Recovering your driving licence in Romania after conviction or administrative suspension: steps, time limits and strategies

1. Legal framework you need to know

When it comes to the driving licence in Romania, the key pieces of legislation are the following:

• Government Emergency Ordinance (GEO) no. 195/2002 on traffic on public roads – usually called the “Road Traffic Code” – which sets the rules on suspension, annulment and re-obtaining the licence. The consolidated text can be consulted on the official Romanian legislation website at https://legislatie.just.ro and in updated form on various legal platforms.
• Government Decision no. 1391/2006 approving the Regulation implementing GEO 195/2002, which details in practice how the suspension, re-testing and examination procedures work. The Regulation can be read in Romanian at https://legislatie.just.ro.
• Romanian Criminal Code – Law no. 286/2009, especially:
  • Article 335 Criminal Code – driving a vehicle without a driving licence (including driving with an annulled or suspended licence);
  • Article 336 Criminal Code – driving under the influence of alcohol or psychoactive substances (above the criminal threshold);
  • Article 66 Criminal Code – complementary penalties, including the ban on driving certain categories of vehicles (letter i).
• Provisions on annulment and re-obtaining the licence:
  • Article 114 GEO 195/2002 – cases where the driving licence is annulled (for example, following certain criminal convictions);
  • Article 116 GEO 195/2002 – conditions for taking the exam again after the licence has been annulled.

These legal texts form the backbone of any strategy for recovering your driving licence in Romania. The rest of the article will refer to them constantly.

2. Administrative suspension vs criminal conviction and annulment – the crucial distinctions

2.1. Administrative (contraventional) suspension

Administrative suspension of the right to drive is a contraventional complementary sanction, imposed under the Road Traffic Code for serious traffic offences that do not (or not yet) reach the level of a criminal offence or for the accumulation of penalty points. The standard suspension periods provided by Article 103 GEO 195/2002 are mostly 30, 60 and 90 days, with longer periods (120 or 180 days) in certain aggravated situations. Practical explanations on these periods can be found, for example, in driver guides and DRPCIV-type materials such as this summary.

Typical situations that lead to administrative suspension (without a criminal case) include: driving more than 50 km/h above the legal speed limit, failing to give way, running a red light, dangerous overtaking, driving after drinking alcohol but below the criminal threshold, or accumulating 15 penalty points. These examples appear both in the Road Traffic Code and in numerous professional explanations addressed to drivers, such as those published by road traffic lawyers or police inspectorates.

2.2. Criminal conviction and licence annulment

When the conduct goes beyond the administrative level and becomes a criminal road traffic offence, the consequences are significantly more serious.

• The driving licence is annulled in the situations listed in Article 114 of GEO 195/2002 – for example, when the driver is finally convicted for certain road traffic offences: driving without a licence (Article 335 Criminal Code), driving while the licence is annulled or suspended, driving under the influence of alcohol or psychoactive substances above the criminal threshold (Article 336 Criminal Code), refusal or evasion of biological sampling (Article 337 Criminal Code), or causing accidents with victims in breach of traffic rules.
• On top of that, the criminal court may impose, as a complementary penalty, the ban on driving specific categories of vehicles under Article 66 letter i of the Criminal Code, for a period which, following recent amendments on road traffic offences, can reach up to 10 years in some scenarios.

In such cases we are no longer talking about a simple temporary suspension but about a right to drive taken away by a criminal judgment, which often implies the need to sit a full new driving exam, after specific minimum time limits laid down by Article 116 GEO 195/2002 have been met.

2.3. Suspension during the criminal investigation vs annulment

During a criminal case for road traffic offences (for example, drunk driving above the criminal limit or refusal to provide biological samples), the licence is usually retained and a temporary suspension of the right to drive is ordered until the case is finally decided. This practice is based on Article 111 GEO 195/2002 and the implementing Regulation and is described in many practical guides published by police and legal professionals.

Only after the criminal judgment becomes final do we know whether:

• the licence is annulled (for the cases described in Article 114 GEO 195/2002);
• a mere administrative suspension follows (for example, 90 days under Article 103 paragraph (1) letter c GEO 195/2002, in situations where the criminal case ended with a solution of non-indictment, such as waiver of punishment or closing the criminal investigation); or
• the licence is returned with no further measures (for example, acquittal).

