Do promotional lotteries require a permit in Romania?

An ordinary Romanian promotional lottery generally does not require a conventional prior government permit or promotional-lottery filing. The rules or legal basis must be authenticated by a Romanian public notary before the promotion starts.

Does the notary have to attend the prize draw?

Not generally. The mandatory requirement concerns authentication before launch; notary attendance at the actual draw is not universal.

Can participation be linked to purchasing a product?

Yes, where participants incur no additional direct or indirect participation expenditure beyond the ordinary purchase. A separate fee, premium-rate entry, deposit or stake requires gambling / ONJN review.

Can standard-rate SMS be used?

Yes. Normal postal costs and normal telephone tariffs are expressly excluded from the prohibited additional-cost concept.

Can we run a promotion without requiring a purchase?

Yes. No-purchase participation can be used where it fits the campaign design.

How are prizes taxed?

An individual prize up to and including RON 600 is non-taxable. Above RON 600, 10% applies only to the value exceeding RON 600, never the full prize.

How does tax work for a non-cash prize?

The same threshold and rate can apply to non-cash prizes. Establish market value and whether the winner or organizer bears the tax before finalizing the rules.

Must winners be published?

Yes. Winner names and prizes awarded must be made public, using only the information legally and operationally necessary.

Are Instant Win mechanics allowed?

They exist in practice, but treatment depends on the precise allocation method. Pre-allocated prizes have a specific statutory branch and require review.

Can we run a skill or creative competition?

Yes, if prizes are awarded exclusively according to skill, knowledge, ability or judged performance. Adding chance may change the classification.

Can minors participate?

There is no universal 18+ rule for every consumer promotion. GMD uses 18+ as a conservative default; minor-inclusive campaigns need capacity, guardian and privacy review.

Can Romania be part of a multi-country campaign?

Yes. GMD can coordinate Romania in a wider EU, Central European or Southeast European campaign while adapting local notarial, tax, language, privacy and operational requirements.

EU & Central Eastern Europe Operations

Promotional Lotteries & Consumer Activations in Romania

Plan and operate promotional campaigns in Romania with one regional partner for campaign rules, notarial coordination, participation technology, winner selection, tax workflows and prize fulfilment.

GMD supports promotional lotteries, receipt and code campaigns, loyalty activations, skill competitions and digital consumer promotions in Romania.

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Pre-launch notarial coordinationReceipt, Code & Digital mechanicsWinner management & fulfilment

Market Snapshot

Population

19.0M

EU Status

Currency

RON

Language

Romanian

Promotional Lottery Regulatory Snapshot

Romania has a dedicated legal framework for promotional lotteries. Standard promotional lotteries generally do not require a prior government permit, but the campaign rules must be authenticated by a Romanian public notary before the promotion begins.

Government Filing

Not Generally Required

No general prior state permit or promotional-lottery filing has been identified for an ordinary campaign within Romania's promotional-lottery framework.

Rules Authentication

Notary Required

The campaign rules or legal basis must be authenticated by a Romanian public notary before the campaign starts.

Purchase to Enter

Allowed

Participation may be linked to a normal purchase where no additional direct or indirect participation cost is imposed.

Random Draws

Allowed

Random winner selection can be used. No universal certified RNG or notary presence at the actual draw has been identified.

Prize Tax

RON 600 Threshold

An individual prize up to and including RON 600 is non-taxable; above it, only the excess is taxable.

Tax Rate

10% Withholding

10% withholding applies to the taxable prize income above the RON 600 threshold.

LOCAL OPERATING CONTEXT

Running a Promotional Campaign in Romania

Romania is one of the largest consumer markets in Central and Southeast Europe and is highly active in FMCG, retail, fuel, loyalty, banking and digital promotional campaigns.

Common campaigns combine normal-price purchases with fiscal receipts, product codes, standard-rate SMS, web registration, loyalty systems, retailer databases, social participation and digital prize mechanics.

The main legal preparation point is the campaign rulebook. For a promotional lottery, rules must be finalized and authenticated by a Romanian public notary before the promotion starts.

Prize valuation, winner taxation, publication of winners, receipt validation, data protection and winner-claim procedures should be defined before launch.

GMD coordinates these legal, technical and operational elements through one campaign-management workflow.

What This Means in Practice

Finalize the campaign rules before launch
Book Romanian notarial authentication in advance
Define prize value and winner-tax treatment before sourcing prizes
Keep validation, draw records and winner publication auditable

Popular Campaign Mechanics in Romania

Romania supports a broad range of promotional mechanics, from receipt-based prize draws to loyalty, skill and carefully structured instant-reward formats.

Receipt Validation

Participants can register or upload fiscal-receipt information through web, SMS or campaign applications, with duplicate controls, retailer checks and winner-stage revalidation.

Unique Product Codes

Unique on-pack or product codes can be validated and converted into eligible campaign entries.

