Romania doesn’t treat affiliates like “just marketing.” It treats them like a regulated link in the gambling supply chain.

ONJN’s Class II licence for affiliates comes with a hard reality: €20,000/year licence tax plus €15,000/year responsible gambling contribution—and the clock starts ticking fast after approval.

If you prepare the dossier correctly and pre-plan the payments, you can lock in 10 years of licence validity and a strong credibility edge in a tightly controlled EU market.

Here’s the step-by-step roadmap, the payment traps that kill applications, and the international relevance reality check.

Key points

• Class II affiliate licence fee in Romania is €20,000/year.
• Responsible gambling payment for Class II was raised to €15,000/year under the post-2023 fee reforms.
• Licence becomes effective 1st day of next month after approval + payment.
• Miss the first-year payment deadline (25th of the following month) and the approval can collapse automatically.
• Romania restricts Class II licensees from supporting unlicensed gambling accessible from Romania and references blacklist-style enforcement logic.
• Internationally, the licence is a credibility asset, not a legal passport.

Romania Class II Affiliate License: €35k/Year, ONJN Dossier, Deadlines & Risks

The legal framework in one minute

Romania’s gambling regime is built on OUG 77/2009, with the Methodological Norms in HG 111/2016 governing how Class II licensing works in practice.

ONJN (Oficiul Național pentru Jocuri de Noroc) administers licensing, monitoring, and—crucially—automatic consequences when deadlines are missed.

What exactly is a Class II affiliate license?

In Romania’s model, Class II covers “connected activities” supporting gambling. The affiliate category sits inside the Class II framework, and it’s priced at €20,000 per year in the official fee schedule.

My practical translation: Romania expects affiliates to act like licensed commercial partners, not like anonymous traffic brokers.

Costs: the numbers that matter (and the numbers that confuse people)

1) Annual license tax (affiliate – Class II)

• €20,000 per year for affiliates (explicitly listed under Class II fees).

2) Annual responsible gambling contribution

• Industry legal updates confirm Romania increased the annual “responsible gambling” payment for Class II from €1,000 to €15,000 (effective from the 2023 reforms).

Your true annual commitment

✅ €35,000/year (20k licence + 15k RG fund).
And yes—this is intentionally a barrier to entry. In my view, Romania uses pricing to force market consolidation and discourage low-quality affiliate networks.

Validity and “when it starts”

Romania is very specific here:

• Validity: Class II licence runs 10 years, but only if you keep paying on time.
• Effective date: the licence becomes effective on the 1st day of the month after ONJN approves your documentation and you pay the licence tax.

The deadline that destroys applications

HG 111/2016 hard-codes a brutal rule:

• First year payment deadline: pay by the 25th of the month following the month in which your documentation was approved.
• If you miss it: ONJN’s approval effectively collapses—automatic loss without additional formalities (no “grace period culture” here).

My advice: treat the payment like a launch-critical transaction. Pre-authorise internal approvals and bank execution before you even submit the file.

Step-by-step: how to secure the licence (operator-grade)

Step 1) Confirm you actually need it

If you promote gambling to Romanian consumers (Romanian language, Romania targeting, Romania traffic), you should assume ONJN expects Class II compliance.

Step 2) Build your dossier like a regulator will audit it

Romanian rules and checklists typically require:

• a typed Romanian application (cerere tip) signed by the legal representative,
• a document inventory (opis),
• corporate registration and company identification certificates,
• constitutive act,
• criminal record evidence / integrity declarations for relevant persons,
• a clear description of your affiliate activity and declared domains.

Step 3) Declare your domains and your operating model clearly

Don’t play vague. If your affiliate activity touches:

• review sites,
• SEO content hubs,
• paid media landing pages,
• influencer networks,
• subdomains or tracking domains,
  list them cleanly and consistently.

Step 4) Submit, then switch to “payment readiness mode”

Because approval without payment is not a win—it’s a countdown.

Step 5) Build ongoing compliance into your operations

Romania has tightened the ecosystem logic: Class II licensees are restricted from providing services that support unlicensed gambling accessible from Romania, and the rules reference the ONJN “blacklist” concept and broader prohibitions.

For affiliates, the practical meaning is simple:

• Do not promote brands that target Romania without Romanian Class I authorisation.
• Do not route Romanian players to blacklisted domains.

International relevance: does Romania’s Class II licence “travel”?

Here’s the honest, professional answer:

What it does internationally

• It acts as a credibility signal for partners (regulated operators, B2B suppliers, some PSPs) because it proves you can operate under strict oversight and fixed deadlines.

What it doesn’t do internationally

• It does not grant you legal marketing rights across the EU or globally. Online gambling regulation in the EU remains diverse and nationally controlled, and Member States can restrict cross-border gambling for public-interest reasons.

My view: Romania Class II is “internationally relevant” the same way an ISO certificate is relevant—it helps—but it’s not a passport.

FAQ

1) Who needs a Romania Class II affiliate licence?
If you promote gambling offers to Romanian consumers (language, targeting, traffic), ONJN generally expects Class II compliance for affiliate activity.

2) How much does the licence cost per year?
€20,000/year licence tax for affiliates, plus a €15,000/year responsible gambling contribution (total: €35,000/year).

3) How long is the licence valid?
10 years, provided you remain compliant and pay on time.

4) When does the licence become effective?
On the 1st day of the month following approval, after you pay the licence tax.

5) What happens if I don’t pay the first year on time?
HG 111/2016 sets a hard deadline (by the 25th of the following month). Missing it triggers automatic negative consequences—no comfort-zone grace period.

6) What documents are typically required?
Expect: Romanian application form, document inventory, corporate registration/identification documents, constitutive act, integrity/criminal record evidence for relevant persons, and a detailed activity + domain declaration.

7) Can a foreign company apply?
Romania’s gambling framework allows EU/EEA entities in several contexts, but affiliate licensing still demands proper corporate documentation and Romanian-language filing. In practice, most applicants use local legal/compliance support to avoid technical rejection.

8) Can I promote non-Romanian licensed brands into Romania?
This is the fastest way to create regulatory exposure. Romania’s rules restrict Class II licensees from supporting unlicensed gambling accessible from Romania and reference blacklist enforcement.

9) Is the Romania Class II licence “international”?
It’s internationally useful as a trust signal, but it doesn’t give you legal rights to market gambling in other jurisdictions. EU online gambling remains nationally regulated without harmonised licensing.

10) What’s the #1 success factor?
Payment readiness. The best dossier in the world fails if finance can’t execute on time.

Conclusion

Most affiliate marketers entering Romania’s regulated iGaming market face stringent licensing requirements that can make or break your business venture. I’ll guide you through the crucial steps to secure your Class 2 affiliate license, which comes with significant financial obligations including an annual fee of €20,000 plus an additional €15,000 for the gambling addiction prevention fund. Your license remains valid for 10 years from the date of approval, provided you maintain timely payments.

However, failure to pay the first year’s fee results in automatic revocation without additional formalities, making proper preparation crucial for your application success.

Tags: #Romania #ONJN #ClassII #AffiliateMarketing #iGamingCompliance #Licensing #ResponsibleGambling #AML