A municipiu (from Latin municipium; English: municipality) is a level of administrative subdivision in Romania and Moldova, roughly equivalent to city in some English-speaking countries.
In Romania, this status is given to towns that are large and urbanized; at present, there are 103 municipii. Alexandra Coșlea, “O comună și trei orașe de lângă București pot deveni municipii“, Hotnews, 17 October 2025 There is no clear benchmark regarding the status of municipiu even though it applies to localities which have a sizeable population, usually above 40,000, and extensive urban infrastructure. Localities that do not meet these loose guidelines are classified only as towns (orașe), or if they are not urban areas, as communes (comune). Cities are governed by a mayor and local council. There are no official administrative subdivisions of cities even though, unofficially, municipalities may be divided into quarters/districts (cartiere in Romanian). The exception to this is Bucharest, which has a status similar to that of a county, and is officially subdivided into six administrative sectors.
In Moldova, which has thirteen municipii, a 2002 law provides that the status applies to the cities that play an important role in the country's economic, social, cultural, scientific, political and administrative life.
Complete list
Romania
County Cities Year grantedstatus Alba Alba Iulia AiudBlajSebeș 1938/1968199419932000 Arad Arad 1925/1968 Argeș PiteștiCâmpulungCurtea de Argeș 196819941995 Bacău BacăuOneștiMoinești 1929†/196819682001 Bihor OradeaBeiușMarghitaSalonta 1925/1968200320032001 Bistrița-Năsăud Bistrița 1979 Botoșani BotoșaniDorohoi 19681994 Brașov BrașovFăgărașCodleaSăcele 1925/1968197920002000 Brăila Brăila 1925/1968 Buzău BuzăuRâmnicu Sărat 19681994 Caraș-Severin ReșițaCaransebeș 19681995 Călărași CălărașiOltenița 19681997 Cluj Cluj-NapocaTurdaDejCâmpia TurziiGherla 1925/19681968196819982000 Constanța ConstanțaMangaliaMedgidia 1925/196819951994 Covasna Sfântu GheorgheTârgu Secuiesc 19792000 Dâmbovița TârgovișteMoreni 19682003 Dolj CraiovaBăileștiCalafat 1925/196820011997 Galați GalațiTecuci 1925/19681968 Giurgiu Giurgiu 1933†/1968 Gorj Târgu JiuMotru 19682000 Harghita Miercurea CiucGheorgheniOdorheiu SecuiescToplița 1979200319682002 Hunedoara DevaHunedoaraBradLupeniOrăștiePetroșaniVulcan 1968196819952003199519682003 Ialomița SloboziaFeteștiUrziceni 197919951995 Iași IașiPașcani 1925/19681995 Ilfov none Maramureș Baia MareSighetu Marmației 19681968 Mehedinți Drobeta-Turnu SeverinOrșova 1933†/19682000 Mureș Târgu MureșSighișoaraReghinTârnăveni 1925†/1968196819941998 Neamț Piatra NeamțRoman 19681968 Olt SlatinaCaracal 19791994 Prahova PloieștiCâmpina 1925/19681994 Satu Mare Satu MareCarei 1929†/19681995 Sălaj Zalău 1979 Sibiu SibiuMediaș 1925/19681968 Suceava SuceavaFălticeniRădăuțiCâmpulung MoldovenescVatra Dornei 19681994199419952000 Teleorman AlexandriaRoșiorii de VedeTurnu Măgurele 197919951968 Timiș TimișoaraLugoj 1925/19681934†/1968 Tulcea Tulcea 1968 Vaslui VasluiBârladHuși 197919681995 Vâlcea Râmnicu VâlceaDrăgășani 19681995 Vrancea FocșaniAdjud 1934†/19682000 Bucharest Bucharest 1925/1968
† lost status in 1938
Of the seventeen municipii created in 1925, three are no longer in Romania: Cernăuți, Cetatea Albă, and Chișinău. Additionally, Bălți became one in 1929; together with Cetatea Albă, it lost the title in 1938. Cluj and Oradea temporarily lost the title in 1940 as a result of the Second Vienna Award, while it was granted to Odessa and Tiraspol during the Transnistria Governorate period. The status was not used between 1950 and 1968, so that cities which lost it in 1950 were reassigned it in 1968. The most recent municipii were created in 2003.
Moldova Cities Year grantedstatus Bălți 1995 Cahul 1998/2016 Ceadîr-Lunga 2016 Chișinău 1995 Comrat 1998 Edineț 1998/2016 Hîncești 1998/2016 Orhei 1998/2016 Soroca 1998/2016 Strășeni 2016 Ungheni 1998/2016 Tighina 1995 Tiraspol 1995
Chișinău, Tiraspol, Bălți, and Bender/Tighina have been municipii continuously since 1995, and Comrat since 1998. Cahul, Edineț, Hîncești, Orhei, Soroca, and Ungheni held the status from 1998 to 2002, and regained it in 2016. Additionally, Căușeni, Taraclia, Dubăsari, and Rîbnița held the status from 1998 to 2002.
References