Farmland for sale in Romania

Rules applicable when buying and selling agricultural land and agricultural areas in Romania:

– The buyer must meet the conditions set out in Law 17/2014, amended by Law 175/2020^, Chapter III, Exercise of the right of pre-emption and fulfillment of buyer criteria

– The buyer must meet the conditions set out in Law 116/2024 of April 30, 2024, regarding the approval of the Government Emergency Ordinance no. 104/2022 amending and supplementing Law no. 17/2014 regarding some measures regulating the sale of agricultural land outside the city limits (extravilan) and amending Law no. 268/2001 regarding the privatization of companies managing public and private lands of the State for agricultural purposes and the establishment of the State Domain Agency, and supplementing Law no. 287/2009 regarding the Civil Code.

Yes. This property is subject to special conditions and restrictions based on Law 17/2014, as amended by Law 175/2020 and Law 116/2022.

Article 16, after paragraph (1), a new paragraph (2) is inserted with the following content:

(2) The disposal of agricultural land located outside the city limits (extravillan) without complying with the provisions of art. 4(2) regarding the obligation to pay the tax is prohibited and will be punished with relative nullity.

^ Article 4.2 of Law 175/2020, to which the new law refers, provides that agricultural land outside the urban limits (extravillan) can be sold before the expiry of 8 years from the purchase, with the sellers being obliged to pay a tax of 80%, levied on the positive difference between the value of the agricultural land from the date of sale and that from the date of purchase, determined according to the indicative value established by the report drawn up by the Chamber of Notaries or according to the minimum value established by the market study carried out by the Chambers of Notaries for the relevant period.

The process can take up to 3 months and is relatively expensive.
First, the owner must contact the town hall and inform the authorities about the sale.

The first right of purchase belongs to the preemptors.

That is, neighbors (natural persons), then the companies that work the land in the area.

If they do not want to buy the land, only then can another company or person buy it.

To be recognized as an accepted company, the company must have been active in the field of agriculture and crop production in Romania for at least 5 years.

If you do not have a company that meets the criteria, you can buy a company, if you find a suitable one.

Mergers are not recommended unless you have a team of lawyers.

You can acquire an existing company by buying the majority (or all) shares.

This type of deal is the fastest. Again, the prerequisite is that you find a viable company that meets the requirements.