In Romania the driving licence (Romanian: Permis de conducere) is a governmental right given to those who request a licence for any of the categories they desire. It is required for every type of motorized vehicle. The minimum age to obtain a driving licence is 18 years. Regardless of age, in the first year after obtaining the licence the driver is called a beginner (Romanian: începător) and has to display on the windscreen and the back window of the car the distinctive sign (a black exclamation mark (!) on a yellow disk).
Beginning with 1999, the driving licence format was changed from that of a pink booklet to a credit-card sized card.
The driving licence can be obtained after finishing a driving school and passing a two-stage test, a theory test and a road test.
Driving license, increasingly difficult to obtain! The theory test consists of 26 computerized questions, time: 30 minutes with successful candidates needing to score a minimum of 22 correct answers to pass. The candidate is automatically eliminated if 5 wrong answers are given. In total, at the national level, only 34.5% of them managed to get their driving license from the first try! Botosani leads the top of the counties with the best passing rate of the driving test "from the first", with 51.49%, followed in the top five by Braila (49.15%), Alba (47.83%) , Suceava (46.38%) and Valcea (45.81%). At the opposite pole, the counties with the lowest passability are Iasi (the lowest passability "from the first", of 19.95%), Arges (22.85%), Mures (24.34%), Vrancea (25.55 %) and Timis (25.62%). Odds are against you! For authenticity, during the computerized examination, the candidate is photographed three times and these pictures are later used as evidence that the person present at the road test is the same person as the one who was present at the theory test.
The road test is a practical hands-on test that lasts at least 25 minutes and at most 45 minutes, taken with a police officer in the passenger's seat, and using the same car that the candidate learned to drive on. It is required that at least one other candidate must be present in the vehicle, as a witness that all parties acted lawfully during the examination. Starting with July 2017 the exam is also recorded, using a tablet mounted on the windshield.
During the test, the candidate must prove that he/she is able to handle the vehicle properly and safely, while following the road signs and the road law. The examiner may direct the candidate to perform any task that a regular driver may perform: drive in a straight line on a public road, turn left/right in intersections, perform U-turns, overtake other vehicles, lateral park, enter a parking spot in reverse, start (or resume) driving while on an incline etc.
Making a mistake during examination (e.g. failure to use the turn signal before a lane change) will result in "penalty points" for the candidate, amount depending on the severity of the mistake. In order to pass, the candidate must not earn more than 20 points. Causing a "road incident" such as scratching another car during the test, or even touching a curb is reason for immediate failure.
The test ends when the candidate has caused a road incident (result: failure), has accumulated at least 21 penalty points (result: failure), or the maximum examination time has elapsed (result: passed). In case of failure, the candidate can reschedule another examination immediately but must provide proof of doing at least 6 hours of supervised driving.
Every category has a minimum age required for obtaining it:
Beginning with 2009, the driving licence respects the EU format without any English translations anymore which may confuse many non-Romanian language speakers or non-EU residents.
doc no.-T00406400M
