Yes, a child can be transferred to another nursery or kindergarten mid-year. Although transfers usually happen during school holidays, the law makes a clear exception for the ante-preschool (nursery) and preschool (kindergarten) levels: a transfer can be made at any time during the school year, within the limit of available places and taking the child’s best interest into account. The key is the receiving unit’s approval.

This guide shows exactly how a transfer works at kindergarten and nursery in Cluj, which documents you need, and where to file the request.

Can a child be transferred mid-year?

The framework regulation for organising schools (ROFUIP, Order ME no. 5726/2024), Art. 144, states:

“Transfers […] are carried out, as a rule, during school holidays. By way of exception, transfers at the ante-preschool and preschool levels may be made at any time during the school year, within the limit of the number of places and taking the child’s best interest into account.”

So moving between units is not locked to a specific date — it depends on free places at the unit you want.

How to transfer to a kindergarten

Transfers between kindergartens are governed by ROFUIP (Order ME no. 5726/2024), Chapter IV “Transfer of primary beneficiaries”:

  • Art. 137: the child has the right to transfer between units, under the conditions of the law, the framework regulation and the internal regulation of the receiving unit.
  • Art. 139: the transfer respects the maximum number of children per group and the enrollment figure approved by the ISJ. In exceptional cases, the ISJ may approve up to 2 children above the group limit.

In practice, the transfer depends on a free place at the kindergarten you want and its approval. The safest step is to contact both kindergartens directly (the current one and the desired one) and file a transfer request. For the criteria that matter when there are more applications than places, see our guide to the tiebreak criteria.

How to transfer to a nursery

For nursery (ante-preschool, ages 0–3), the national rule is in GD 566/2022, Art. 18: the transfer is made at the parents’ request, with the approval of the receiving unit’s board and the advisory opinion of the unit the child leaves, within the limit of approved places.

At state nurseries in Cluj-Napoca (run by the Nursery Budget Administration Centre), the transfer has a clear local procedure — the regulation (HCL no. 678/2018), Art. 26:

“At the request of the parents/legal representatives and within the limit of available places, with the receiving unit’s opinion and the approval of the director of the Nursery Budget Administration Centre, permanent transfers between units may be carried out.”

The transfer request is filed online, at centrulbugetarcrese@primariaclujnapoca.ro, or at the Nursery Budget Administration Centre’s headquarters (Str. Mehedinți no. 15, Cluj-Napoca). Unlike enrollment, a transfer is not limited to a specific period of the year.

Which documents you need and where to file

  • At nursery (Cluj): a transfer request (a template form — Annex 3 to the regulation) with your details, the child’s details, the current nursery, the desired nursery, the requested start date and the reason. File it at centrulbugetarcrese@primariaclujnapoca.ro or at the CBAC headquarters.
  • At kindergarten: a transfer request to the desired kindergarten; each unit confirms the exact documents. Information and contact: Cluj County School Inspectorate (Str. Argeș no. 24, tel. 0264 590 778).

For the base file (documents needed for enrollment/transfer), see our guide to the documents needed for nursery and kindergarten.

How long does the answer to a transfer request take?

Neither ROFUIP, nor GD 566/2022, nor the Cluj nurseries regulation sets a fixed deadline (e.g. “15 days”) within which the unit must reply. The general deadline applicable to any request to a public institution is the one in GD no. 27/2002: up to 30 days, extendable by a maximum of 15 days for complex cases. This is a general response deadline, not a transfer-specific guarantee — so it’s worth asking the unit directly how long it needs.

Frequently asked questions

Can a child be transferred to another kindergarten mid-year? Yes. ROFUIP (Art. 144) allows, by exception, transfers at the ante-preschool and preschool levels at any time during the year, within the limit of available places and in the child’s interest.

Who approves the transfer? The unit you want to move to — at nursery, the board / the CBAC director; at kindergarten, the receiving unit, respecting places and the enrollment figure.

Where do I file the transfer request for a state nursery in Cluj? Online, at centrulbugetarcrese@primariaclujnapoca.ro, or at the Nursery Budget Administration Centre’s headquarters (Str. Mehedinți no. 15).

Is there a legal deadline for a reply? There is no transfer-specific deadline in the methodology. The general public-institution response deadline applies (GD 27/2002): up to 30 days, extendable by 15.

Can I transfer my child if there are no free places? No — the transfer is made “within the limit of available places”. If there are none, you can stay on a list or return when a place frees up.

Sources

  • Order ME no. 5726/2024 — ROFUIP, Chapter IV “Transfer of primary beneficiaries”, Art. 137, 139, 144
  • Government Decision no. 566/2022 — Nursery methodology, Art. 18 (transfer) and Art. 15 (mid-year enrollment)
  • Cluj-Napoca nurseries regulation (HCL no. 678/2018), Art. 26 — transfer; creseclujnapoca.ro
  • GD no. 27/2002 — the general response deadline for public institutions
  • Cluj County School Inspectorate

See all our official sources on the data sources page.

Conclusion

Transferring between nurseries and kindergartens can be done mid-year too — the key is a free place at the unit you want and its approval. At a state nursery in Cluj you file the request with the Nursery Budget Administration Centre; at a kindergarten you contact the unit directly. You’ll find every option in Cluj-Napoca on the interactive piticluj.ro map, filtered by neighborhood.