How to Register as a Jobseeker After Graduation in Romania

What should you do immediately after graduation?

Register with your territorial employment agency within 60 calendar days of graduation. Romania's National Agency for Employment (ANOFM) confirms this requirement for the 2026 graduating class.

The registration records you as a person seeking employment, known as persoana in cautarea unui loc de munca. It enables access to public employment support and is a necessary step for certain graduate-specific financial entitlements.

Start with the ANOFM graduate registration guidance for 2026. Then identify the employment agency responsible for your domicile.

Who can register?

Registration is relevant to people who have completed an educational programme and are looking for work. ANOFM identifies graduates of general, vocational, special, secondary, post-secondary and higher education institutions within its graduate employment guidance.

Graduates aged at least 16 may qualify for graduate-specific unemployment support or incentives when the additional legal requirements are met. Younger applicants and people in other circumstances should ask their employment agency which services are available to them.

Registration and financial eligibility are different decisions. A person may receive job-search assistance without qualifying for unemployment payments.

When does the 60-day deadline begin?

The deadline is linked to the officially recognised graduation date, not necessarily the date when you receive the printed diploma or attend a graduation ceremony.

For the 2026 secondary-school graduating class, AJOFM Constanta published a specific example: classes XII and XIII completed courses on 4 June 2026, with the registration period running from 5 June through 3 August 2026.

Other educational programmes have different completion dates. Do not automatically apply the secondary-school dates to university or vocational graduates.

Check the AJOFM Constanta 2026 graduate guidance for the published examples and confirm your own graduation date with your school or university.

What documents do you need?

Territorial employment agencies publish document requirements for registering graduates as jobseekers. Prepare the following before contacting your office.

• Identity document: identification establishing your identity and domicile.
• Education document: graduation diploma, certificate or a school-issued document showing the graduation date.
• CV: a current curriculum vitae.
• Health declaration: the required declaration concerning any medical restrictions relevant to work.
• Personal data declaration: the agency's applicable form or acknowledgement.

Some territorial offices specify originals and copies. Others provide standard declarations at the office. Confirm the exact checklist before attending.

ANOFM publishes a national 2026 graduate information document explaining the registration procedure and supporting evidence.

What if you do not have your diploma yet?

Ask your educational institution for an official graduation certificate or confirmation showing the relevant completion date. ANOFM's registration guidance accepts graduation evidence and does not require every applicant to wait until the final printed diploma is issued.

Do not delay registration merely because the diploma has not yet been printed. Check which temporary graduation document your territorial agency accepts.

Where do you register?

Registration is handled through Romania's territorial public employment service.

• Outside Bucharest: the County Agency for Employment (AJOFM) or its relevant local office.
• In Bucharest: the Municipal Agency for Employment (AMOFM) and its local sector agencies.

For graduate-specific registration and entitlements, the responsible agency is generally determined by the applicant's domicile. Confirm the competent office before submitting documents.

Use the official ANOFM website to locate the appropriate territorial agency and its current contact details.

Can you register online?

ANOFM operates digital employment services, including online platforms for job matching and employment administration. However, the availability of an online platform does not establish that the entire graduate registration procedure can be completed remotely in every county.

Before sending documents electronically, ask your territorial agency whether it accepts graduate registration through an online system, email or another approved submission method.

Do not assume that creating a general online job-search account automatically completes the statutory graduate registration. Obtain confirmation that your registration has been recorded by the competent agency.

What services can registered graduates receive?

ANOFM identifies several public employment services available to registered graduates.

• Career information and counselling: assistance with occupational choices and job-search planning.
• Job mediation: matching applicants with available employment opportunities.
• Professional training: access to eligible vocational training programmes.
• Employment incentives: information about financial measures available when statutory conditions are satisfied.

Registration does not guarantee immediate employment, a training place or payment of a financial incentive.

Is registration the same as applying for unemployment allowance?

No. Registering as a jobseeker and claiming unemployment allowance are separate administrative stages.

For eligible graduates, registration within the prescribed period is an important prerequisite. If the graduate remains unemployed after the relevant 60-day period and satisfies the additional legal conditions, they may submit a separate request for unemployment allowance.

ANOFM's 2026 guidance identifies a graduate unemployment allowance equal to 50% of the reference social indicator (ISR), payable for six months to eligible applicants. This is not an automatic payment triggered merely by registering.

Other conditions can include age, employment status, educational enrolment and applicable income restrictions. The employment agency assesses entitlement when the allowance is requested.

For the separate benefit application, consult the official graduate unemployment allowance guidance.

Can registering help you qualify for an employment bonus?

Registration may also be relevant to graduate employment incentives, but each incentive has its own requirements.

Graduate insertion bonus

ANOFM identifies the prima de insertie as a financial incentive for qualifying graduates who register and enter eligible employment within the applicable period.

Under the published 2026 guidance, qualifying employment involves full-time work for a period exceeding 12 months, with registration and employment timing conditions. The incentive is linked to the reference social indicator.

Check the AMOFM 2026 graduate incentive guidance before assuming that accepting any job qualifies you for payment.

Other employment incentives

ANOFM's 2026 announcements also describe additional measures for certain young people entering employment. Eligibility may depend on first employment, contract type, working hours and other statutory conditions.

Ask your territorial agency which incentive applies to your circumstances rather than assuming that multiple benefits can be combined.

What if you miss the 60-day deadline?

Missing the graduate registration period can affect entitlement to graduate-specific unemployment allowance and employment incentives that require registration within that period.

However, the public employment service also provides jobseeker registration and assistance outside the graduate-specific benefit framework. Contact the territorial agency to ask about registration and services still available.

Do not assume that a late registration restores eligibility for graduate benefits requiring timely registration. Ask the agency to assess your circumstances under the applicable legal provisions.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Waiting for the printed diploma instead of obtaining an acceptable graduation certificate.
• Calculating the deadline from the graduation ceremony rather than the legally relevant completion date.
• Assuming that failing the Baccalaureate examination automatically prevents secondary-school graduates from registering.
• Submitting documents to an office that is not responsible for your domicile.
• Confusing online job-search account creation with formal registration.
• Assuming registration automatically grants unemployment allowance.
• Accepting employment without checking whether graduate incentive deadlines and contract conditions are relevant.

What happens after you register?

Keep the registration acknowledgement and follow the employment agency's instructions for future contact, counselling appointments or job opportunities.

If the agency requests missing documents, provide them through the accepted channel and confirm that the registration has been completed.

If you later apply for graduate unemployment allowance or an employment incentive, use the separate application procedure and supply the additional evidence required for that measure.

The practical first step remains to confirm your graduation date, prepare the documents and contact the appropriate AJOFM or AMOFM office within the applicable period.