees: €10,500 once, then €20,000 plus €15,000 a year, fixed by the annex to OUG 77/2009 as replaced by OUG 82/2023. Law 141/2025 raised Class 1 charges but left the Class 2 amounts unchanged.
- Validity: 10 years, with annual payments and ONJN audits.
- Scope: one Class 2 license for the affiliate activity covers all the affiliate’s domains, which must be declared to ONJN.
- Market access: Romanian Class 1 operators may work only with licensed affiliates, so the license is the entry ticket to the 28 Class I license rows on the ONJN register.
An affiliate weighing the cost should compare €35,000 a year with its expected Romanian commission. Below that line, Romania may not pay; above it, the license is also a credential that operators and payment partners recognize. We prepare and file affiliate applications as part of our licensing services and can discuss your traffic model before you commit.
