Romania: Fines for Missing QR Codes on Fiscal Receipts Suspended Until October 2027

Romania has extended the suspension of penalties for missing QR codes and certain identification details on fiscal receipts until October 31, 2027. The requirements remain in legislation, but their implementation requires further regulatory changes, software development and updates to approximately one million fiscal cash registers.

On October 30, 2026, the Romanian Government published Emergency Ordinance No. 43/2026, officially extending the suspension of penalties for issuing fiscal receipts without the required QR code and certain identification information until October 31, 2027, inclusive.

The ordinance was published in the Official Gazette No. 915 of October 30, 2026, and amends Article IV of Emergency Ordinance No. 68/2025, which previously suspended the penalties until November 1, 2026.

The new extension provides retailers, authorized fiscal cash register distributors and software providers with additional time to implement the technical changes required under Romania's fiscal receipt regulations.

Importantly, the decision suspends the application of specific penalties but does not repeal the underlying legal requirements concerning the information displayed on fiscal receipts.

Article III of Emergency Ordinance No. 43/2026 extends the suspension of the sanctions established under Article 10(f) and Article 11(1)(h) of Emergency Ordinance No. 28/1999.

The suspension concerns issuing fiscal receipts without the required customer identification code, receipt identification number and information presented in QR code format.

The applicable fine for these violations ranges from RON 2,000 (~EUR 374) to RON 4,000 (~EUR 748).

These penalties will remain suspended until October 31, 2027, inclusive.

The distinction between the legal obligation and its enforcement is particularly important. The new ordinance does not remove the receipt information requirements from the legislation. Instead, it prevents the specified sanctions from being applied during the extended suspension period.

According to the explanation accompanying Emergency Ordinance No. 43/2026, the authorities determined that several mandatory implementation stages could not be completed before the previous suspension expired.

The Romanian Government identified four main activities that remain necessary:

• Amendments to secondary and tertiary legislation governing electronic fiscal cash registers.
• Development of updated software by authorized fiscal cash register distributors.
• Testing of existing fiscal cash register models by the National Institute for Research and Development in Informatics (ICI Bucharest) to obtain the required supplementary technical approval.
• Installation of updated software across approximately one million electronic fiscal cash registers, including technical interventions performed by authorized service personnel.

These activities are interdependent, meaning that retailers cannot complete implementation independently of the regulatory framework, software development and technical approval procedures.

The Government specifically acknowledged the risk that businesses could face penalties for failing to meet requirements that cannot yet be fully implemented.

The extension is therefore intended to prevent sanctions during a period when the necessary technical and administrative preparations remain incomplete.

Impact on retailers, fiscal cash register providers and POS systems

For retailers, the latest decision means that the specified penalties for missing QR codes and receipt identification details will not apply during the extended suspension period.

Businesses using fiscal cash registers that do not yet support QR code printing can continue operating under the applicable fiscalization framework without facing these particular sanctions solely because the required information is missing.

For fiscal cash register manufacturers, authorized distributors and POS software providers, the extension provides additional time to complete the necessary technical modifications.

Depending on the fiscal cash register model and software architecture, implementation may involve updating receipt layouts, generating QR codes containing the prescribed data and ensuring compatibility with the fiscal device's approved software.

The requirement for supplementary technical approval is particularly relevant because software modifications cannot necessarily be deployed across all existing cash register models without completing the applicable testing and approval procedures.

What should businesses do?

Retailers should verify whether their electronic fiscal cash registers support the required QR code functionality and consult their authorized distributors about the availability of compliant software updates.

Fiscal cash register manufacturers, distributors and POS providers should continue monitoring the necessary regulatory amendments and technical approval procedures.

Businesses operating multiple stores should also consider the time required to deploy updates across their fiscal devices once approved software becomes available.

From a fiscalization compliance perspective, the extension provides additional implementation time, not a permanent exemption from QR code requirements.

The new deadline for the suspension of penalties is October 31, 2027. Any further changes to the underlying receipt requirements or implementation arrangements would require additional regulatory action.

The main source is the Emergency Ordinance No. 43/2026 - Source

Ivana Picajkić Medior Legal Consultant Linkedin profile