Romania Guarantees Access to Sign Language Interpreters by Law, but EPRS Flags Barriers in Practice

Romania has a legal framework that recognizes Romanian Sign Language and requires authorities and institutions to provide free authorized interpreters to deaf and hard-of-hearing people; however, effective access to the service remains unequal, according to a new briefing by the European Parliamentary Research Service. EPRS points to a lack of available interpreters in Romania, their concentration in urban areas, and administrative obstacles related to procedures and reimbursement of services.

However, the European analysis must be read with one important limitation. The national information summarized in the briefing comes partly from parliamentary responses and documentation, while the 2EU monitoring file indicates that the current number of interpreters must be verified separately before a precise figure is used. For this reason, the article describes the structural problem confirmed by EPRS and the current Romanian legal framework, without attributing to Romania a number of interpreters that has not been reconfirmed for 2026.

In brief

Law 27/2020 recognizes Romanian Sign Language as a specific mother tongue of deaf and hard-of-hearing people who use it.

Central and local authorities and institutions must make authorized RSL interpreters available free of charge, upon request or ex officio.

EPRS reports a shortage of interpreters in Romania, geographical concentration in cities, and administrative and reimbursement problems.

Law 448/2006 separately contains an obligation for institutions to provide authorized interpreters in direct dealings with people with hearing disabilities or deafblindness.

A legislative amendment adopted in June 2026 extends accessible communication requirements in social services, but enters into force one year after publication.

Law 27/2020 changed the legal status of Romanian Sign Language by explicitly recognizing it as an independent language and as a mother tongue for deaf and hard-of-hearing people who use it. The text defines accessibility, including through the possibility of using RSL in dealings with public services, and establishes the right of individuals to use this language in their relations with central and local authorities and institutions.

The obligation of the authorities is formulated directly. Central and local institutions, public or private, must provide deaf or hard-of-hearing people with authorized RSL interpreters free of charge, and access may be granted both upon request and ex officio. A similar mechanism already existed in Law 448/2006 on the rights of people with disabilities, which requires authorities to provide authorized interpreters for direct dealings with people with hearing disabilities or deafblindness.

The problem described by EPRS is the gap between the existence of this right and the practical possibility of using it anywhere and whenever necessary. For Romania, the briefing reports an insufficient supply of interpreters and a greater concentration in urban areas, which can turn access to services into a geographical problem for people living far from the centers where authorized professionals work.

In principle, the cost to the beneficiary should not prevent communication with the administration when the law provides for the interpreter to be supplied free of charge. EPRS nevertheless points to difficulties related to the administrative mechanisms through which services are organized and reimbursed, which may delay access even when the legal obligation exists.

The problem is broader than the administration itself. Interpretation may be needed in healthcare, social assistance, education, employment, or interaction with the justice system, and the limited availability of interpreters may turn the same legal obligation into very different services from one locality to another.

In June 2026, Romania also adopted an addition to Law 448 requiring social service providers for people with disabilities to ensure adapted forms of communication and specialized staff, including Romanian Sign Language interpreters. However, the new provisions are not yet applicable, because the law establishes that they will enter into force one year after publication on 24 June 2026.

The professional framework has also been updated. The Classification of Occupations in Romania now separately includes the occupation of “Romanian Sign Language interpreter,” alongside the old terminology concerning sign-and-gesture interpretation, reflecting the evolution in the recognition of the language as an autonomous linguistic system.

The EPRS briefing shows that similar problems also arise in other Member States, in different forms. Legal recognition of a sign language does not automatically guarantee sufficient interpreters, their territorial distribution, funding for services, or immediate availability in all relevant institutions.

For Romania, the documented conclusion is therefore not the absence of a legal right. The right exists and is explicitly formulated. The vulnerability identified lies in the capacity of the administration and public services to turn this obligation into consistent, rapid, and effective access wherever it is needed.