In short: if you have trucks over 3.5 tons with a valid rovinieta (Romanian road vignette), it ceased to be valid on October 1, 2026, when TollRo started to apply. The money for the remaining period can be recovered, but it is not refunded automatically: Article 24(4) of Law no. 226/2023 provides that CNAIR (Romanian road infrastructure company) refunds the value of the unused period only upon the user's written request. The implementing rules published on September 30, 2026 (MTI Order no. 922/2026, art. 39) now set out the calculation formula, the deadline and how you receive the money. The request is made with CNAIR, not with the distributor you bought the rovinieta from, exclusively through the refund app that CNAIR (Romanian road infrastructure company) will make available by December 29, 2026 (CNAIR press release of October 6, 2026). For cars, minibuses, coaches and freight vehicles up to 3.5 tons, the rovinieta remains valid until it expires.
Watch out for two different dates. The TollRo system was supposed to be implemented by August 31, 2026 (Law no. 170/2026, art. 12), but the rates actually apply from October 1, 2026, both for TollRo and for the rovinieta (Law no. 226/2023, art. 29). Interoperability with the systems of other EU countries, via SETRE (the European Electronic Toll Service), becomes operational on January 15, 2027.
It's the question missing from almost all materials about TollRo, even though for a fleet it means thousands of lei. Below: who loses the rovinieta and who keeps it, how to apply for a refund, how much you get back, how long the money takes and what you need to do now.
Who loses the rovinieta and who keeps it
The law draws a clear line, depending on whether or not the vehicle moves to per-kilometer tolling:
| Vehicle | What happens to the rovinieta | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Over 3.5 t (freight and mixed transport) — move to TollRo | It ceases to be valid on the switchover date, even if it still had months left | art. 24(2) |
| Up to 3.5 t — stay on the rovinieta | It remains valid until its expiry date, as normal | art. 24 para. (2) and art. 4 para. (1) |
The criterion is the maximum authorized weight, not the body type — details by category are in the guide on which vehicles pay TollRo.
Mind the criterion: both the weight AND the purpose of the vehicle matter. Under Article 4(1) of Law no. 226/2023, the rovinieta applies to vehicles built to carry passengers — regardless of weight — and to freight vehicles up to 3.5 tons. A coach or bus over 3.5 tons stays on the rovinieta and keeps its validity until it expires. Only freight vehicles over 3.5 tons move to TollRo, plus mixed-transport vehicles, which are treated as freight vehicles.
For a company with a mixed fleet — a few 3.5-ton vans and a few heavy trucks — this means two regimes at the same time: the rovinieta continues for the light vehicles, and per-kilometer TollRo for the heavy ones. There is no single switchover for the whole fleet.
The money can be recovered, but it must be requested
This is the part most hauliers miss. The law does not provide for an automatic conversion of the rovinieta into TollRo credit, nor for an automatic refund.
Article 24(4) of Law no. 226/2023: for rovinietas that cease to be valid, CNAIR refunds, upon the user's written request, the amounts representing the value corresponding to the unused period, under the conditions set by the implementing rules.
Three practical consequences:
- Switchover date: October 1, 2026. Law no. 170/2026 brought forward to August 31, 2026 only the deadline for implementing the infrastructure; the rates still apply from October 1, 2026, under art. 29 of Law no. 226/2023.
- The legislative process is complete. The Senate passed the bill on July 30, 2026 (92 votes in favor, none against, two abstentions), the Chamber of Deputies passed it as the decision-making chamber on July 31, 2026 (205 in favor, 7 against, 69 abstentions), and it was signed into law on August 5, 2026.
- The reason for bringing it forward is a PNRR (Romania's National Recovery and Resilience Plan) milestone: Romania committed to implementing the infrastructure by August 31, 2026, and missing the deadline would have put EU funds at risk.
In other words, the deadline is no longer a proposal. For vehicles over 3.5 tons, rovinieta vignettes ceased to be valid on October 1, 2026, and refund requests are made through the CNAIR app once it launches (no later than December 29, 2026). Details about the new system are in the guide on the TollRo effective date.
How to file the refund application with CNAIR
The implementing rules were published on September 30, 2026. MTI Order no. 922/2026, published in Official Gazette (Monitorul Oficial) no. 832 of September 30, 2026, approves the rules implementing Law no. 226/2023. Article 39 of these rules governs the refund of rovinietas in categories C, D, E and F, i.e. those of freight vehicles over 3.5 tons, which ceased to be valid on October 1, 2026.
