Documents needed for a labour inspection (ITM) in Romania in 2026: the complete list, for employment relations and occupational safety

Labour inspectors do not have to warn you beforehand: the law gives them free, permanent access, without prior notice, to the premises of any employer and to any organised workplace, and the first thing they ask for is documents. A company that knows where everything is gets through an inspection faster and does not need extra deadlines to produce its documents. One that has to search through folders loses time, and a document that existed but could not be found in time looks, in the inspection report, like one that is missing.

Below is the complete list for an SME, in five groups: company documents, employment relations, working time, payroll, and occupational health and safety (SSM). For each document we give the legal text it rests on, so you can check it yourself. We do not repeat the fines for undeclared work here; you will find them in our articles on labour inspections in 2026 and on undeclared and under-declared work. For the validity of electronically signed documents, see the dedicated article.

What the inspector can ask for, and from whom

The inspectors’ powers are set out in art. 19 of Law no. 108/1999 on the organisation of the Labour Inspectorate: access without prior notice (letter a); documents and information requested from the employer or its legal representative, but also from employees (letter c); copies of the documents connected with the inspection (letter d); written statements (letter e); remedial measures within a set deadline (letter i); and suspension of activity in case of a serious and imminent danger of accident or occupational illness (letter k).

You are obliged to make the documents available (art. 21). Failing to present them by the deadline the inspector sets, obstructing the inspection and failing to carry out the ordered measures on time are administrative offences (art. 23). The practical conclusion: for every document below, know where it is and who can bring it.

1. Company documents and the single control register

• The single control register (registrul unic de control, RUC). In practice it is the first document of the inspection, because the inspection is recorded in it. Law no. 252/2003 requires legal entities registered with the trade register to keep it; other categories, for example sole traders (PFA), may keep it optionally (art. 1). It is a paper register, numbered and sealed, kept at the registered office and at each authorised secondary premises (art. 5). Before the inspection starts, the inspector enters in it their details, the delegation, the objectives and the legal basis; the inspection may, as a rule, proceed only after that, and at the end the number and date of the document drawn up are entered (art. 3–4). An exception that matters specifically for the Labour Inspectorate: in inspections aimed at detecting work without legal forms, labour inspectors complete the register after the inspection (art. 240 of the Labour Code). If you do not have the register, the check goes ahead anyway, the fact is recorded in the inspection document and it is fined separately (art. 3 para. (5), art. 7–8).
• The registration certificate and the articles of association. They are not “inspection documents” expressly provided for by law, but in practice the inspector starts by identifying the employer and its activities.
• The legal representative’s ID and the power of attorney. Documents are requested from the employer or its legal representative (art. 19 letter c of Law 108/1999). If someone other than the administrator is present at the inspection — the accountant, a site manager — a written power of attorney, with the limits of the mandate, avoids discussions about who may hand over documents and sign. The health and safety law also requires you to designate, at the inspector’s request, the workers who take part in the inspection (art. 13 letter o of Law 319/2006): decide in advance who accompanies the inspector.
• Records of earlier inspections. Before an inspection, inspectors consult the documents drawn up earlier in their field, to see the measures set and how much of them has been carried out (art. 3 para. (3) of Law 252/2003). Keep the old reports together with proof that you carried out the measures on time.

2. Employment relations

The documents in this group must say the same thing: the contract, REGES, the personnel file and the payroll.