3. Recovering the licence after administrative suspension

3.1. How long does the suspension last?

Under Article 103 GEO 195/2002, the suspension periods are generally:

• 30 days – for accumulating 15 penalty points;
• 60 days – for a new accumulation of 15 penalty points within 12 months of the end of the previous suspension;
• 90 days – for serious offences such as failure to give priority, running a red light, dangerous overtaking, as well as in certain situations in which a criminal case was opened but closed with a non-indictment solution (Article 103 paragraph (1) letter c GEO 195/2002);
• 120 or 180 days – in aggravated situations expressly covered by the Road Traffic Code (for example, repeated serious offences or accidents with victims under specific conditions).

The exact legal list of offences and corresponding suspension durations can be consulted directly in Article 103 GEO 195/2002 on https://legislatie.just.ro and in the police road traffic information pages.

An important practical detail: as a rule, suspension starts on the day after you hand in your licence, not from the moment the police officer draws up the contravention report. If you fail to hand in the licence within the legal time limit, the suspension period can be extended by 30 days. This rule and its consequences are explained in many driver-focused materials and by county police inspectorates.

3.2. What to do immediately after receiving the contravention report

After receiving the contravention report and the temporary licence (with or without the right to drive), the practical steps are usually as follows:

• Check the contravention report: personal data, description of the facts, legal classification, your own statement and whether your objections have been recorded. Any error or unclear point can become relevant if you decide to contest the report.
• Decide whether to lodge a complaint (contravention appeal): under Romanian law, you normally have 15 days from communication of the report to file a complaint against it in court, under Government Ordinance no. 2/2001 on the legal regime of contraventions.
• Calculate the deadline for handing in your licence: depending on the notes in the report and on whether the temporary licence still gives you the right to drive for a certain period.
• Hand in the licence at the competent Road Police service (usually in the county of your domicile or where the offence was committed), respecting the deadline.
• Inform yourself about the re-testing procedure and possible reduction of the suspension period, so you can plan the steps in time, and not at the last minute.

A common mistake is postponing the handing-in of the licence “until a more convenient time”, which in many cases only prolongs the suspension and creates overlaps with other cases or future traffic offences.

3.3. Steps for getting the licence back after suspension

If there is no criminal case and you are dealing only with an administrative suspension, the general scheme to recover your licence is:

1. Hand in the licence at the Road Police service indicated in the report and comply with the suspension period under Article 103 GEO 195/2002.
2. Sit the test on road traffic rules, if you are in one of the situations where the law requires it:
   • mandatory in some cases (for example, alcohol below the criminal threshold or serious contraventions like failure to give priority or dangerous overtaking with accident), according to Articles 106 and 106¹ GEO 195/2002 and Article 220¹ of the Regulation;
   • optional in other cases, if you want to benefit from the reduction of the suspension period (see below).
3. Submit the application and required documents for the return of the licence (standard application form, proof of payment of the fine, proof of passing the test, ID card etc.) to the Road Police service, following the instructions published by the Romanian Police – e.g. the “model applications” section on the website of the General Directorate of Road Police or county inspectorates.
4. Collect the licence on the date indicated by the police, usually at the end of the suspension period or another date resulting from the decision on your application for reduction.

The rules and conditions for this test are published on the websites of many police inspectorates. In practice, the test is a 15-question multiple-choice quiz. You must answer at least 13 questions correctly in order to pass. Failing the test can mean losing the possibility to reduce the suspension period and staying without a licence for several extra months.

3.4. Reducing the suspension period to 30 days – current conditions

Romanian law allows you, in certain cases, to request a reduction of the suspension period. The main legal basis is Article 104 GEO 195/2002, detailed by Article 220¹ of the Regulation (Government Decision 1391/2006).

According to the current rules (updated up to 2025), the reduction of the suspension period is subject to several cumulative conditions. A recent legislative amendment – Law no. 82/2025, published in the Official Gazette no. 481/23.05.2025 – introduced a key additional condition: in order to obtain a reduction, the driver must prove that the contravention fine has been paid. This law expressly supplements Article 104 paragraph (1) GEO 195/2002 and is explained in detail in professional analyses published by Romanian lawyers and in press releases of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

In summary, the main conditions for reduction are:

• you have passed the test on road traffic rules (at least 13 out of 15 correct answers);
• you obtained your driving licence at least one year before committing the offence;
• you have no recent suspensions and you are not in a category of drivers excluded from reduction (for example, repeated offenders or certain very serious contraventions explicitly excluded by law);
• you present proof of payment of the contravention fine applied for the offence which led to the suspension.

