Fine for driving without a rovinieta in Romania — 500 to 1000 RON
Driving a Romanian road without a valid rovinieta is an offence, and the fine is many times higher than the charge you would have saved. Romanian enforcement is automatic, runs day and night, and is just as effective with foreign plates as with domestic ones. Here is how much it costs, how the ANPR system works, and how the report can reach you at home months later.
How much the fine is
The fine for a car driver (category A) driving without a valid rovinieta is between 500 and 1000 RON (about €100–200). For a goods vehicle (cat. B, up to 3.5 t) the fine is around 1140–2280 RON. The fine applies on every charged road — not only the motorway, but the national road too.
| Offence | Fine | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Car (cat. A) without rovinieta | 500–1000 RON | ≈ €100–200, ANPR camera enforcement |
| Payment within 15 days | ≈ 250 RON | half the minimum (~€28) |
| Goods vehicle (cat. B, up to 3.5 t) | 1140–2280 RON | goods transport up to 3.5 t |
How enforcement works
Romania uses an automatic enforcement system (SER). More than 70 ANPR cameras over the roads read the plate of every passing vehicle and compare it with the central database of active rovinietas, around the clock. There are no barriers and no stopping — if the rovinieta is valid, you simply drive on.
This means there is nowhere to "slip through". The system does not depend on a patrol happening to be present; it reads plates continuously, day and night, from the first kilometre of a charged road. Remember too that a plate entered incorrectly at purchase means an invalid rovinieta — the system looks for exactly your registration.
How the fine reaches you abroad
A foreign plate offers no protection. The offence report (proces-verbal) is sent by post to the vehicle owner, including abroad within the EU — sometimes weeks or months after you return from holiday. The Romanian authorities can pursue the claim for a long time.
The maths
If you are still deciding which period to buy, our guide on 1 day or 10 days covers the common cases. And to be sure the rovinieta is active before you leave, read the article on when to buy a rovinieta.
Summary
The fine for driving without a Romanian rovinieta is automatic, hard to avoid and many times higher than the charge. Buy in advance and enter the plate correctly. You can do it in about two minutes on the Romania vignette page.