CNAIR is making available a dedicated refund application no later than December 29, 2026 (within 90 days of the rules taking effect); the launch date will be announced on the CNAIR website. According to the CNAIR press release of October 6, 2026, the refund request is made exclusively through this app, and the money is refunded within 90 days of the request being registered in the app. The implementing rules provide that written requests filed before the launch are registered in the app, but CNAIR now states that requests are made exclusively through the app.
Where to send the application
The request is made to CNAIR, not to the distributor you bought the rovinieta from (gas station, app or other point of sale), through CNAIR’s refund app. Until the app launches, watch for the announcement on the CNAIR website.
What data to prepare for the request
The final list of required data will be the one in the CNAIR app. Until then, prepare the following for each vehicle over 3.5 tons that had an active rovinieta on October 1, 2026:
- The registration number of the vehicle.
- The rovinieta serial number for which you are requesting the refund.
- The purchase date and expiry date of the rovinieta.
- The amount paid for the rovinieta.
- The details of the company requesting the refund.
- The IBAN account where you want to receive the money, if you choose bank transfer.
If you no longer have the rovinieta payment document, you can request it from the distributor you bought it from. For a fleet, each vehicle has its own rovinieta and its own serial number, so prepare the details for each truck individually — the inventory from step 1 below is exactly the list you need.
How much you get: the calculation formula
The refunded amount is calculated using the formula S = T × Zn / Zt, where:
- T is the fee paid for the rovinieta, including VAT;
- Zn is the number of days from October 1, 2026 to the rovinieta's expiry date, both days included;
- Zt is the total number of days the rovinieta is valid.
Two examples for category F, with a 12-month rovinieta paid at 7,262.23 lei:
| Rovinieta validity | Remaining days (Zn / Zt) | Calculated amount |
|---|---|---|
| January 1 – December 31, 2026 | 92 / 365 | 7,262.23 × 92 / 365 = 1,830.48 lei |
| September 1, 2026 – August 31, 2027 | 335 / 365 | 6,665.33 lei |
The transfer costs and the distributor's commission or the payment processor's commission are deducted from the amount. So you don't receive the full calculated amount. If the amount due does not exceed these costs, nothing is refunded.
How long it takes and how you receive the money
CNAIR refunds the amount within 90 days from the request being registered in the app. You choose how you want to receive the money:
- by bank transfer, to the IBAN account stated in the application;
- as a balance in the CNAIR mobile app;
- back to the payment method used for the purchase, where possible.
The rovinieta is not automatically converted into TollRo credit. You only get the money if you file a request, through the CNAIR app.
Bridge tolls (peaj) purchased and not used
Bridge tolls (peaj) bought in advance under the old system ceased to be valid on October 1, 2026. The same rule applies to them: the refund is the number of remaining crossings multiplied by the per-crossing rate, with the same deductions for transfer costs and fees. The request is also made through CNAIR’s refund app.
What you need to do, step by step
- Take stock of the active rovinietas on freight vehicles over 3.5 tons: registration number, purchase date, expiry date, amount paid. Add the serial number of each rovinieta. Without these records, you cannot apply for a refund.
- Find the payment documents of the rovinieta vignettes. If you’ve lost them, ask the distributor you bought from. The old system closed on September 30, 2026, and rovinieta vignettes are no longer sold for freight vehicles over 3.5 tons.
- Decide how you will pay TollRo — until January 15, 2027 via a route ticket, bought in the TollRo app, on etoll.ro, at CNAIR points of sale or at border crossings, or via a charging session in the TollRo app (per kilometer, based on the phone’s GPS); starting January 15, 2027, payment via on-board unit is added, through CNAIR-authorized providers. The comparison is in the article on automatic payment device vs. route ticket, and the available methods are in the guide on how to pay TollRo.
- Prepare your fleet. On etoll.ro you create an account, enroll your vehicles and fleet, top up the electronic wallet and find your invoices. Payment via a vehicle-mounted device will only be possible from January 15, 2027, through CNAIR-authorized providers.
- File the refund request with CNAIR, through the refund app, as soon as CNAIR launches it (no later than December 29, 2026), with each vehicle’s data. The required data and the calculation of the amount are described above.
Want to pay TollRo automatically?
Automatic payment with an on-board unit will be possible from January 15, 2027, through CNAIR-authorized providers. The CargoTrack solution is in the works and is not yet available. Join the waiting list and we’ll let you know when it launches.
