According to the provisions of art. 83 of the Law on the Pre-University Education no. 198/2023:
PUPILS from certified/authorized pre-university education, including those enrolled in pre-university education units registered in the Special Register of pre-university education units, benefit from free domestic rail transport, on all categories of trains (Regio, InterRegio and Intercity), at 2nd class, throughout the calendar year, based on the pupil card/identification card for the current school year.
Providing transport facilities to pupils:
Pupils benefit from:
- free tickets, for all categories of trains, at 2nd class and free reservation fee for trains with a reservation system;
- monthly season-tickets with an unlimited number of free trips, at 2nd class, for all categories of trains.
When travelling by upper class trains or sleeping cars and berth cars, pupils will fully pay the tariff differences and the reservation fee as requested.
Issuance of travel documents (tickets and season-tickets):
a) Free tickets for pupils can be purchased from:
- Ticket offices from railway stations with their own staff and from CFR travel agencies;
- Train staff, when:
- The boarding station is not open for ticket sale;
- Boarding takes place outside the ticket office working schedule;
- The boarding station is not served by CFR Calatori staff;
- The passenger presents a ticket issued on board a train, valid for a train which has arrived in the boarding station for the new train in an interval of up to 15 minutes – under the condition of going to the train staff immediately after boarding the train;
- CFR Călători ticket vending machines (xSell Kiosk) from the stations;
- ONLINE, only after confirming/validating as PUPIL at the ticket offices, which is made only once for each school year, and the issuing of an ID.
b) For monthly passes with 100% discount, with an unlimited number of trips:
- Ticket offices which issue cardboard support tickets, from CFR Călători travel agencies and stations with their own staff;
- Kiosk-type CFR Calatori ticket vending machines from the stations, only after confirming/validating as PUPIL at the ticket offices,
- Apps downloadable on the phone, in the form of a QR code with dynamic elements, only after confirming/validating as PUPIL at the ticket offices
*Confirmation/validation as “pupil” can be requested at any station or CFR Călători travel agency equipped with an electronic issuing system, during their work hours, on the basis of the original note book / pupil ID, which includes pupil’s surname, first name and personal numerical code, stamped for the current school year, or on the basis of the proving certificate issued by the educational institution the pupils belongs to, in original. Confirmation / validation as “pupil” is performed only once per each school year. After confirming / validating as “pupil” and the creation of the online user profile, an ID is issued, on the basis of which the tickets/passes shall be purchased online from the website or from the phone downloadable app.
Necessary Documents for Issuing Tickets/Passes at the Ticket Offices or On Board the Trains:
In order to issue FREE travel documents (tickets and monthly season-tickets) for PUPILS, it is necessary to submit the following documents:
- PUPIL CARD/IDENTITICATION CARD in original, with pupil name, surname, social security number and endorsed by the educational establishment for the current school year;
- or CERTIFICATE confirming the pupil status, issued by the educational establishment of belonging, submitted in original. The certificate must correspond to the model provided in the GD no. 810/2023, as follows:
- or COLLECTIVE CERTIFICATE issued by the educational establishment of belonging, submitted in original. This certificate is used only for pupils traveling in a group. It must correspond to the model provided in the GD no.810/2023, as follows:
There will not be accepted other types/models of certificates for issuing pupil tickets/season-tickets.
Checking documents on board
When checking the legality of train trips, pupils must submit the following:
- free ticket/season-ticket, valid for that train, in original, except for those issued digitally (online)
- an original ID (ID card, passport, residence permit, driver’s license) or birth certificate in original or copy for pupils under 14 years old;
Pupils can submit the original pupil card/identification card instead of the identity document, only if it contains the pupil’s photo and social security number.
Note!
If pupils do not submit on board the previously mentioned documents, they will be considered as not having a ticket/season-ticket and will be treated according to the legislation in force (they will incur the payment of rates established on board – higher than the ticket counter rates, and otherwise they will have to get off the train at the first stop along the route and they will receive a contravention report for the distance already covered). Persons under the age of 14 traveling unaccompanied, in the aforementioned situation, will be handed over to the Police.
According to the provisions of art. 128 of the Higher Education Law no. 199/2023:
STUDENTS under the age of 30, enrolled in full-time education in accredited higher education institutions in Romania and in the Romanian Academy, benefit from a 90% reduced fare on the territory of Romania for domestic rail transport on all categories of trains, 2nd class, throughout the calendar year.
STUDENTS with one or both deceased parents, as well as students from placement centers or who were placed with the extended family, surrogate or foster care according to the provisions of art. 64 para. (1) from Law no. 272/2004 on the protection and promotion of the rights of the child, republished, with subsequent amendments and additions, benefits from free travel on all categories of trains, 2nd class, throughout the calendar year in Romania.