• Individual employment contracts. They are concluded in writing, at the latest the day before work starts, and the employee receives a copy before starting (art. 16 para. (1) and (3) of the Labour Code). Less well known: a copy of each contract is kept at the workplace where the person works — head office, branch, work point — on paper or electronically, by a person designated by the employer (art. 16 para. (4) and art. 16¹). With several work points, each one needs the copies for its own people. Template: the individual employment contract.
• Addenda (acte adiționale). Any change to an element of the contract — salary, position, schedule, workplace — is made through an addendum concluded before the change, unless the law or the collective agreement provides otherwise (art. 17 para. (5)). The inspector can take statements from employees, so differences between what the person says and what the contract says come to light quickly. See the addendum.
• Proof of REGES transmission. The contract is entered in the general employee register, transmitted to the Labour Inspectorate, at the latest the day before work starts (art. 16 para. (2)); the register is kept at the employer’s premises and made available to the inspector (art. 34). Keep the transmission confirmations and proof of who has access on the company’s behalf (delegating access). Rules: REGES in 2026; the legal status of the decision that introduced it: the annulment of GD 295/2025.
• Personnel files. A complete file for each employee, with the contract, the addenda and the hiring documents, including the medical certificate showing the person is fit for the post — in practice, the fitness-for-work certificate (fișa de aptitudine). Hiring without a medical certificate makes the contract null (art. 27); for foreign employees, the contract may be concluded without presenting the certificate, which must however be obtained by the day work starts at the latest (art. 27 para. (6)–(7), added by Emergency Ordinance no. 32/2026). See the personnel file, documents needed when hiring and retention periods.
• Job descriptions. The job description, with the duties, is part of the information given to the employee before the contract and is reflected in its content (art. 17 para. (3) letter d and para. (4)); health and safety duties are also recorded in it (art. 13 letter d of Law 319/2006). Template: the job description.
• Internal rules and proof they were brought to the employee’s attention. They are drawn up in consultation with the trade union or employee representatives (art. 241) and must be brought to each employee’s attention on the first working day, with proof of this, on paper or electronically — provided the document is accessible, can be stored and can be printed —, and displayed at the premises (art. 243). Until the employee has been informed, they have no effect on that employee. See the internal rules (ROI).
• The collective labour agreement, or proof of negotiation. This is often confused: the social dialogue law (no. 367/2022) does not require you to sign a collective agreement, but to negotiate, and negotiation is mandatory in units with at least 10 employees (art. 97 para. (1)). If you have a collective agreement, check that it is registered with the Labour Inspectorate (art. 110 para. (1) letter a) and has not expired — as a rule it is concluded for 12–24 months, with a single extension of up to 12 months (art. 108). If you do not have one, keep the evidence of negotiation: invitations, correspondence, minutes. See the collective labour agreement.
• The annual leave schedule. It is drawn up, collectively or individually, in consultation with the union or employee representatives, or with the employee, by the end of the calendar year for the following year; if it is split up, each employee must have at least 10 working days of uninterrupted leave in the year (art. 148 para. (1) and (5)). See annual leave in 2026.
• Special contracts, if you have them: part-time, telework, day labourers, secondments and postings, foreign workers. Each has its own documentation regime; for example, for foreign workers the contract is concluded both in Romanian and in the worker’s language of origin or an international language they understand (art. 16 para. (1⁹)).

3. Working time

• The record of hours. The employer keeps, at the workplace, a record of the hours worked daily by each employee, showing the start and end time of the working schedule, and submits it to labour inspectors’ control whenever requested (art. 119 para. (1)). “Workplace” is the one defined in art. 16¹ — the head office, branch or work point —, so the record must be to hand at each point. The law does not impose a format: attendance register, group timesheet, spreadsheet or app, as long as every day and every person can be seen. For mobile employees and those working from home, the record is kept on the terms agreed with them in writing (para. (2)). The differences between actual and contractual hours — for example, a part-timer who actually works more — are among the breaches in our article on undeclared work. See time tracking and art. 119, the attendance register in 2026, shift planning and the free attendance register template (a document in Romanian).
• Overtime. Work beyond the normal weekly working time may not be required without the employee’s consent, except in cases of force majeure and urgent work (art. 120). The record must also show the compensation: paid time off within the following 90 calendar days (art. 122) or, if that is not possible, payment of a premium (art. 123). See overtime in 2026.
• Night work. An employer that frequently uses night work (22:00–6:00) informs the Labour Inspectorate (art. 125 para. (6)), and night workers have a free medical examination before starting and periodically afterwards (art. 127). See night work.

4. Payroll

• Payroll statements and proof of payment. Payment of salary is proved by signing the payroll statements or by other supporting documents showing that the money reached the entitled employee; they are kept and archived like accounting documents (art. 168). Salary is paid at least once a month, on the date set in the contract, the collective agreement or the internal rules (art. 166 para. (1)). See the payroll statement.
• Consistency with the monthly declaration. A net salary higher than the one shown in the payroll statements and in the monthly declaration of contributions, income tax and the nominal record of insured persons (D112) is a separate administrative offence, “grey” work (art. 260 para. (1) letter e⁵). Keep the payment documents for every month to hand, for example payment orders or bank statements.
• Premiums, bonuses, vouchers, payslips. The basic salary and the other elements of salary income are set out separately in the contract (art. 17 para. (3) letter k and para. (4)), so premiums and bonuses need a written basis. See meal vouchers and the payslip.

