Driving school guide — Romania 2026
This guide is written for driving school administrators and owners in Romania. It covers the full cycle: ARR licensing under Order OMT 733/2013, certified instructors, the dual-control fleet, the training curriculum and day-to-day lesson scheduling.
Each step points to the relevant regulation and to the operational mistakes that cost the most in practice.
How to set up and run a driving school in Romania
- Set up the companyRegister a company at the Trade Registry with "driving schools" as its activity (NACE code 8553). The general framework for the activity is Government Ordinance OG 27/2011 on road transport.
- Prepare the premises and equipmentFit out the theory classroom and teaching equipment to the minimum conditions in the norms approved by OMT 733/2013. For motorcycle categories (AM, A1, A2, A) you also need access to a practice range with the dimensions set in the annexes.
- Hire certified staffRoad law teachers and driving instructors may teach only if certified by the Ministry of Transport, through ARR. Each instructor teaches only the categories listed on their certificate (B, BE, C, D, etc.).
- Equip the dual-control fleetSchool vehicles must have dual controls and meet the technical conditions in the OMT 733/2013 annexes. The periodic technical inspection (ITP), the mandatory insurance (RCA) and, where taken, CASCO must be valid at all times.
- Obtain the ARR authorizationYou file the application with the Romanian Road Authority (ARR) and receive the driving school authorization, issued under the OMT 733/2013 norms. Without it you cannot train students.
- Run training to the official curriculumTraining follows the curriculum approved by OMT 733/2013. For category B it sets 24 hours of theory and 30 hours of practical driving.
- Schedule lessons and track hoursEvery lesson is booked against one instructor and one car, with no overlaps. Completed hours are deducted from the student's package and recorded in the training log.
- Complete the files and send students to the examOnce the curriculum is fully completed, the student takes the DRPCIV exam. Watch your pass rate: keeping the authorization valid from year to year depends on a minimum pass rate per category.
Licensing and required approvals
The driving school authorization is issued by ARR, under the norms approved by OMT 733/2013.
- The application file covers the training premises, teaching equipment, certified staff and vehicles.
- The authorization stays valid from year to year only if the school reaches the minimum pass rate per category — the ratio of students who pass the first exam to those who sat it.
- Any change of premises, fleet or certified staff affects the authorization — update your records before an inspection.
Instructors and certificates
- Driving instructors and road law teachers are certified by the Ministry of Transport, through ARR (OG 27/2011, OMT 733/2013).
- Certificates are per category: a category B instructor cannot teach C or D without extending the certificate.
- Keep a central register of certificates and their expiry dates — an expired certificate invalidates the hours taught.
- Assign students to instructors by category and actual workload, not just declared availability.
The fleet: ITP, RCA, CASCO and maintenance
- Every school vehicle has dual controls and the minimum equipment required by the OMT 733/2013 annexes.
- School vehicle inspections (ITP) expire sooner than you think — check the date on each car, not "from memory".
- RCA insurance is mandatory at all times; CASCO is optional but recommended for cars driven daily by beginners.
- Plan servicing by mileage: a school car covers far more kilometres than a private one.
- An unplanned breakdown cancels every lesson booked on that car — you need a replacement plan.
Lesson scheduling and student records
- A correctly booked lesson blocks three resources at once: the student, the instructor and the car.
- Each student's hour package needs a clear balance: hours bought, hours completed, hours remaining.
- Every completed hour is logged immediately — the training record backs the DRPCIV exam file.
- Send reminders before each lesson: unannounced no-shows are instructor and car hours lost for good.
Digitalizing the driving school
The paper booking notebook works until the second car and the third instructor. From there on come the double bookings, the undeducted hours and the unnoticed expired documents.
- A single calendar per instructor and car eliminates scheduling conflicts at the source.
- An hour balance deducted automatically after each lesson ends the "do I still have hours left" arguments.
- Automatic ITP, RCA and CASCO alerts turn expiries from emergencies into routine.
Common mistakes
- Double bookings on the same instructor or the same car — two lessons sold, only one possible.
- An undetected expired ITP or RCA: the car goes out non-compliant, and the risk sits with the school.
- Driving hours completed but never deducted from the package balance — the student gets free hours, the school loses money.
- No reminders before lessons — unannounced no-shows and instructor hours paid for nothing.
- Instructor certificates past their expiry, noticed only at an inspection or when filing the exam paperwork.
- The per-category pass rate not tracked during the year — the condition for keeping the authorization gets checked only when it is too late.
How 4driving helps
- You book every lesson against an instructor and a car, and the calendar automatically blocks overlaps — step 7 of this guide, without the notebook.
- Hour packages have an automatic balance: each completed lesson deducts itself, and student and school see the same remaining hours.
- Instructors are managed per category (B, BE, C, D), so a category C student cannot be booked with a B-only instructor.
- The fleet register sends alerts before ITP, RCA and CASCO expire — the check from step 4 becomes automatic.
- Plans run from 5 RON/month (Start) to 40 RON/month (Premium), with a 14-day free trial — you test it on the school's real schedule before paying.