Short guides on documents and your car
Expired RCA insurance: what happens?
Without valid RCA insurance the car may not be driven on public roads. If you buy the new policy after the old one has expired, it only covers you from the day after you took it out.
When the new policy starts
It takes minutes, online or at a broker. If you buy it by the last day of the old policy at the latest, the new one starts the next day, with no uncovered day.
If you buy it after the old one has expired, the new policy starts on the day after you took it out (Law 132/2017, art. 5). On the day you buy it, the car is still uninsured.
Who must have RCA
The law requires the owner of every vehicle registered in Romania to insure it with RCA (Law 132/2017, art. 3). A policy normally runs for between one month and 12 months (art. 5).
If the police stop you without RCA
It is an offence: a fine, and the registration certificate is kept until you show the new policy (Law 132/2017, art. 37). The police give you a replacement document with no right to drive and also take the number plates (Emergency Ordinance 195/2002, art. 112). You get them back when you show the car is insured again.
The amount of the fine is in the law; we don't list it here, because it changes.
When you buy the new policy
The price varies a lot between insurers, for exactly the same car. Get several quotes.
If you are a private individual with several cars, the same bonus-malus class applies to all of them: it follows you, not the car. For companies it is calculated per vehicle. Every claim paid out drops you two classes.
What you need
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Checked between September 28, 2026 and September 29, 2026. Sources:
We are not an official source and we don't give legal advice — before you travel there or pay anything, check the institution's own page. We are not a government app and we don't represent MAI, RAR, CNAIR, ASF or any other institution. Links open the official websites.
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The Nu-mă-uita app reminds you in good time before a document expires: add it once and choose how many days ahead you want to be told. No account and no ads.