Two of the eight schemes from OUG nr. 8/2026 (Emergency Government Ordinance no. 8/2026) target very specific categories of investors: Romanians returning from abroad to open a business at home and tourism companies. The first has already become operational; the second is still on paper.
The Diaspora Invests at Home — the framework from the ordinance
The Ordinance establishes a scheme for investments made by newly founded companies with majority capital held by Romanian citizens with domicile or residence abroad.
- It is the only scheme in the package explicitly qualified as de minimis aid, not state aid.
- Budget: 100 million euros.
- Period: 2026–2029.
- The support takes the form of a grant awarded by the Investment and Development Bank (BID), by modifying the existing de minimis scheme in the form of guarantees for investment loans and working capital intended for SMEs, including liberal professions.
- The Ministry of Finance is the provider and administrator; applications are analyzed in chronological order.
What the program looks like in practice
Hotărârea de Guvern nr. 601/2026 (Government Decision no. 601/2026), adopted on August 6, 2026, operationalized the program under the name "The Diaspora Invests at Home". Concrete elements:
- The grant can cover up to 60% of the value of the investment loan, without exceeding 200,000 euros per eligible beneficiary.
- The minimum personal contribution is 10%, reduced to 5% for entrepreneurs under the age of 35.
- The majority shareholder must be a Romanian citizen who has lived abroad for at least 12 of the last 18 months.
- The company must be less than 3 years old. The Ordinance defines a newly founded enterprise as one established in the year of application or which has not carried out economic activity for more than 3 consecutive years before submission.
The agreement between the Ministry of Finance and BID, which establishes the concrete operational rules, is approved by order of the Minister of Finance within 30 days of the publication of the decision. Partner banks and non-banking financial institutions have already been selected.
Pay attention to the de minimis rule
The fact that the scheme is de minimis has a practical consequence that many discover late: de minimis aid is accumulated at the level of a single enterprise over a reference period, within a ceiling set by the current European regulation.
If you or your related companies have received other de minimis aid — grants, interest subsidies, guarantees with an aid component — the remaining space is reduced accordingly. Before building an investment plan on the assumption that you will receive 200,000 euros, ask a consultant for a check of the de minimis aid already received by your group.
The tourism scheme — what is known
The Ordinance provides for a distinct scheme for investments intended for the development of Romanian tourism. For now, the text establishes only one firm element here: the administrator.
- Provider and administrator: The Ministry of Economy, Digitalization, Entrepreneurship, and Tourism.
- The budget is established by the Government Decision approving the scheme.
What is not established in the ordinance: minimum and maximum investment value thresholds, the form of support (grant, tax credit, guarantee, or another form), the period for issuing financing agreements, and the eligibility criteria. All of these are to appear in the Government Decision.
The Ordinance provided for the approval of all schemes within 90 days of entry into force. For the tourism scheme, the deadline has passed.
What to do now
If you are in the diaspora and thinking about a business in Romania, the program is open and works on a first-come, first-served basis — so preparing the file matters more than perfecting it. First, check the two elimination conditions: the company age under 3 years and the residence abroad requirement of 12 out of the last 18 months. Then speak with a partner bank, because the grant is built around an investment loan, not independent of it.
If you are in tourism, use the waiting period for the project's technical documentation — authorizations, permits, studies. These are the things that most often delay a file and do not depend on the content of the future Government Decision.
The information reflects OUG nr. 8/2026 and HG nr. 601/2026 in the form known at the date of writing. The operational rules of the "The Diaspora Invests at Home" program are detailed by order of the Minister of Finance and through the updated BID scheme.
What you need to know
- Budget: 506 million EUR, approximately 100 million EUR, for about 1,000 companies
- Financing: loan of 5,000 - 500,000 EUR plus a grant of maximum 60% of the loan, capped at 200,000 EUR
- Personal contribution: 10% under 400,000 EUR, 5% if a shareholder is under 35 years old, 15% over 400,000 EUR
- Key condition: domicile or residence abroad for at least 12 of the last 18 months, plus 9 months of experience in the field