Providing transport facilities to students:
a) When travelling by CFR Călători trains, Romanian/foreign STUDENTS, under 30 years old, enrolled in full-time education in certified higher education institutions in Romania and in the Romanian Academy, can purchase the following:
- tickets with a 90% discount, valid for train/trains and date, for all train categories (Regio, Interregio and Intercity), at 2nd class;
- monthly season-ticket with a 90% discount, with an unlimited number of trips, on Regio and Interregio train, for distances up to 300 km, at 2nd class.
b) When travelling by CFR Călători trains, STUDENTS with one or both deceased parents, as well as students from foster care centers or who were in foster care with extended, foster family or with a foster parent according to the provisions of art. 64 para. (1) of the Law no. 272/2004 on the protection and promotion of the rights of the child, republished, as amended and supplemented, can purchase the following:
- tickets with a 100% discount, valid for train/trains and date, for all train categories (Regio, Interregio and Intercity), at 2nd class;
- monthly season-ticket with a 100% discount, with an unlimited number of trips, on all train categories, for distances up to 300 km, at 2nd class.
You can travel by 1st class train or sleeping/berth car by paying the full tariff differences.
c) Romanian students under 30 years old, enrolled in full-time education in certified higher education institutions abroad benefit from a 50% reduced fare for all categories of trains, at 2nd class, on the Romanian territory, throughout the calendar year, as long as he/she remains a student, starting from the date provided for in art. 260 para. (15) of the Law no. 199/2023, as amended and supplemented, namely starting from 1st of October 2025.
Issuance of travel documents (tickets and season-tickets):
a) Tickets for students, with 90% discount or free, can be purchased from::
- Ticket offices from the railway stations with their own staff and the CFR Călători travel agencies;
- On board staff, in the following cases:
- Boarding takes place outside the ticket office working schedule;
- The boarding station is not served by CFR Călători staff;
- The passenger presents a ticket issued on board a train, valid for a train which has arrived in the boarding station for the new train in an interval of up to 15 minutes – under the condition of going to the train staff immediately after boarding the train.
- CFR Calatori ticket vending machines (xSell Kiosk) from the stations, after registering and validating the “STUDENT” user profile
- Online, by accessing the www.cfrcalatori.ro website, after registering and validating the “STUDENT” user profile
b) Passes can be purchased from:
- Ticket offices equipped with an electronic ticket issuing system from the railway stations or from the CFR Călători travel agencies
- CFR Calatori ticket vending machines (xSell Kiosk) from the stations
- By means of phone downloadable apps, in the form of a QR code with dynamic elements, after registering and validating the “STUDENT” user profile
Creating the “STUDENT” profile can be done as follows:
- Either on the basis of registering the identification data on the www.cfrcalatori.ro website (from an online user account) and of confirmation as “STUDENT”, which benefits from discounted / free railway transport, sent by electronic means by the higher educational institution the student belongs to, whose official contact data are registered and validated, or
- By validation as “STUDENT” at the ticket offices, on the basis of presenting in original the student ID for discounted/free transport, stamped for the current university year. Confirmation / validation as “STUDENT” shall be performed once per university year during which the trips are made.
Necessary Documents for Issuing Tickets/Passes at the Ticket Offices or On Board the Trains:
a)STUDENTS benefiting from a 90% discount:
- STUDENT ID CARD FOR DISCOUNT ON TRANSPORT/FREE OF CHARGE TRANSPORT, in original, endorsed for the current academic year, according to the following model:
STUDENT ID CARDS FOR DISCOUNT ON TRANSPORT/FREE OF CHARGE TRANSPORT issued by higher education institutions according to the provisions of the Government Decision no. 42/2017, namely WITHOUT A QR CODE, REMAIN VAID, under the law.
b) STUDENTS benefiting from free of charge transport:
STUDENT ID CARD FOR DISCOUNT ON TRANSPORT/FREE OF CHARGE TRANSPORT, in original, endorsed for the current academic year and on which the higher education institution certifies the right to free of charge transport, as follows: writing ”Free” on the back of the ID, applying the signature and stamp of the higher education institution;
c) For the trip from the begining of the academic year until November 30, FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS can submit a CERTIFICATE, presented in the original, issued for that academic year, by the education institution of belonging, according to the following model:
Checking documents on board:
When checking the legality of train trip, students must submit the following documents:
When checking the legality onboard, the train staff wil ask students for a valid original paper ticket, except for those issued on digital media, and:
- Original STUDENT ID CARD FOR DISCOUNT ON TRANSPORT/FREE OF CHARGE TRANSPORT
or
- CERTIFICATE stating the student status, for Ist year students (only for journeys made up to November 30 of the beginning of the academic year) and an original identity document (identity card, passport, residence permit, driver’s license).
Note!
If students do not submit onboard the previously mentioned documents (ticket with a 90% discount or free ticket valid for that train) or submit other documents issued by the higher education institutions of belonging, they will be considered as not having a ticket and will be treated according to the legislation in force (they will incur the payment of rates established onboard – higher than the ticket counter rates, and otherwise they will have to get off the train at the first stop along the route and they will receive a contravention report for the distance already covered).
According to the provisions of the GD 811/2023 as amended and supplemented, higher education institutions are authorized and bear full responsibility for the timely distribution and endorsing of student IDs/certificates for discount on transport/free transport, as well as for making all the best efforts (namely confirming online the student status to CFR Călători).
