You'll need a passport to enter Romania, plus a visa unless you're a citizen of the USA, the EU, one of the formerly socialist states or a very few other countries such as Cyprus, Malaysia or Turkey. Visa requirements do change and it is always advisable to check the current situation before leaving home. Visas are included in the cost of package holidays, and you should get in for free even if you just have a hotel reservation. Otherwise, you can obtain your visa in advance from a consulate or embassy, or on arrival at the country's borders or the airport.

A tourist visa is valid for thirty days within three months of issue and costs £33/A$60/NZ$60 if issued in advance; applications can either be lodged in person at the embassy or by post. You will need to show a current passport, and if you're applying by post you'll also need to enclose a money order for the full amount along with a photograph and an SAE. Citizens of Canada, Norway, Israel and Switzerland may also buy visas on arrival, which is usually cheaper, at about £21/CAN$50. For a thirty-day stay, US and EU citizens simply need to fill in an immigration form on arrival at the airport or at the border.

Transit visas , valid for three days' stay within one month of issue, cost £20/US$30 at the border (£25/US$45 at an embassy); double transit visas (two three-day visas) cost £33/US$55.

Overstaying is an offence generally solved by paying a fine to the border police, but it is preferable, and slightly cheaper, to obtain a visa extension from any judet (county) police headquarters or the office at Str. Luigi Cazzavillan 11, Bucharest (Mon, Thurs & Fri 8.30am-1pm, Tues 8.30am-1pm & 5.30-7pm; tel 01/650 3050). You'll be sent to the CEC bank (in Bucharest this is on Strada Ion Câmpineanu) to pay your fee (another $25 plus $6 for "urgent" service, in lei), and then you must return with the bank receipt for hard currency; they may tell you to return in a day or two, although there is no reason for this and a few dollars will speed things up.