5. Occupational health and safety (SSM)

The SSM inspection rests on Law no. 319/2006 and its implementing norms (Government Decision, GD, no. 1425/2006) and checks not only the paperwork but also what actually happens at the workplaces: the inspector can question people (art. 19 letters b, c and e of Law 108/1999), so a perfect file that is not applied does not hold up.

• Who handles SSM in the company. Four options (GD 1425/2006, art. 14): you take on the duties yourself, you designate workers, you set up an internal service or you use an external one. You can take them on yourself if you have up to 9 workers, the activity is not among those in annex 5, you actually work in the company and you have an SSM course of at least 40 hours, attested by a graduation document (art. 16); at 10–49 workers, also if the risks cannot cause serious consequences (art. 17). Otherwise: workers designated by written decision, from among full-time staff (art. 20), an internal service — mandatory above 250 workers (art. 19) and, at 50–249, if the activity is listed in annex 5 (art. 18 para. (2)) — or an accredited external service. What to show: the graduation certificate, the designation decision or the contract with the external service.
• Risk assessment. The employer carries it out and holds it, including for sensitive groups (art. 12 para. (1) letter a of Law 319/2006), by workplace and post; it is reviewed at least on changes of technology, equipment, chemical substances or layout, after an event, when omitted or new risks appear, when the post is used by a worker from a sensitive group, and for special works (GD 1425/2006, art. 15 para. (1) point 1 and para. (3)). This is also where the record of high and specific risk areas comes in (art. 13 letter k).
• The prevention and protection plan. Technical, sanitary and organisational measures based on the risk assessment (art. 13 letter b), drawn up, monitored and updated (GD 1425/2006, art. 15 para. (1) point 2).
• In-house instructions, training, individual training records. In-house instructions supplement the general rules and are circulated after the employer approves them, with the training frequency set in writing (art. 13 letter e; GD 1425/2006, art. 15 para. (1) points 3, 7 and 8). Training is given on hiring, on changes (workplace, equipment, technology), for special works and periodically, during working hours and at no cost to the worker (art. 20–21 of the law). The result goes into the individual training record (fișa individuală de instruire), signed by the worker and by those who delivered and verified the training, kept from hiring until the employment ends, together with a copy of the latest fitness-for-work certificate (art. 81). See SSM training.
• Fitness-for-work certificates. You hire only people who are fit, after a medical examination, and ensure periodic medical checks (art. 13 letter j); health surveillance is carried out by occupational medicine doctors (art. 25 para. (2)). See occupational medicine.
• Personal protective equipment (PPE). You provide it (art. 13 letter r), distribute it free of charge (GD 1048/2006, art. 10) and replace it when it deteriorates (art. 13 letter s). The norms require identifying the PPE needed for each post, a list of workers’ equipment needs and monitoring of its maintenance and replacement (GD 1425/2006, art. 15 para. (1) points 20 and 21). Documents: the equipment list by post and proof of handover (handover record).
• The SSM committee. It is set up at 50 workers or more, and below 50 the inspector can require it (GD 1425/2006, art. 57); it meets at least quarterly, with minutes signed by its members (art. 66), and the annual report, approved by the committee, goes to the Labour Inspectorate (art. 69).
• The record of accidents and incidents. Accidents causing more than 3 working days’ incapacity, minor accidents, occupational diseases and dangerous incidents are recorded, and reports are drawn up for the authorities (art. 12 para. (1) letters c and d). See workplace accidents.
• ISCIR authorisations and checks, if applicable. Pressure installations, lifting installations and fuel-consuming appliances are authorised and technically verified (Law no. 64/2008, art. 2); also keep a record of the periodic checks (GD 1425/2006, art. 15 para. (1) point 19).
• The “SSM authorisation”: as a rule, there is no separate document. Law 319/2006 (art. 13 letter c) and GD 1425/2006 (art. 3) provide for authorisation of operation from the SSM standpoint, but the norms (art. 4) exempt legal entities, sole traders (PFA), individual and family enterprises whose authorisation to operate, including from the SSM standpoint, is handled at the trade register, through the standard declaration on one’s own responsibility (today Law no. 265/2022, art. 121–122; art. 4 of the norms still refers to Law 359/2004, repealed in 2022, and to Emergency Ordinance 44/2008). In other situations, authorisation is obtained from the Labour Inspectorate, with an application and a declaration on one’s own responsibility (art. 6–7).

What you can hand over electronically, even before the visit

Law no. 208/2021 introduced paragraph (1⁸) in art. 16 of the Labour Code: the competent control bodies must accept employment contracts, addenda and documents in the field of employment relations and SSM concluded in electronic form, with an electronic signature, without also requiring them on paper; at their request, the documents can be sent electronically even before the inspection.