Why it's not just a change of form
The rovinieta was a fixed cost: you paid for a period and drove as much as you wanted. TollRo is a variable cost, calculated by multiplying the unit rate by the number of kilometers driven, differentiated by category and emission class. On national roads, the rate is roughly half the rate on motorways and expressways.
As a result, routing becomes a cost decision, not just a time decision. A detour on a national road can be cheaper than the motorway, and the difference only shows up at fleet level, month by month. The fundamental differences between the two systems are detailed in the article on the difference between TollRo and the rovinieta.
For this reason, the kilometers actually driven on each type of road become financial data, not just operational data — and tracking them starts to matter directly in calculating cost per kilometer.
Frequently asked questions
What happens to the rovinieta you bought now that TollRo applies?
For freight vehicles over 3.5 tons, which have switched to TollRo, the rovinieta ceased to be valid on October 1, 2026, even if it was bought for a longer period, under Article 24(2) of Law no. 226/2023. The implementing rules published on September 30, 2026 confirm this for rovinieta vignettes in categories C, D, E and F. For cars, minibuses, coaches and freight vehicles up to 3.5 tons, the rovinieta remains valid until its expiry date.
Can I get my money back for the remaining period?
Yes, but only on request. Article 24(4) of Law no. 226/2023 and Article 39 of the implementing rules approved by MTI Order no. 922/2026 provide that CNAIR refunds the value of the days remaining from October 1, 2026 until the rovinieta’s expiry, upon the user’s written request. The refund is not automatic. According to CNAIR (press release of October 6, 2026), the request is made exclusively through the refund app that CNAIR will make available by December 29, 2026.
Is the rovinieta converted into TollRo credit?
No. The rovinieta is not automatically converted into TollRo credit. The only mechanism is a refund of the amount corresponding to the unused period, upon request. If you wish, you can choose to receive the money as a balance in the CNAIR mobile app.
When did TollRo actually take effect?
On October 1, 2026, the date from which the rates apply, under art. 29 of Law no. 226/2023. Law no. 170/2026, published in the Official Gazette, Part I, no. 648 of August 5, 2026, brought forward to August 31, 2026 only the deadline for implementing the infrastructure, not the date from which the toll is paid.
What do I do if I have a mixed fleet, under and over 3.5 tons?
You will have two regimes in parallel: freight vehicles up to 3.5 tons, like cars, minibuses and coaches, stay on the rovinieta, which remains valid until it expires, while those over 3.5 tons move to per-kilometer tolling. There is no single switchover for the whole fleet.
Where and how do I file the rovinieta refund application?
To CNAIR, not to the distributor you bought the rovinieta from. According to CNAIR (press release of October 6, 2026), the request is made exclusively through the refund app that CNAIR will make available by December 29, 2026; the launch date will be announced on the CNAIR website. For each vehicle, prepare the registration number, the rovinieta serial number, the purchase date, the expiry date, the amount paid, your company details and your IBAN.
Can I still buy a rovinieta for a truck over 3.5 tons?
No. From October 1, 2026, rovinietas are no longer sold for freight vehicles over 3.5 tons, and tolling is done exclusively through TollRo. Gas stations and other distributors sell rovinietas only for cars, freight vehicles of up to 3.5 tons, minibuses, coaches and buses.
How much do I get back from the rovinieta?
The amount is calculated using the formula S = T × Zn / Zt: T is the fee paid, including VAT, Zn is the number of days from October 1, 2026 to the rovinieta's expiry date, both included, and Zt is the total number of days of validity. Example: category F, 12-month rovinieta at 7,262.23 lei, valid January 1 – December 31, 2026: 7,262.23 × 92 / 365 = 1,830.48 lei. The transfer costs and the distributor's or payment processor's commission are deducted from the amount; if the amount does not exceed these costs, nothing is refunded.
How long does it take to get the money, and how?
CNAIR refunds the amount within 90 days of the request being registered in the app. You can choose a bank transfer to the account you specify, a balance in the CNAIR mobile app or, where possible, a refund to the payment method used for the purchase.
Are bridge tolls (peaj) purchased and not used also refunded?
Yes. Tolls prepaid in the old system ceased to be valid on October 1, 2026. The refund equals the number of remaining crossings multiplied by the per-crossing rate, with the same deductions for transfer costs and fees. The request is also made through CNAIR’s refund app.
