Road safety is ensured not only by knowing and respecting the traffic rules and preventive driving, but also by the good technical condition of the vehicle. In order to control the functionality of cars, the State Inspectorate for Road Transport Control (I.S.C.T.R.) provides for a technical inspection of all vehicles registered in Romania.

So, according to the legislation in the field, the traffic of cars on public roads in Romania, without a regular technical inspection, is considered illegal.

The Periodic Technical Inspection (ITP) is performed at the ITP – EMACRIS station authorized by the Romanian Auto Registry (R.A.R), where it will be necessary to present the following documents:
– Valid car insurance;
– ID card of the vehicle;
– Identity card of the vehicle owner;
– Original registration certificate.

The legal framework
The norms for performing the periodic technical inspection were established by Ordinance no. 81/2000, regarding the certification of the classification of road vehicles registered in the technical norms regarding the safety of the road traffic, the protection of the environment and their use in accordance with their destination. The normative act, amended and supplemented by Government Ordinance no. 40/2005, conditions the maintenance of the car in circulation by the obligation to prove its compliance with the previously established norms.
The legal owner of a car is obliged not only to carry out the inspection, but also to observe its periodicity depending on the category of the vehicle. Law no. 260/2017, which entered into force on May 20, 2018, brought an important change: the obligation to perform the periodic technical inspection no longer belongs to the legal owner of the car, but to the person holding the registration certificate.

ITP periodicity
The interval or time period for which the ITP is mandatory, depending on the category of vehicles:
-motor vehicles intended for the transport of persons who, in addition to the driver’s seat, have more than 8 seats – at 6 months;
-motor vehicles intended for the transport of persons who, in addition to the driver’s seat, have a maximum of 8 seats – every 2 years;
-motor vehicles used for the transport of persons in taxi regime, in rental regime and for learning to drive – at 6 months, and special ambulance vehicles – at 1 year;
-motor vehicles intended for the transport of goods, having a maximum total authorized mass of more than 3,500 kg – at 1 year;
-trailers and semi-trailers with a maximum total authorized mass of more than 3,500 kg – every 1 year;
-motor vehicles with at least 4 wheels, intended for the transport of goods, with a maximum total authorized mass not exceeding 3,500 kg, except for tractors – at 1 year;
-trailers and semi-trailers with a maximum authorized total mass not exceeding 3,500 kg – every 2 years;
-motorcycles, mopeds, 3-wheeled vehicles and quadricycles – at 2 years;
-tractors with a maximum total authorized mass of more than 3,500 kg – every 1 year;
-tractors with a maximum total authorized mass not exceeding 3,500 kg – every 2 years;
-trailer and bee semi-trailers – at 3 years.

ITP procedure
Within the Periodic Technical Inspection, the operations included in the Operations Plan are executed, the model of which is provided, depending on the category of the road vehicle. The order of execution of the specified operations will be established by each ITP station, depending on the flow of the inspection, except for the identification, which will be the first operation performed. Respectively, the following operations will be performed:
-vehicle identification (body and engine series check);
-checking general appearance (no signs of accident, equipment according to CIV, etc.);
-brake check;
-noxe;
-light headlights + electrical installation;
-final photography (as appropriate);
-introduction of data into the computer;
-completion SN in the Annex;
-issuing vehicle documents;
-car photography.

If the vehicle meets all the required requirements, then your car will pass the Emacris Service Periodic Technical Inspection without any problems, meaning safety for both you and the other traffic participants. However, the operation of the vehicle will be prohibited if its technical condition and equipment do not meet at least one of the requirements and rules of road safety. Thus, major deficiencies, or even dangerous ones, lead to a new inspection, no later than 30 days after the initial inspection.