For companies, investors and property owners in Romania, fire safety compliance can directly affect whether a building, commercial space or business premises may be built, refurbished or put into operation.
Romanian law uses three different administrative acts in this area: the fire safety permit, the provisional fire safety accord and the fire safety authorization. Although they are sometimes confused in practice, they have different purposes and apply at different stages of a project.
These documents are issued by the competent Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, commonly known in Romania as ISU.
Fire safety permit: before works begin
The fire safety permit is generally relevant before starting construction, modification or change-of-use works.
It confirms that the technical design documentation has been reviewed from a fire safety perspective and that the applicable fire safety requirements have been considered at the project stage.
This permit does not mean that the building or space may already be used. It is linked to the planning and execution phase, not to the operational phase.
In practice, obtaining the permit at the right time is important because fire safety issues identified too late may lead to redesign, delays or additional costs.
The application for the fire safety permit is generally solved within 15 calendar days. In certain cases, the term may be extended, without exceeding 30 calendar days.
Fire safety authorization: before operation
The fire safety authorization is the administrative act required before putting into operation certain buildings, installations or arrangements.
It applies to new buildings and spaces, as well as to existing ones where modification works or a change of use have been carried out, provided that the project falls within the categories regulated by law.
Unlike the permit, the authorization is issued after document review and field verification. Its purpose is to certify that the fundamental fire safety requirement is met for the relevant building, installation or arrangement.
For business operators, this distinction is essential. A fire safety permit obtained during the design stage does not replace the fire safety authorization required before operation.
The application for the fire safety authorization is generally solved within 30 working days. In certain cases, this term may be extended, without exceeding 60 working days.
Provisional fire safety accord: a temporary solution
The provisional fire safety accord is a temporary administrative act.
It may be issued when the competent inspectorate cannot solve the fire safety authorization application within the initial legal term, provided that two conditions are met:
- the submitted documentation is complete; and
- the beneficiary assumes, through an authenticated declaration on its own responsibility, that all legal fire safety conditions are fulfilled.
The provisional accord is valid for 60 days and may be issued only once for the same objective.
Within this period, the inspectorate verifies on site whether the legal fire safety conditions are actually met. Therefore, the provisional accord should not be treated as a substitute for the final authorization.
When may fire safety approval be required?
The categories of buildings and arrangements subject to fire safety permit and/or authorization are regulated by law.
In practice, the obligation may become relevant for several types of projects, including:
- high or very high buildings;
- certain collective residential buildings;
- commercial, production or storage spaces above specific thresholds;
- office, healthcare, financial-banking, cultural or transport-related premises;
- tourist accommodation units above certain capacity thresholds;
- parking facilities;
- underground spaces or rooms with large gatherings of people;
- sports facilities;
- fuel stations, gas distribution facilities and other regulated technical installations.
The legal assessment should always be made by reference to the specific building, activity, surface, capacity, use and technical configuration.
For this reason, foreign investors, tenants and business operators should not rely only on the commercial description of the premises. A space presented as suitable for a certain activity may still require additional fire safety verification before it can be lawfully used.
What if the authorization does not seem necessary?
If there is uncertainty, the interested person may request an official point of view from the competent Inspectorate for Emergency Situations.
This is often useful before signing a lease, purchasing a property, starting fit-out works or opening a business to the public.
It is particularly relevant for restaurants, hotels, clinics, offices, retail spaces, warehouses, production areas and mixed-use buildings, where the fire safety regime may not be obvious from the lease or title documents alone.