In brief
- The Government has approved the „Diaspora Invests at Home” programme, with a budget of 506 million lei, that is 100 million euros, out of which grants will be awarded to around 1,000 new companies set up in Romania by Romanians living abroad.
- The grant covers up to 60% of the value of the investment loan, without exceeding 200,000 euros. The loan itself can range between 5,000 and 500,000 euros, over a maximum of 10 years.
- The core condition: the majority shareholder must be a Romanian citizen who has lived abroad for at least 12 of the past 18 months, and the company must be less than 3 years old. The money will be awarded between 2026 and 2029, through the Investment and Development Bank.
Published: Official Gazette of Romania (Monitorul Oficial) no. 668 of 12 August 2026
In force from: 12 August 2026
A Romanian who left for Spain or Germany ten years ago and now wants to open a company back home can receive up to 200,000 euros in non-repayable money from the Romanian state, starting 12 August 2026. Not as welfare, but as a grant attached to an investment loan. Government Decision no. 601/2026 was published in Official Gazette of Romania no. 668 of 12 August 2026 and approves the „Diaspora Invests at Home” support programme, mandating the Investment and Development Bank to implement it. It is the second major private sector financing scheme launched this summer, after the reshuffling of the PNRR money for digitalisation.
The programme rests on Government Emergency Ordinance no. 8/2026 on measures for economic recovery and for boosting productive investment and competitiveness. From that piece of legislation, the Government draws its power to set up support schemes and to mandate a development bank to carry them out.
The mechanism is not a direct subsidy. The company goes to a commercial bank, takes out an investment loan backed by the portfolio guarantee of the Investment and Development Bank, and the state, through the Ministry of Finance, then pays part of that loan in the form of a de minimis grant. In other words, the entrepreneur borrows, but effectively repays less than half the money.
The agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Investment and Development Bank, the document that sets out the actual operating rules, is to be approved by order of the Minister of Finance within 30 days of the publication of the decision. Until then, the programme exists on paper, but applications cannot yet be filed.
What it changes in practice
The grant can reach 60% of the loan, capped at 200,000 euros. That is the level set by Article 5 paragraph (3). For a loan of 500,000 euros, the programme ceiling, the grant still stops at 200,000 euros, so it covers 40% of the investment. For a loan of 300,000 euros, the grant can cover 180,000 euros, the full 60%.
The own contribution differs according to the age of the entrepreneur. For projects of up to 400,000 euros, the own contribution is 10%, but it drops to 5% if at least one of the shareholders coming from the diaspora is under 35. Above 400,000 euros, the contribution rises to 15%, with no age exception.
The collateral the bank may demand is limited by law. If the risk is covered by the value of the assets bought with the loan, the bank cannot ask for anything beyond a mortgage on those assets, combined with the portfolio guarantee of the development bank, plus, where applicable, a personal guarantee. This is real protection for an entrepreneur who owns no property in Romania.
The loan can also cover wages, within a 15% limit. Article 4 paragraph (5) allows an additional component of no more than 15% of the project value for the payroll costs of the staff needed to bring the investment into operation. It is an acknowledgement that a new investment produces nothing without people.
The company stays tied to the programme for three years after the investment is completed. The financed assets must be kept on the balance sheet, and most of the share capital must remain with the shareholder who came from the diaspora. There is a single way out: the holding can drop as low as 25% if the rest is transferred to investment funds, local strategic partners or individual business angel investors.
Payment is made monthly, on the basis of the banks’ consolidated statements. The credit institutions send in the statements every month, the Investment and Development Bank issues the payment order, and the Ministry of Finance transfers the amounts the following month. The entrepreneur has no direct dealings with the ministry.
What has changed compared with the previous situation
Until now, a Romanian in the diaspora who wanted to invest back home entered the same schemes as everyone else, in particular the guarantee programmes for small and medium sized enterprises. There was no instrument built around his specific situation: capital accumulated abroad, professional experience gained abroad, but no banking history and no collateral in Romania.
The substantive novelty is the eligibility criterion tied to residence. The programme requires the majority shareholder to have had his domicile or residence abroad for at least 12 of the 18 months preceding the loan application. It is the first time that living outside the country becomes, in itself, a condition of access to public business financing.
The second change is the qualification requirement. The majority shareholder or the directors must prove at least 9 months of experience or studies in the field for which the loan is sought, or in management. This is a far more permissive filter than the ones usually applied to European funds, where years of activity are normally required.
Finally, the programme sits on top of the de minimis aid scheme in the form of guarantees already administered by the Investment and Development Bank, which is to be amended to incorporate the new conditions. No new structure is being created; a grant component is simply added on top of an existing guarantee mechanism.
Advantages and disadvantages
What it improves
- The grant of up to 60% turns an ordinary loan into financing under which the entrepreneur effectively repays less than half the amount.
- Limiting the collateral to the assets bought with the loan solves exactly the problem faced by someone who owns no property in Romania.
- An own contribution of only 5% for entrepreneurs under 35 brings the entry threshold down to a realistic level for someone just starting out.
- Including payroll costs in the loan, within a 15% limit, covers the period when the investment is not yet generating income.
- The exception allowing investment funds and business angel investors to come in leaves room for growth without cancelling the grant.
What remains a problem
- The programme cannot be accessed yet: the operative rules will come through the implementation agreement, approved by order of the Minister of Finance within 30 days.
- A budget of 100 million euros for 1,000 beneficiaries means an average of 100,000 euros per company, well below the announced ceiling of 200,000.
- The condition of keeping control of the company for three years limits the freedom to sell the business or to bring in a local majority shareholder.
- The company must be less than three years old, so Romanians in the diaspora who already run an active business back home are excluded.
- The grant is de minimis aid, which means it adds up with other aid received by the same single undertaking and can exhaust the available ceiling.
- A single undertaking can receive a grant for one entity and one credit facility only, so groups of companies are heavily restricted.
Practical advice
- Check the age of the company first. If it was registered more than 3 years ago, you are out of the programme, whatever the other conditions.
- Gather the proof of residence abroad well in advance. You need at least 12 of the 18 months preceding the loan application: a residence certificate, an employment or tenancy contract, registration with the local authorities.
- Prepare the proof of 9 months of experience or studies in the field of the business or in management. It can be a letter from your employer abroad, a diploma or a training certificate.
- Work out your own contribution before deciding on the size of the project. The 400,000 euro threshold shifts the contribution from 10% to 15%, and the difference is felt immediately in cash flow.
- If you are under 35, say so to the bank in the very first conversation. The own contribution is halved, to 5%, for projects of up to 400,000 euros.
- Do not sign a contract with additional collateral without invoking Article 4 paragraph (4). If the assets bought with the loan cover the risk, the bank cannot ask for anything other than a mortgage on them and, where applicable, a personal guarantee.
- Watch for the publication of the order of the Minister of Finance approving the implementation agreement. Only there will the documents, the deadlines and the list of participating financial intermediaries appear.
Frequently asked questions
Who can get money through the „Diaspora Invests at Home” programme?
How much can a company actually receive?
How much money do I have to put in myself?
Can I sell the company after receiving the grant?
When can I file the application?
What collateral can the bank ask me for?
Can I use the loan for wages as well?
Original text of the legal act
The text below is reproduced in Romanian, the official form of publication.
The full text, as published in the Official Gazette of Romania
Official Gazette of Romania no. 668 of 12 August 2026 16 pages PDF, 130 KB the act starts on page 2
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This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific situations, consult a licensed attorney or tax advisor.