Judetul Bihor Travel Forum

hi i am from greece and i have 2 questions to ask:
1) is oradea regularly connected by train with budapest and if the answer is yes,how often has trains?
2)about the real estate in romania,does anyone know if foreigners have the right to own real estate properties in romania? In most east european countries is still forbidden so i wonder if the same applies in romaina too.
(second question has not to do with oradea only it has to do with the whole country)

For train schedules check bahn.hafas.de or www.elvira.hu
Romania will soon be in the EU and then Greeks will be able to buy real estate there.

As far as I know you can now buy land aswell here in my country.

I'm Irish living in Oradea for the last 5 years.

There is one train per day from Oradea to Budapest but from what I have heard from my friends it is a bit of a slow journey, anywhere up to 7 hours!!!. There can be big delays at the border crossing in Episcopia Bihor. You would be better to take the bus service which departs early each morning from Rogerius market. This is less than 10 minutes from the centre by taxi. The buses are modern and air-conditioned. If you like I can find out exact details for you. There is another mini-bus which leaves from outside of the station. The bus ride is about 4 to 5 hours depending on the border. If you want a transfer by car then several companies operate this service. Look for Transylvannia Travel Services on the internet. Their office is on Calea Republicii. They charge 60 Euro to Budapest or less if there are more people in the car which there usually are. This method of transfer takes 2.5 - 3.5 hours depending again on the border.

As regards owning property then you can own any building but not the land it stands on. There are moves to change this but it could take some time. For the moment it is very easy for foriegners to buy apartments in their own names but to buy houses is more complicated. It involves either setting up a limited liability company or having a very good Romanian friend with whom you can enter a contractual agreement. In my case this is my wife! To buy land which has no buildings on it you will definitely need a company. Then you must hold on to the land for more than 3 years or pay 16% tax on your profits. You will also be liable to pay 20% Value added Tax to the Romanian state. Forget buying land if you plan to sell it quicker than 3 years time...unless you marry a Romanian!!! :)

Hello,

Yes it is possible to buy properties in Romania for non Romanians.

All the legal info is on the following website:
<a href="http://www.romanianpropertiesltd.co.uk/faq.htm">"http://www.romanianpropertiesltd.co.uk/faq.htm"</a>

Damien

Greetings,

The laws are changing fast (for the better) & there are ways & means, legitimately, to invest in property & land, which is why billions & billions of euros are being spent by foreigers every year, why banks are now for the first time granting mortgages to foreigners (despite all sorts of incorrect rumors to the contrary - take that from someone who has one, recently).

Best advice is to find an honest, accurate agent. Many agencies in Romania are little more than part time wannabies after a quick 2% commission, but there are some truly excellent ones (such as my team!). Best advice is, go by recommendation or someone you can definitely get a good feel for, try to use local agencies, not overseas reps, to avoid big mark ups & out of date advise.

Good luck
whitemountainproperty.co.uk