Where are the public shelters in Romania and how do I find one?

Short answer. Romania has a national system of civil-protection shelters: command-post shelters, public shelters run by local councils and private shelters built by companies and owners ². The national list of the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU), situation June 2026, has 6,118 entries with address, GPS coordinates, capacity and condition ¹. In our count of that list, only about 15% are marked fully functional ¹.

How many shelters does Romania have?

The IGSU national list (Situația adăposturilor de protecție civilă, June 2026, published 10 July 2026) has 6,118 entries ¹. Each entry gives an address, GPS coordinates, capacity and condition ¹.

IGSU does not publish totals by condition. Phaenyx counted them from the IGSU PDF on 20 October 2026 ¹:

6,087 entries had a readable status; 3,300 read as private and 2,415 as public ¹. These are our counts, not official IGSU figures.

What kinds of shelters are there?

IGSU describes three groups ²:

• command-post shelters, for the authorities;
• public civil-protection shelters, managed by local councils;
• a private shelter stock built by companies and property owners.

In peacetime, public shelters (except command posts) may be used for other purposes, "cu obligația de a fi eliberate în situații de urgență în maximum 24 de ore" (on condition that they are cleared within 24 hours at most in an emergency) ². Public shelters are inspected periodically by the professional emergency services ².

How do I find the shelter closest to me?

Three official routes:

1. The IGSU national list: a PDF on igsu.ro, under Informații utile > Adăposturi de protecție civilă ¹.
2. Your county ISU website (Inspectoratul pentru Situații de Urgență) ².
3. The fiipregatit.ro interactive map: switch on the Adăposturi civile layer ³.

The 2024 crisis guide asks people to note the shelters closest to home and to the places where they spend most of the day ⁴. Write them into your family emergency plan, because the map may be out of reach when the network is down.

Given the condition figures above, check the status of the shelter you note, and note a second one.

What if there is no shelter nearby?

DSU advises listing potential shelters in advance: basements, metro stations, tunnels ⁴⁵. Underground spaces and the middle of brick or concrete buildings protect best ⁴⁵. Vehicles and caravans do not give adequate protection ⁴⁵.

For radiation, the reasons are explained in protection factor and the 7-10 rule on fallout. For when to stay or leave, see shelter or evacuate.

Frequently asked questions

How many shelters are in Romania's official list?

6,118 entries in the IGSU list, situation June 2026 ¹.

Are Romanian shelters in working order?

In our count of the IGSU list, 934 entries are marked functional, 2,881 partly functional and 2,272 not functional ¹. IGSU does not publish these totals itself.

Can a public shelter be used as a storeroom or shop?

Yes in peacetime, except command posts, but it must be cleared within 24 hours in an emergency ².

Is my car a safe shelter?

No. DSU says vehicles and caravans do not give adequate protection ⁴⁵.

Sources

1. Inspectoratul General pentru Situații de Urgență (IGSU) — Situația adăposturilor de protecție civilă iunie 2026 — https://igsu.ro/adaposturi-de-protectie-civila (accessed 2026-10-20)
2. Inspectoratul General pentru Situații de Urgență (IGSU) — ADĂPOSTIREA POPULAȚIEI — https://igsu.ro/protectia-populatiei/adapostirea-populatiei-2487 (accessed 2026-10-20)
3. Departamentul pentru Situații de Urgență (fiipregatit.ro) — Harta punctelor de interes — https://fiipregatit.ro/harta (accessed 2026-10-20)
4. Guvernul României – Centrul Euro-Atlantic pentru Reziliență, DSU, DNSC, MApN — Ghid pentru situații de criză — https://app.dsu.mai.gov.ro/uploads/ghid_pentru_situatii_de_criza_1cf39b7021.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)
5. Departamentul pentru Situații de Urgență (fiipregatit.ro) — Accident Nuclear (ghid) — https://fiipregatit.ro/ghiduri/accident-nuclear-5 (accessed 2026-10-20)