ANFP

Overview

Agenția Națională a Funcționarilor Publici (ANFP, the National Agency of Civil Servants) is the Romanian central authority that manages the civil service. Under the Administrative Code (Government Emergency Ordinance no. 57/2019), entry into the civil service follows a two-step model:

1. Recruitment stage (etapa de recrutare): a national competition (concurs național) organised by ANFP, which tests general knowledge and general competencies.

2. Selection stage (etapa de selecție): a competition for a specific post (concurs pe post), organised by the public institution that has the vacancy.

Passing the national competition gives you the right to enter post competitions for up to three years. ANFP organises the recruitment stage at least twice a year, based on a recruitment plan approved by Government decision; for 2025 to 2026 the rounds cover the posts in that plan.

Who can apply

General conditions for the national competition:

• Romanian citizenship and residence in Romania;

• written and spoken knowledge of Romanian;

• age of at least 18;

• the education and specialist experience required by law for the post;

• no conviction for crimes against humanity, the state or authority, corruption or service offences, offences obstructing justice, forgery, or intentional offences that make you incompatible with public office, unless rehabilitated, amnestied or the act has been decriminalised;

• no court ban on holding public office, no dismissal from a civil service post or disciplinary termination of an employment contract in the last three years, and no past work or collaboration with the former Securitate.

For management posts you also need a master's degree in public administration, management or the specialism of the post. Senior civil servant posts (înalți funcționari publici) additionally require a bachelor's and master's degree, completion of specialised training at the National Institute of Administration (or a full parliamentary mandate), at least seven years of experience in the relevant specialism, and written knowledge of English, French, German or Spanish at A2 level.

Levels or stages

Recruitment stage: national competition

The national competition has three successive tests, and each one is eliminatory.

1. Eligibility check. Done online on ANFP's competition platform, from the documents in your electronic file. An eligibility committee decides within 10 working days after registration closes, and each candidate is marked admitted or rejected, with reasons.

2. Preliminary testing. Multiple-choice tests taken on computer at an ANFP testing centre, lasting up to three hours in total. They cover:

The compulsory bibliography for the knowledge tests includes the Romanian Constitution, parts of the Administrative Code (GEO 57/2019), Law no. 202/2002 on equal opportunities between women and men, and Government Ordinance no. 137/2000 on preventing and sanctioning discrimination. Questions and answer options are drawn at random for each candidate, and practice tests are available on the competition platform.

3. Advanced testing. Checks general competencies against the competency frameworks in Annex 8 of the Administrative Code. For execution posts and most management posts it is a computer-based questionnaire taken straight after the preliminary testing, in the same session, for up to two hours. You rate statements about your typical behaviour at work on a scale from 1 (never) to 10 (always); there are no right or wrong answers.

The seven core competencies are problem solving and decision making, initiative, planning and organising, communication, teamwork, citizen orientation and integrity. Head-of-service posts add performance management and team development.

For senior civil servants and for general director, deputy general director and executive director posts that lead institutions, advanced testing takes place in person at specialist assessment centres instead.

Selection stage: post competition

Candidates who pass the national competition can enter competitions for specific posts organised by the employing institution. These have three successive tests: verification of specific competencies (from documents, extra evidence or a written test), a written test of theoretical knowledge and practical skills, and an interview on analysis, oral communication, motivation and behaviour in difficult situations.

Marking and results

• Preliminary testing: you need an overall score of at least 60%, with at least 50% on each individual test. Cognitive aptitude scores are converted to a standard scale from 1 to 10.

• Advanced testing: each competency gets a mark from 1 to 5, and you need at least 3 on every competency.

• Post competition: the written test and the interview are each marked out of 100. You need at least 60 points for execution posts and at least 70 for management and senior posts. The final score is the sum of the two.

Results of the preliminary testing are published within three working days of the end of testing, on your platform account and the ANFP website. You can appeal the eligibility result and the preliminary test results through the platform.

How to apply

1. Create an account on ANFP's competition platform with a valid email address, then complete your registration form and individual profile.

2. When a national competition is announced in the Official Gazette (Monitorul Oficial, Part III) and on the ANFP website, build your electronic competition file within 20 calendar days of the announcement. Upload your ID card, diplomas, and proof of work experience in the specialism where required.

3. After you pass the eligibility check, choose a testing centre and session on the platform within three working days. Testing centres include Bucharest, Ploiești, Constanța, Cluj-Napoca, Suceava, Brașov and Timișoara, among others.

4. On the test day, arrive at least 30 minutes early with a valid ID card and your platform username and password.

After the exam

If you pass all three tests of the recruitment stage, you join ANFP's pool of successful candidates for up to three years. During that time the platform notifies you of post competitions for the post you applied for and for other posts of the same category, class and grade with the same level of competency complexity. After three years you are removed from the pool and must pass the recruitment stage again.

Preparation tips

• Study the compulsory bibliography, especially the Constitution and the Administrative Code, since the knowledge tests are drawn from a database built on it.

• Use the practice tests on the ANFP competition platform to get used to the computer-based format.

• Remember that each preliminary test has its own 50% minimum, so a weak IT or cognitive score can fail you even with a good overall result.

• Upload every required document into the competition file itself, not just your profile; the eligibility committee only sees the file.