What the move to CAEN Rev. 3 involves, by when the object of activity must be updated, which documents are needed, what it costs and what actually happens if you miss the deadline.
Translated from Romanian. This article covers Romanian labour and tax law; the Romanian version is canonical and is updated first.
The Classification of Activities in the National Economy (CAEN — Clasificarea Activităților din Economia Națională) has moved to a new version, CAEN Rev. 3, and companies and authorised natural persons have a limited window in which to update their object of activity. The deadline is approaching, and claims harsher than the legal text itself are circulating alongside it. Here is what can be verified.
CAEN Rev. 3 was approved by Order no. 377/2024 of the President of the National Institute of Statistics and entered into force on 1 January 2025. Companies set up after that date receive Rev. 3 codes from the outset.
For those already in existence, HG no. 284/2025 — which amends HG 656/1997 — set a transition period. The act was published in the Official Gazette (Monitorul Oficial) on 25 March 2025, and the deadline runs for 18 months from that date.
Eighteen months counted from 25 March 2025 gives 25 September 2026.
You will also find the date given as “24 September” in notices circulating among businesses. The difference is one day and comes from how the term is counted, but it changes nothing in practice: file the application a week early and the question becomes irrelevant. Do not leave the file to the last few days, precisely so that the ambiguity does not matter.
One useful point: during the transition period, both versions are recognised by public authorities, institutions and third parties. You are not blocked until you update.
The obligation applies to every professional registered with the Trade Register: SRL and SA companies, but also PFA (authorised natural persons), individual enterprises and family enterprises. This is not a formality reserved for large companies — a PFA with a single activity code falls under exactly the same rule.
Here it is worth separating fact from alarmism, because both are circulating.
What the legal text says: the obligation to update exists, but no express sanction is provided for missing the deadline. The Trade Register announces no specific fine for an un-updated CAEN code, and simply passing the deadline does not lead to losing the right to carry out already authorised activities.
What can happen in practice: once the transition ends, authorities work with the new nomenclature. A company left with codes from the old version risks concrete administrative blockages — when obtaining or renewing authorisations (labour inspectorate, public health, emergency services, veterinary and food safety, employment agency), when obtaining certifying statements, or in dealings with partners and banks that check the object of activity.
What could not be confirmed: the claim that invoices issued under an un-updated CAEN code would become “non-compliant” for ANAF (the Romanian tax authority). No legal basis was found for this. The mandatory elements of an invoice are those set out in the Fiscal Code, and the CAEN code is not among them. Treat the claim with reserve until an official source confirms it.
The reasonable conclusion: the update is mandatory and worth doing early, but the real reason is avoiding administrative blockages, not an imminent fine.
Nothing at the Trade Register. ONRC states explicitly that, when the classification of activities is updated, it issues a new registration certificate free of charge. Being an obligation imposed on everyone, the procedure is exempt from registry fees.
Costs may still arise around the procedure: if you use a lawyer or an accountant to draft the documents, or if you do not have an electronic signature and need to obtain one.
The procedure can be completed entirely online, through the ONRC services portal, or in person at the counter.
The usual documents, as PDFs signed electronically:
The steps, in short: authenticate in the portal (or create an account), choose the registration of amendments concerning a change to the object of activity, select the new codes from the Rev. 3 nomenclature, attach the documents, sign the application and files digitally, then submit the file. Once approved, you receive the certificate of registered amendments in electronic form.
If you have an electronic signature, you can complete the procedure yourself — that is the cheapest route. Check the exact list of documents in the portal before filing: requirements can be adjusted, and an incomplete file means another round.
Rev. 3 is not a simple renumbering: some activities have been regrouped, others split into separate codes. Do not assume your old code has a single obvious counterpart.
The National Institute of Statistics publishes correspondence tables between Rev. 2 and Rev. 3, and the full nomenclature is available on the ONRC website. The update is also a good moment to check whether the object of activity still reflects what you actually do — codes you no longer use, or activities carried out without the corresponding code.
The change itself is a Trade Register operation, not a personnel one. It does, however, touch employee records in two places.
First: the company’s object of activity is not the same thing as the COR occupation code in the individual employment contract. These are two different nomenclatures, updated separately. Changing CAEN does not automatically alter the COR codes in your contracts, and does not by itself require addenda.
Second: if the review leads you to add new activities, check whether they bring additional health and safety or authorisation requirements, which then feed into job descriptions and mandatory training.
Informational article, accurate at the date of publication. Not legal advice. Deadlines, documents and the procedure may change — always check the current position at source (ONRC, the Official Gazette) or consult a specialist before filing.
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