Documents the employer issues when a contract ends, and the deadlines

When an employment relationship ends, the employer is obliged to issue a set of documents, within precise deadlines. Missing one of them — for example the few days allowed for the termination decision — can attract penalties and leaves the former employee unable to open their unemployment file. Here is the list and the deadlines.

The basic documents

When the contract ends, the employer normally issues:

• the termination decision for the individual employment contract;
• the adeverință de vechime (the length-of-service and income certificate), attesting the period worked and the entitlements;
• the extract from REGES-Online (the General Register of Employee Records) with the history of the employment relationship;
• the nota de lichidare (the clearance note), confirming that the employee has no outstanding debts or obligations towards the company.

The general legal basis is art. 40(2)(h) of the Labour Code (Codul Muncii), which requires the employer to issue the documents attesting the person’s status as an employee.

The deadlines, by type of situation

The deadlines differ depending on the situation:

• the length-of-service/income certificate and the REGES extract — issued, as a rule, on the date of termination;
• the termination decision — communicated within a short period; for termination by operation of law, in principle on the last day or within a few working days from the moment the cause occurs;
• certified copies of the documents in the personnel file — at the employee’s written request, within 15 working days of the request (art. 8(4) of HG 295/2025).

The exact deadlines depend on the type of termination and on the applicable provisions; check them at the time.

The distinction by type of termination

The way the contract ends influences the procedure and the documents:

• resignation — the employee gives notice, the notice period runs, then the contract ends;
• agreement of the parties — consensual termination, formalised in writing;
• dismissal — with a reasoned decision, under the conditions laid down by law;
• termination by operation of law — on events provided for by law (for example retirement, expiry of the term).

Each situation has its own documents and deadlines, but the basic set (decision, certificates, REGES extract, clearance) remains, in essence, the same.

The role of REGES

On termination, the employment relationship must be closed in REGES. The extract issued to the employee reflects that closure. Failing to submit the change, or submitting it late, creates discrepancies and can affect the former employee’s entitlements. How employees obtain the extract on their own and when the employer has to issue it are explained in the REGES-Online extract.

The certificate for the unemployment file

A frequent case: the former employee needs the length-of-service and income certificate and the termination decision in order to open their unemployment file at the employment agency. If these documents are late, the file is stuck and the registration deadlines can be missed — with a direct effect on the payment period.

How Workly helps

On termination, HR can generate in Workly, from a template and with the data in the employee file, the termination decision and the length-of-service certificate; the application does not, however, transmit the termination to REGES, so filing that report on time remains a step for you.

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Informational article, accurate at the date of publication. Not legal advice. The documents and deadlines on termination of the contract depend on the specific situation and may change — always check the framework in force at the official source (the Labour Code, the Labour Inspectorate, the Official Gazette) or consult a specialist before taking a decision.