Loan agreements, receipts, debt and bank letters in Romania
Money that passes between private people in Romania is proved by what was written down. The Code of Civil Procedure does not allow a transaction worth more than 250 lei to be proved by witnesses, so a sum lent goes into a loan agreement between individuals (contract de împrumut) and each payment into a receipt. Between private persons, interest may not exceed the legal interest rate by more than 50% a year, and a clause that goes beyond it is void (Government Ordinance no. 13/2011, art. 5). Signed before a notary, a loan agreement or an acknowledgment of debt becomes an enforcement title once the debt falls due.
When a debt goes unpaid, time limits matter. The general limitation period is three years (Civil Code, art. 2517), and a debtor's acknowledgment interrupts it, after which a new period starts (arts. 2537 and 2541). Before applying for a payment order, the fast-track procedure of the Code of Civil Procedure, the creditor sends a demand for payment giving the debtor 15 days, by bailiff or by registered post with declared contents and acknowledgment of receipt (art. 1015). If the two sides reach terms, a settlement agreement ends or prevents the dispute through mutual concessions (Civil Code, art. 2267). Claims between companies have their own demand for payment between businesses, among the business documents.
A payment the account holder did not authorise is disputed with the bank without undue delay and no later than 13 months after the debit (Law no. 209/2019), with the dispute of an unauthorised payment. Any other problem with an account, a card or a loan starts with a complaint to the bank: CSALB, the alternative dispute resolution centre for banking, takes a consumer's case only once the consumer has tried to settle it with the bank, and its procedure is free for consumers. Separate requests close an account or cancel a direct debit or standing order. The documents are in Romanian, and each page describes its document in English; they are filled in online and downloaded as a finished PDF, or downloaded blank.
The documents
9 forms available to fill out or download.
Receipt for money received (Romania)
The receipt by which a private person in Romania confirms receiving money from another: who received it and from whom, the sum in figures and words, what for, how it was paid and what remains to be paid. It is the written proof of a payment between private persons — a deposit, an instalment, a loan repaid — and matters most above 250 lei, the value above which a transaction can no longer be proved by witnesses.
Settlement agreement (Romania)
The agreement by which two parties in Romania end or prevent a dispute through mutual concessions (art. 2267 of the Civil Code): what the dispute is about, what each side accepts, the sum and payment date, and any claims left over. If a case has started, a court can confirm the settlement in a judgment; notarised, it is an enforcement title in its own right.
Request to close a bank account (Romania)
The request by which an account holder in Romania closes a current account and ends the framework agreement with the bank: the account, the closing date, the cards attached, the account to receive the balance, and the cancellation of standing orders and direct debits. The agreement can be ended at any time with at most 30 days' notice, and closing is free at the latest once the account is 6 months old (Law no. 209/2019).
Demand for payment before court action (Romania)
The summons in which a private creditor in Romania demands a sum owed under a contract — a loan, rent, an unpaid price — within 15 days, as the Code of Civil Procedure requires before a payment order (art. 1015). Sent by bailiff or by registered post with declared contents and acknowledgment of receipt, it opens the way to the fast procedure and puts the debtor in default.
Acknowledgment of debt (Romania)
The statement in which a debtor in Romania acknowledges in writing owing a sum to a creditor: how much, for what, when it falls due and on what schedule it is paid. The acknowledgment interrupts limitation, and a new period starts after it (arts. 2537 and 2541 of the Civil Code); notarised, it becomes an enforcement title.
Loan agreement between private individuals (Romania)
The agreement for a loan of money between relatives, friends or acquaintances in Romania: the sum, how and when it is handed over, the repayment schedule, interest and what happens on late payment. It states the rule that makes excessive interest between private persons void — no more than the legal rate plus 50% a year (Ordinance no. 13/2011) — and that, notarised, it becomes an enforcement title.
Disputing an unauthorised card or account payment (Romania)
The notice in which a cardholder or account holder in Romania asks the bank to refund payments they did not authorise: the transactions disputed, when they were noticed, when the card was blocked, the sum claimed and the police report. Under Law no. 209/2019 the bank refunds by the end of the next business day, and the dispute must be raised without undue delay, within 13 months of the debit at the latest.
Cancelling a direct debit or standing order (Romania)
The request by which an account holder in Romania stops a direct debit or a standing order: the payee, the mandate reference and the date the cancellation takes effect. Under Law no. 209/2019 a direct debit can be revoked until the end of the business day before the debit. The contract with the supplier, though, stays in force and is ended separately.
Complaint to a bank (Romania)
The written complaint to a Romanian bank about an account, a card, a transfer or a loan: the product, what happened, with dates and sums, and what is asked for. For payment services the bank answers within 15 business days (Law no. 209/2019); if it does not resolve it, the next step is CSALB, the centre that settles consumers' disputes with banks free of charge.