Why Tesla FSD is not legal in Romania yet
RAR does not recognise the Dutch approval, and the Road Code fines drivers who release the steering wheel. Here's what would have to change.
Romania is one of the larger EU markets with no path to FSD (Supervised) yet. The Romanian Auto Register (RAR) has said in writing that the Dutch provisional approval is valid only in the Netherlands and is not recognised in Romania.
RAR’s reasoning has two parts:
- Homologation. A provisional Article 39 approval has national validity. Without Romanian recognition, enabling the feature is not legal under Romanian rules.
- Traffic law. The Road Code (Government Emergency Ordinance 195/2002) lists releasing the steering wheel while driving as a fineable offence. FSD (Supervised) allows hands-off driving with camera-based attention monitoring, so RAR says such a vehicle cannot be used on public roads as the law stands.
RAR says it has received the full RDW dossier, is analysing it, and has raised the issue with the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
What would change it
- An EU-wide approval in the TCMV would replace national recognition. December is the earliest possible vote. The Road Code question would still need an answer.
- An amendment to the Road Code allowing hands-off operation of approved driver-assistance systems.
Romania holds about 4% of the EU population, so its vote counts toward the 65% threshold. Until one of the two changes happens, Romanian owners with HW4 cars can’t use FSD on public roads.