In practice, you must also respect the practical deadline used by Road Police services for lodging the reduction request. Many county inspectorates mention that the application and supporting documents must be submitted within a set number of days from the start of the suspension (for example, by day 30 or 45), although the wording and details may differ slightly between counties. Always check the specific instructions provided by the Road Police in your area.

4. Recovering the licence after a criminal conviction and annulment

4.1. Typical criminal road traffic offences that lead to annulment

Article 114 paragraph (1) GEO 195/2002 lists the situations in which the driving licence is annulled. Among them are final convictions for:

• offences that caused death or bodily injury to a person as a result of violating traffic rules;
• offences under Articles 334 (paragraphs (2) and (4)), 335, 336 and 337 of the Criminal Code (driving without a licence or with a licence annulled/suspended/withdrawn, driving under the influence of alcohol or psychoactive substances above the criminal threshold, refusal or evasion from biological sampling).

These offences and their penalties are described in detail in legal commentaries and on professional legal websites, for example those dedicated to the Romanian Criminal Code.

In such cases the court may also impose the complementary penalty of banning you from driving certain categories of vehicles, for a period determined in accordance with Articles 66 and 67 of the Criminal Code. For serious road traffic offences, recent legislative changes allow the complementary driving ban to reach up to 10 years.

4.2. When and how you can sit the exam after annulment

Article 116 GEO 195/2002 governs the moment from which a person whose licence was annulled may sit the exam to obtain a new licence (for all categories held before the annulment). In essence, the law provides that you may only sit the exam after the expiry of certain minimum periods:

• at least 6 months from the date when you completed serving the fine or imprisonment (including imprisonment served at the workplace, if applicable);
• one year from the date of the final judgment by which the execution of the sentence was suspended under supervision; or
• upon the occurrence of amnesty or when the ban on driving specific categories of vehicles ordered by the court has ended.

Only after one of these conditions is met can you start the procedure to obtain a new licence, which, in practice, is very similar to the procedure for first-time drivers:

• enrol with the competent public community service for driving licences (DRPCIV);
• complete the necessary medical and psychological examinations required by current regulations;
• attend a driving school if required by the authority at that time;
• sit and pass the theoretical test (road rules) and the practical test (on-road driving exam).

Guides published by specialised driving schools and legal professionals explain in detail the steps and documents required for re-obtaining a licence after annulment.

4.3. Criminal driving ban vs. licence examination

It is crucial to understand that you cannot sit the exam and you cannot legally drive as long as you are still subject to a criminal driving ban (the complementary penalty under Article 66 letter i Criminal Code). Article 116 GEO 195/2002 explicitly ties the possibility of sitting the exam to the execution of the main sentence and to the end of any driving ban.

In some cases, depending on the wording of the judgment and on the general rules on modification of complementary penalties, you may discuss with your lawyer the possibility of reducing or terminating the driving ban earlier, if the conditions in the Criminal Code are met. However, this is highly case-specific and requires a detailed analysis of your criminal file.

4.4. Driving during the ban or after annulment – risk of a new criminal case

If you drive:

• while your right to drive is still suspended or banned by a criminal court; or
• after your licence has been annulled and before you have obtained a new one,

you are likely committing the offence of driving a vehicle without a driving licence under Article 335 Criminal Code. This offence is punished with imprisonment from 1 to 5 years or a criminal fine, and in practice it seriously worsens your prospects of re-obtaining a licence in the foreseeable future.

5. Strategies and practical recommendations – administrative vs. criminal cases

5.1. Strategies in administrative (contraventional) suspension cases

In purely administrative suspension cases, some of the most important strategic points are:

• Careful analysis of the contravention report and legal classification – in some cases, factual or legal errors in the report may justify a contravention complaint. Romanian case law contains decisions where suspensions were overturned because the conditions in Article 103 GEO 195/2002 were not met or procedural requirements for the report were breached.
• Correct calculation of all deadlines – the deadline for the complaint, the deadline for handing in the licence, the time window for requesting reduction. Missing one of these may block the quickest route to getting your licence back.
• Serious preparation for the road rules test – even though it looks simple, failing the test can mean losing the chance to reduce the suspension and remaining without a licence for several additional months. DRPCIV-style online platforms and mobile apps that simulate the official multiple-choice questions are, in practice, the main tools used by drivers to prepare.
• Making use of the reduction mechanism – if you meet the conditions, combining a timely test with a properly documented reduction request (including proof of fine payment) can drastically reduce the overall impact on your job and family life, especially when the initial suspension is 60 or 90 days.