SMS Entry

Standard-rate SMS participation can support receipt, code and registration journeys. Normal telephone tariffs are excluded from the prohibited additional-cost concept.

Web & Mobile Entry

Responsive campaign pages and applications can manage registration, consent, receipt upload, codes, questions and participant verification.

Loyalty & Automatic Entry

Loyalty-card activity, qualifying transactions and retailer databases can automatically generate entries without a separate submission.

Random Prize Draws

Eligible entries can participate in controlled software-based random draws with predefined populations, reserves, protocols, logs and auditable records.

Instant & Pre-Allocated Rewards

Instant, scratch, wheel, Plinko and pre-allocated rewards require classification based on the exact allocation method before launch.

Skill & Creative Competitions

Prizes awarded exclusively for skill, knowledge, ability or judged performance can follow a separate route; chance may change the classification.

Notary Before Launch — Not Necessarily at the Draw

Romanian law requires the promotional-lottery rules to be authenticated by a public notary before the campaign starts. This should not be confused with a universal requirement for the notary to attend the actual winner draw.

From Entry to Winner

GMD can manage the complete campaign journey from rule preparation and participation to winner publication, tax handling and prize fulfilment.

Prepare & Participate

Rules · Purchase · SMS · Web · Receipt · Code

Validate

Entry, eligibility, receipt and purchase validation

Protect

Duplicate, abuse and fraud controls

Draw

Controlled random selection or other defined mechanic

Verify

Winner, identity, purchase and tax-data checks

Publish & Fulfil

Winner publication, tax workflow, claim and prize delivery

LOCAL EXECUTION + TECHNOLOGY

One Campaign. One Workflow.

GMD combines Romanian campaign execution with participation technology, validation, controlled winner selection, communications, taxation and prize-management workflows.

Campaign Entry

Web, SMS, receipts, QR, product codes, loyalty systems, social and retailer-integrated participation.

Validation & Fraud Prevention

Receipt and code validation, duplicate detection, OTP, eligibility checks, retailer verification, return controls and anti-fraud logic.

Winner Selection & Audit

Controlled random draws and mechanic-specific prize-allocation workflows with participant pools, reserves, protocols, logs and auditable records.

Winner & Tax Management

Winner notification, identity and purchase verification, prize valuation, tax-data collection, withholding calculations, claim management and fulfilment tracking.

Omnichannel Communications

SMS, Viber, WhatsApp, Email and other channels can support participant and winner journeys subject to GDPR, Romanian electronic-communications rules and the appropriate marketing-consent framework.

What GMD Can Manage

Use GMD for the complete Romanian activation or select individual modules that integrate with your brand, agency, retailer or local organizer.

REGIONAL CAMPAIGN EXECUTION

Romania Can Be One Market — or Part of a Regional Campaign

GMD supports promotional campaign execution across 14 Central and Southeast European markets, enabling brands and agencies to coordinate multi-country activations through one regional partner.

Romania can be integrated into wider EU and Southeast European campaigns while its notarial, tax, consumer, language and privacy requirements are adapted locally and technology, project management and reporting remain centralized.

Serbia Croatia Slovenia Bosnia & Herzegovina Montenegro North Macedonia Albania Kosovo Bulgaria Romania Hungary Slovakia Czech Republic Greece

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Frequently Asked Questions

Planning a Campaign in Romania?

One Brief. One Regional Partner.

From campaign rules and Romanian notarial coordination to participation technology, winner selection, prize taxation and fulfilment, GMD can coordinate the complete promotional campaign workflow in Romania.

Start Your Campaign Explore All Markets

This market overview is provided for general informational purposes and reflects GMD's current understanding of standard promotional campaign structures in Romania. Legal classification, tax, consumer, privacy and operational requirements may depend on the specific campaign mechanic, organizer, prizes, participant group and communication channels. Each campaign should be reviewed individually before launch.

Editorial review

Sources & Regulatory Review

Content by: GMD Editorial Team — Content & Research
Regulatory review: GMD Compliance Reviewer — Promotions Compliance Review
Last reviewed: 10 September 2026
Next scheduled review: 10 December 2026

Claims and sources are re-checked at least quarterly, and sooner when a regulator, legislature or tax authority publishes a material change.

Primary & Official Sources

Sources reviewed on 10 September 2026. Links lead to official legislation, regulators and public authorities relevant to this market. The current version and application should be confirmed for each specific campaign.

OG 99/2000 — Promotional Lotteries
Official Romanian legislation portal
Fiscal Code — Prize Income Taxation
Law 227/2015 · Arts. 108–110
ANAF — National Agency for Fiscal Administration
Taxation and fiscal administration
ANSPDCP — National Data Protection Authority
ANPC — National Authority for Consumer Protection
ONJN — National Gambling Office
Relevant for mechanics requiring gambling classification

Related Resources

Promotional Prize Games Legal Compliance Messaging Anti-Fraud & OTP Secure Raffle Draw Prize Claim & Fulfilment Cross-border Campaign Execution