ARR certificates 2026: required documents, fees and online issuance

Every transport company ends up, sooner or later, at the same counter: the Romanian Road Authority (ARR). That's where drivers' certificates, tachograph cards, the transport manager certificate and certified true copies of the license come from. Each has its own fee, its own application file and its own validity — and since November 2024, almost everything is filed online.

This guide brings together in one place what ARR issues in 2026, how much each document costs, what paperwork you need, how to apply through atestate.arr.ro and how to check a certificate's validity before putting a driver behind the wheel.

What documents ARR issues

The most common confusion is between documents that belong to the driver and those that belong to the company. They are different things, with different application files:

• Driver documents — the certificate of professional competence (CPC, “Code 95”), the tachograph card, the ADRcertificate, and taxi or rental transport certificates.
• Transport operator documents — the Community license, the own-account transport certificate, certified true copies and the transport manager's certificate of professional competence.

A driver with a valid certificate cannot legally drive for hire if the company has no certified true copy on board. And vice versa: a company with a valid license risks a fine if the driver's “Code 95” has expired. The two sets of documents are checked together during inspections.

ARR Fees 2026 — the full list

The fees in force are those set by Order No. 2,274/2025 of the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, applicable from December 30, 2025. These are the amounts you actually pay in 2026:

Watch out for the certified true copy: it costs 360 lei per vehicle, per year. For a fleet of 20 trucks, that's 7,200 lei a year, a recurring expense many companies underestimate when budgeting.

The exam fee is paid separately

The fees in the table above cover issuing the document, not the exam. For certificates that require testing, ARR charges a separate fee for each theoretical exam part — the amount published by the authority is 67 lei per exam part.

Two practical notes:

• If you pay by bank transfer, the payment order must include the candidate's last name, first name and CNP (personal identification number), otherwise the payment cannot be matched to the application file.
• The fee order was updated in December 2025, so before paying it's worth confirming the exact amount in the fees section on arr.ro.

Online issuance through atestate.arr.ro

Since November 4, 2024, applications for certificates are filed through the atestate.arr.roplatform. The trip to the counter has become much shorter, but the procedure follows an order that matters.

The steps, in order

1. Create an account and fill in the application on atestate.arr.ro, selecting the type of document you need.
2. Pay the fee online, by card. The payment is processed through roviniete.ro, ARR's approved partner for fee collection.
3. Submit the documents at the ARR Regional Agency in your county, if the document type requires it.
4. Receive the document once the application file is processed and, where applicable, after passing the exam.

Why paying by card matters

The difference isn't about convenience, it's about lost days. Online card payment is confirmed instantly, while other payment methods take at least 3 business days for the amount to show up as confirmed in the ARR system.

In addition, ARR notes two direct advantages for those who pay online: proof of payment no longer has to be shown to the examination board, and the application file gets priority processing.

Documents required to obtain the certificate

For the certificate of professional competence (CPC) of a freight transport driver, the standard application file contains:

• The standard application form, downloaded from the ARR website or completed on the platform;
• Copy of the ID document;
• Copy of the driver's license, valid, with the relevant categories — C1, C1E, C, CE for freight, or D1, D1E, D, DE for passengers;
• A recent color photo, 25×32 mm format;
• Proof of fee payment (no longer required if you paid online by card).

For the tachograph card, a separate application is filed, with its own fee of 300 lei. Full details about this document — including data download deadlines — are in our guide to the tachograph card.

Validity and renewal: the 12-month rule

The certificate of professional competence is valid for 5 years from the date you pass the exam. Renewal is done through the 35-hour periodic trainingcourse required by Directive 2003/59/EC.

Here's the detail that costs companies the most money:

If the driver takes the periodic training course and passes the exam within the last 12 months before expiration, the new certificate is valid for 5 years from the expiration date of the old one — not from the exam date.

In other words, renewing too early cuts into your validity. A driver who renews the certificate 18 months ahead of time effectively loses months of validity they've paid for. A driver who lets it expire can no longer drive legally until it's reissued — and between those two situations, the right window is exactly 12 months.

How to check an ARR certificate

Checking is mandatory at two points: when hiring a new driver and before every international trip. What to look at specifically:

• “Code 95” on the driver's license — the certificate of professional competence is entered as a note on the license, with the expiration date next to it. This is the quickest check.
• The physical professional competence card — has its own printed expiration date.
• The atestate.arr.ro account — for the status of documents submitted and issued.
• The tachograph card — is checked separately and has its own expiration date, usually unrelated to the certificate.

For company documents — the Community license and certified true copies — the check works differently; we've detailed the procedure in our guide to the freight transport license.

Loss, theft or damage: you have 7 days

In case of loss, theft, damage or destruction of the document, the replacement application must be filed within 7 days of the event. The same standard application form is used, with the corresponding box checked, along with proof of payment of the 200-lei replacement fee.

The deadline is short and runs from the event, not from when the company found out. It's worth including in the internal procedure for handing documents over between drivers and dispatch.

Tracking expirations across the fleet

For a single driver, the deadlines are easy to remember. For 20 or 50 drivers, each with a certificate, tachograph card, license and medical certificate with different expiration dates, tracking them in your head or in an Excel file becomes a constant source of fines.

Three deadlines overlap and need to be tracked together:

• the CPC certificate — 5 years, with a 12-month renewal window;
• the tachograph card — its own expiration date, plus the obligation to download data periodically;
• certified true copy — renewed annually, for each vehicle.

In CargoTrack, document expiration dates can be tracked alongside the rest of your fleet activity, and tachograph data download is done automatically and remotely — so legal deadlines don't depend on the dispatcher's memory.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an ARR certificate cost in 2026?

The driver certificate of professional competence (CPC) costs 250 lei and is valid for 5 years. Card-format certificates — driving instructor, taxi, rental transport — cost 200 lei. The tachograph card costs 300 lei. On top of these comes the exam fee, paid separately, per exam part.

What documents do I need to obtain the certificate?

The standard application form, a copy of your ID, a copy of your valid driver's license with the relevant categories, a 25×32 mm color photo and proof of fee payment. If you paid online by card, proof of payment is no longer required.

Where do I apply for the certificate?

The application is completed online on the atestate.arr.ro platform, available since November 4, 2024. The documents are then submitted to the ARR Regional Agency in the county where you want the document issued.

How much is the ARR exam fee?

The exam fee is paid separately from the issuance fee and applies to each theoretical exam part; the amount published by ARR is 67 lei per exam part. If you pay by bank transfer, the payment order must include the candidate's last name, first name and CNP (personal identification number).

How long is the certificate valid and when can I renew it?

The certificate is valid for 5 years from passing the exam. If you take the 35-hour periodic training course and pass within the last 12 months before expiration, the new certificate is valid for 5 years from the expiration date of the old one, not from the exam date.

How much does the certified true copy cost and how long is it valid?

The certified true copy of the transport license costs 360 lei and is valid for one year. It is issued for each vehicle in the fleet, so the cost is multiplied by the number of trucks and recurs every year.

What do I do if I've lost my certificate?

File the replacement application within 7 days of the loss, theft, damage or destruction, checking the relevant box on the standard application form and attaching proof of payment of the 200-lei replacement fee.

How long does processing take if I don't pay online?

Online card payment is confirmed instantly. Other payment methods take at least 3 business days for the amount to be confirmed in the ARR system, and application files paid online get priority processing.

Vlad