The text concerns documents concluded electronically — a scan of a hand-signed document is something else —, and these are archived in compliance with Law no. 16/1996 and Law no. 135/2007 and made available to the inspectors on request (art. 16 para. (1³)). Details in our article on electronically signed documents.

How an inspection runs, step by step

1. On arrival. The inspector carries their ID and badge (art. 19 of Law 108/1999). As a rule, they record in the single control register the objectives and legal basis before starting (art. 3 of Law 252/2003); in inspections for undeclared work they complete the register only afterwards (art. 240 of the Labour Code). Read what they wrote. Since December 2025 the law provides that inspectors also wear body cameras and may record the activity at the inspected workplace on photo, audio and video without the consent of the people concerned; the recording and storage procedure is set by order of the labour minister (art. 19¹ para. (1) and (5) of Law 108/1999); details in labour inspections in 2026.
2. The request for documents. You hand them over and keep a list of what you gave. If a document is with the accountant or at another work point, say so and agree a deadline with the inspector — the deadline for making documents available is set by the inspectors (art. 23 para. (1) letter c) —, then keep to it.
3. Checks on site. The inspector can identify the people at the workplace and take statements (art. 19 letters b and e). People answer with what they know: practice in the company must match the paperwork.
4. The inspection report (proces-verbal). Findings, measures and penalties are recorded in reports (art. 20 para. (1)). Read it before signing, note your objections and keep a copy. Remedial measures have a deadline, and failing to carry them out on time is an administrative offence (art. 23 para. (1) letter b).
5. Contesting it. A complaint against the contravention report can be filed within 15 days of handover or notification (art. 31 para. (1) of Government Ordinance no. 2/2001), with the court in whose district the act was committed or in whose district you have your registered office (art. 32 para. (1)); the complaint suspends enforcement (art. 32 para. (3)). Separately, within 15 days of handover or notification at most, you can pay half of the minimum fine, and the officer must mention this possibility in the report (art. 28 para. (1)). Some special texts (art. 260 para. (1¹) of the Labour Code, art. 24 of Law 108/1999) still mention 48 hours, but Law no. 203/2018 (art. 25) repealed the deadlines shorter than the one in GO 2/2001; check the deadline in the report anyway, and choose between paying and contesting together with a specialist. The measures ordered and other administrative acts are contested under the Administrative Litigation Law no. 554/2004 (art. 20 para. (2) of Law 108/1999), with different deadlines.
6. When it becomes criminal. Unjustified refusal to present the legal documents to the competent bodies, with the aim of obstructing the checks, within 15 days at most of receiving the second request, and obstructing the inspectors’ access to premises, enclosures or land used by the employer, are punishable by imprisonment from one month to one year or a criminal fine (art. 264 para. (1)–(3) of the Labour Code).

What is penalised separately, document by document

For the documents in this list, here is what the texts in force provide:

What is missing or not done	Fine	Basis
Single control register not obtained within 30 days of registration	500–1,000 lei	Law 252/2003, art. 6 para. (3), art. 7 letter a and art. 8
Single control register not presented on request	1,000–2,000 lei	Law 252/2003, art. 3 para. (1), art. 7 letter b and art. 8
Copy of the employment contract missing at the workplace	10,000 lei	Labour Code, art. 16 para. (4) and art. 260 para. (1) letter q
Copy of the contract not handed to the employee before work starts	1,500–2,000 lei	Labour Code, art. 16 para. (3) and art. 260 para. (1) letter p
Foreign employee’s contract concluded only in Romanian	6,000 lei per contract	Labour Code, art. 16 para. (1⁹) and art. 260 para. (1) letter e⁶
Record of hours (art. 119) or hiring without a medical certificate (art. 27; for foreigners, see art. 27 para. (6)–(7))	1,500–3,000 lei	Labour Code, art. 260 para. (1) letter m
Documents not presented on time, obstruction of the inspection, measures not carried out on time	5,000–10,000 lei	Law 108/1999, art. 23 para. (1)
Collective negotiation not carried out, in a unit with at least 10 employees	15,000–20,000 lei	Law 367/2022, art. 97 para. (1) and art. 175 para. (1) letter d
SSM: prevention and protection plan, personal protective equipment	5,000–10,000 lei	Law 319/2006, art. 13 letters b and r, art. 39 para. (2)
SSM: risk assessment, training, job description with SSM duties, in-house instructions, medical checks	4,000–8,000 lei	Law 319/2006, art. 12 para. (1) letters a and b, art. 13 letters d–f and j, art. 20 and art. 39 para. (4)
SSM: health and safety committee not set up	2,500–5,000 lei	Law 319/2006, art. 19 and art. 39 para. (7)
SSM: record of accidents and their reporting	2,000–4,000 lei	Law 319/2006, art. 12 para. (1) letters c and d and art. 39 para. (8)

