There are of course some countries that do make an effort - the UK, Canada and New Zealand spring to mind - but if you're looking at moving to Romania, you're still out of luck. There is official information out there (the primary resource being this website from Romania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs), but "user-friendly" doesn't spring to mind.
That's where I can't recommend turning to other expats for help enough: not only those in the same boat as you, who're still looking to move; but specifically those who've already made the jump and can tell you exactly where real life differs substantially from the text-intensive websites (a third lesson you'll learn).
One of the early resources I relied on to get me started was Expat-Blog.com, which has recently rebranded to the far simpler to remember Expat.com (you'll see their spiffy new logo near the bottom right of this blog).
Because back in the early days of this blog it was solely focused on Romania and I listed it on Expat-Blog.com's blog directory for Romanian blogs, I recently received an e-mail from the website's founder, Julien, explaining the change (related to the website's Romanian section).
In Julien's own words:
"The website first started as a directory of expatriates’ blogs all around the world. After 10 years of service, it has evolved into a real social network for expats in Romania with new features added so as to better serve expats and address their needs. With Expat.com, expats now have a dedicated space to find all they need to live in Romania. Discover their expat experience on the forum or by reading their interviews. You will also find job offers, housing ads and much more!"
Don't take my word for it though, just click here to get stuck into Expat.com's dedicated section on Romania:http://www.expat.com/en/destination/europe/romania/
Pro tip: Registering to ask and answer questions on the Romanian Forums should be a first stop ... it's great to feel a virtual part of a community you're not yet in, and the access to practical advice you won't find anywhere else online is invaluable!
Disclosure: Julien asked all bloggers to share the news of the site's rebranding on their blogs, which is what triggered this post. However the content (excluding his quote of course) is exclusively mine, and happily written ... I've learned many valuable lessons about Romania over the three years I was registered on Expat-Blog.com, and I have no doubt that the new and improved Expat.com is going to be an awesome resource to you, if you're interested in Romania.