5.2. Strategies in criminal cases (conviction, annulment, driving ban)

In criminal cases, the strategy has to be more sophisticated and must be built with a lawyer:

• Criminal defence strategy from the very beginning – the way evidence is collected and challenged, your procedural position (admission or denial of facts), and the requests your lawyer makes (for example, for a more lenient solution) can influence not only the main sentence but also whether and for how long the complementary driving ban is applied.
• Understanding the “double effect” of conviction – besides the criminal sentence itself, the conviction usually triggers both licence annulment (Article 114 GEO 195/2002) and a criminal driving ban (Article 66 letter i Criminal Code). A realistic strategy must consider all these layers, not only the length of the prison sentence or fine.
• Planning the re-obtaining of the licence during or immediately after serving the sentence – if you are in one of the situations covered by Article 116 GEO 195/2002, it is often advisable to plan ahead for the moment when you can enrol for the exam (after 6 months, one year etc.), so that you minimise the time without a licence, within legal limits.
• Avoiding “road recidivism” – committing a new road traffic offence while you are still under a ban or after your licence has been annulled but before re-obtaining it severely complicates your legal situation (recidivism, harsher penalties, extended bans) and makes a realistic return to legal driving very remote in the short or medium term.

6. Two illustrative scenarios

6.1. Scenario A – Suspension for speeding (+50 km/h over the limit)

Simplified example (no additional complications):

1. You are stopped for driving more than 50 km/h above the speed limit. The police draw up a contravention report, impose a fine and order the suspension of your licence (for example, 90 days).
2. Within 15 days from receiving the report, you decide whether to lodge a contravention complaint. If you do not, the report becomes final.
3. You hand in your licence within the deadline indicated in the report. From that moment the 90-day suspension starts running.
4. You check whether you meet the conditions to request reduction of the suspension to 30 days:
   • you have held a licence for at least one year;
   • you have no recent suspensions or situations that exclude reduction;
   • you pay the contravention fine and keep proof of payment;
   • you sit and pass the road rules test (13 correct answers out of 15).
5. You submit a reduction request with all supporting documents (including proof of fine payment and proof of passing the test) to the Road Police service within the applicable deadline (for example, by day 30 or 45 of the suspension, according to local practice and internal instructions).
6. If the request is granted, the suspension period is reduced (for example from 90 days to 30 or 60 days, depending on the legal provisions applicable to your specific offence). Your licence will be returned on the date calculated and communicated by the Road Police.

6.2. Scenario B – Criminal conviction for drunk driving above the criminal threshold and licence annulment

Simplified, for illustration only:

1. You are prosecuted for driving under the influence of alcohol above the criminal limit (Article 336 Criminal Code). During the criminal investigation and court proceedings, your licence is retained and your right to drive is suspended under Article 111 GEO 195/2002.
2. The criminal court issues a final judgment of conviction (either with effective imprisonment or with suspension of execution under supervision) and:
   • orders, under Article 114 GEO 195/2002, the annulment of your licence; and
   • imposes, under Article 66 letter i Criminal Code, the complementary penalty of a driving ban for certain categories of vehicles for a set period.
3. After the judgment becomes final and you have served the main sentence, you must wait:
   • at least 6 months from the date when you finished serving the fine or imprisonment, or
   • one year from the date when the judgment granting suspension under supervision became final,

   in accordance with Article 116 GEO 195/2002. At the same time, the period of the complementary driving ban must also have expired. You cannot sit the licence exam while the ban is still in force.

4. After these conditions are met, you can enrol for the full driving exam:
   • medical and psychological checks as required by DRPCIV at that time;
   • attendance of a driving school, if required;
   • theoretical test (multiple-choice questions on road rules);
   • practical test (driving test on the road).
5. If you pass both tests, you obtain a new driving licence. From that moment you may drive legally again, provided there are no other criminal or administrative measures limiting your right to drive.

FAQ – Recovering your Romanian driving licence after suspension or conviction