The amounts are those in the consolidated texts published on the legislation portal; those in Law 252/2003 are in current lei (the law expresses them in old lei: 5–10 and 10–20 million). They change through later acts, so check the version in force before making a decision.

A 7-day internal audit

It is not a procedure laid down by law but a practical routine: a week of checks before an expected inspection or, better, once a quarter.

1. Day 1 — the company. The single control register up to date at each premises, identification documents, the power of attorney, records of earlier inspections and proof that the measures were carried out.
2. Day 2 — REGES. Compare the register with the personnel files and the payroll: the same people, positions, salaries, working hours and start dates.
3. Day 3 — contracts. Copies signed by both parties, with the date and confirmation of receipt; an addendum for every change; the copies of contracts at each work point.
4. Day 4 — working time. Take three random days, at each work point, and check the record: start and end time, breaks, overtime, part-time.
5. Day 5 — payment. Proof of payment for the last few months, signed payroll statements, consistency with the monthly declaration.
6. Day 6 — SSM. The date of the last review of the risk assessment, signed training records, valid fitness-for-work certificates, the PPE equipment list, the committee minutes, the ISCIR checks.
7. Day 7 — the inspection file. An index, on paper or digital, with the location of each document; the person who accompanies the inspector; who can send documents electronically.

What you find missing is drawn up now, with the real date. Do not backdate: a new document with the correct date is a remedy; a backdated one undermines the credibility of the whole file.

Frequently asked questions

Who can be inspected by the Labour Inspectorate?

Any employer, whatever its legal form: inspectors have access to the premises of any employer and to any other workplace organised by natural or legal persons (art. 19 letter a of Law 108/1999).

What do I do if the requested document is with the accountant or at another work point?

It depends on the document. The copy of the individual employment contract (art. 16 para. (4)) and the record of hours (art. 119 para. (1)) must be at the workplace anyway, and their absence is penalised separately (see the table above). For the others, say from the start where they are and agree a deadline for producing them with the inspector, who is the one who sets it (Law 108/1999, art. 23 para. (1) letter c). If the document was concluded electronically, the accountant can send it on the spot, and the inspecting body cannot also require the paper version (art. 16 para. (1⁸) of the Labour Code).

How Workly can help during an inspection

Workly is not an SSM tool: it does not hold the risk assessment, the prevention plan, SSM training or the PPE record. For those you need the designated worker, an internal service or an external one. For the rest of the list, Workly is where the documents are already in order and can be pulled up quickly:

• Working time. Time tracking records the start and end time for each employee, and changes are recorded in the audit log, with author and date. The group attendance sheet (PDF) and the monthly reports (PDF or XLSX) are generated from time tracking; with several locations, employees and Kiosk stations are assigned to each work point and reports are filtered by location (enabled on request).
• Contracts and file. The individual employment contract is generated from the employee’s data, and addenda start from templates, in the same place. The document is downloaded as a PDF for signing, and the signed copy is kept in the employee’s digital file. For the types of signature accepted at an inspection, see the dedicated article.
• REGES. The REGES integration is in preparation. Until then, the data for the register comes from the employee’s file, and the registration of the employee and the contract is done in the REGES-Online portal.
• Documents. The Documents module sends reminders before time-limited documents expire — medical certificates, permits, certifications — and keeps the archive per employee, with role-based access.
• Payroll. The payroll statement is prepared as a draft from time tracking and leave, the accountant validates it, the finalised month is locked, and income certificates are generated from the payroll data.

It does not replace the employer’s responsibility: who signs, what is transmitted and when remains the company’s decision. The simplest way is to see the flow on your own company’s data, in a demo. Still on paper? You can start from our free attendance register template (a document in Romanian), then move to digital time tracking when you are ready.

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Informational article, accurate at the date of publication. Not legal advice. Lists of documents, fine amounts and inspection procedures may change through later legislation — always check the text in force at the official source (the Legislation Portal, the Labour Inspectorate, the Official Gazette) or consult an employment-law and SSM specialist before making a decision.