CASH REBATE

Romania reimburses 30% of the eligible expenditure incurred on its territory for the production of audiovisual works. The scheme was established by Government Decision no. 421/2018 and is administered by the Film and Cultural Investment Office (OFIC), with projects assessed by the Romanian Film Commission.

What you get:

• 30% of the total eligible expenditure incurred in Romania
• up to €10 million for a single project
• the scheme's annual budget is €55 million
• the aid may be cumulated with other State aid, within the intensity ceilings set out below

Minimum spend in Romania, by project type:

• €100,000 for a feature film
• €100,000 for each episode of a series
• €50,000 for a documentary
• €15,000 for a short film or an animation of at least 5 minutes

Which costs are eligible: those incurred after the date the registration application is filed — the purchase, rental and manufacture of goods and services directly related to the production, plus fees, salaries and other payments to individuals working on the project. Pre-production, promotion and distribution are excluded.

From our experience: although eligibility runs from the filing of the application, it is the certificate that confirms it. Spending incurred before the certificate is issued remains at the producer's risk if the project is not approved.

How it works, step by step:

• file the registration application with OFIC, through the app.ofic.ro platform, before starting work on the project
• the project passes a cultural test, under the criteria approved by OFIC Decision no. 660/2024
• the Film Commission approves the project and OFIC issues the eligibility certificate
• you start the project in Romania within 60 calendar days of the certificate being issued
• you begin principal photography within 9 calendar months of the certificate being issued
• you file the funding application within 60 working days of the last day of shooting, or of the last activity that generates eligible expenditure
• you sign the financing agreement
• you file the payment claim, together with the audit report, within 9 months of signing the financing agreement
• payment is made within 120 calendar days of the Film Commission approving the payment claim

About the higher percentages: the 30% is the reimbursement rate on eligible expenditure. Separately from it, the cumulated State aid intensity may not exceed 50% of the project's total budget, and for cross-border productions financed by more than one European Union Member State and involving producers from more than one Member State the ceiling rises to 60%. For difficult audiovisual works the European regulation allows up to 100%, but the Romanian procedure provides that the intensity in this case is to be governed by separate provisions — so it is not a rate the scheme grants at present.

Deadlines for the current session: financing agreements are concluded by 31 December 2026, funding applications are filed by 1 November 2026 at the latest, payment claims by 1 November 2028 at the latest, and payments are made over 2018-2028. The scheme provides for the possibility of an extension.

Shooting in Romania? See the locations we work with, from forests and medieval fortresses to the Danube Delta: https://numafilm.ro/filmari-in-romania/

Email us at contact@numafilm.ro to talk more about your film project!