How long is the ATR valid? Expiry, extension and what to do next

You waited for the operator’s analysis, the approval finally arrived — and now a new question appears: how long is the Technical Connection Approval (ATR) actually valid? It is a fair question, because the ATR is not a document you can keep in a drawer indefinitely. It has a clearly stated validity period, and missing it usually means restarting the whole grid connection (racordare) process with Retele Electrice Romania S.A. (formerly E-Distributie / Enel).

In this guide we explain, in practical terms, how ATR validity works in 2026, when an approval expires or needs to be updated, and what you can do to avoid losing it.

How ATR validity works

The ATR is the document through which the distribution operator establishes the technical solution and the connection tariff for your electrical connection (bransament). If you are not yet familiar with what it contains and how it is obtained, start with our Technical Connection Approval (ATR) service page — this article assumes you already have one in hand.

Every ATR includes a validity field: a deadline by which you must sign the grid connection contract with the operator. The length of this period is established according to the ANRE regulations in force, and the exact date is printed on your document. We deliberately do not quote a fixed number of months here, because the regulatory framework can change — the date on your own ATR is the only one that matters.

The single most important rule is this:

The ATR remains valid for the entire duration of the grid connection (racordare) contract, provided you sign that contract within the ATR’s validity window.

In other words, there are two phases with very different levels of risk.

Phase 1: between receiving the ATR and signing the contract

This is where the clock is genuinely against you. From the moment the ATR is issued, you have a limited period to review the technical solution, accept the connection tariff and sign the contract. If the deadline passes and no contract is signed, the approval lapses.

Phase 2: after the contract is signed

Once the grid connection contract is in force, the ATR stays valid for as long as the contract runs. The pressure moves from “do not lose the approval” to “complete the works on the agreed timeline” — design, execution, the utilisation installation dossier and energisation (punere sub tensiune).

So when clients ask us “is my ATR about to expire?”, the first thing we check is whether the connection contract has been signed. If it has, the situation is almost always recoverable. If it has not, every week counts.

When an ATR expires or must be updated

There are three typical scenarios in which an ATR stops covering your situation.

1. You missed the contract signing deadline

This is the classic case. People receive the ATR, get distracted by the construction site, the mortgage or simply life, and the validity period quietly runs out. An expired ATR cannot simply be revived: as a rule, you must submit a new connection request, wait for a new analysis and receive a new approval. There is no guarantee that the new technical solution or the new connection tariff will match the old one — network conditions and tariffs evolve, and rarely in the customer’s favour.

2. The technical solution changes

The ATR is issued for a specific technical solution: a connection point, a route, a type of connection (overhead or underground). If something material changes — the position of the building on the plot, the location of the metering cabinet, a switch from overhead to underground — the approval no longer reflects reality. In these cases the documentation must be updated with the operator before execution, otherwise you risk works that cannot be received and energised.

3. The requested power changes

The approval covers a specific approved power. If your plans grow — a heat pump, an electric vehicle charger, a pool, a workshop — the existing ATR does not stretch to match. You will need a power increase (spor de putere) procedure, which results in an updated approval for the new power level. This is also why it pays to think ahead before the first request: our guide on what power you actually need helps you size the request correctly from the start, instead of paying twice for paperwork.

A note on honesty: whether an existing ATR can be updated or must be reissued from scratch depends on the specifics of your case and on the ANRE regulations in force. Anyone who promises you a guaranteed “extension” without looking at your documents is guessing. The operator decides; what we can do is prepare the file so the answer comes quickly and correctly.

What to do if your ATR has already expired

First, do not panic — and do not start the works anyway. Executing a connection based on an expired approval is the most expensive mistake you can make in this process, because the operator will not receive or energise it.

The realistic path looks like this:

1. Confirm the status. Check the validity date on the ATR and whether a connection contract was ever signed. Sometimes clients believe the ATR expired when in fact the signed contract keeps it alive.
2. Contact the operator (or let us do it). Retele Electrice Romania S.A. will confirm whether anything from the old file can be reused.
3. Resubmit the connection request. In most expiry cases, a new request with updated documents is needed. The good news: if nothing changed on site, the new analysis is usually straightforward.
4. Sign the new contract immediately. Do not repeat the mistake that caused the expiry.

We handle this exact situation regularly as part of our grid connection service: preparing the new dossier, submitting it, tracking the response and getting you to a signed contract before any deadline becomes a problem. Assistance with the ATR procedure starts from 350 lei, and a complete connection dossier with design starts from 900 lei. The operator’s connection tariff itself is set only through the ATR — no honest company can quote it in advance.

How to avoid losing your ATR: practical rules

• Read the validity field the day the ATR arrives. Put the deadline in your calendar with a reminder two weeks earlier.
• Sign the connection contract as early as possible. There is no prize for waiting, and signing is what locks in the ATR for the duration of the contract.
• Do not postpone because of the tariff. If the connection tariff seems high, clarify it immediately — letting the ATR expire does not make the price go down.
• Decide the power before applying, not after. Changing the requested power mid-process means updated paperwork and lost weeks.
• Tell the operator about any site changes early. A repositioned cabinet is a small update before execution and a big problem after.
• Work with one company end to end. When the same team prepares the request, tracks the ATR, signs off the execution and files the DIU (the utilisation installation dossier), deadlines do not fall through the cracks. That is exactly how we work at SUN WATT SRL — for every client file, ATR and contract deadlines are tracked by us, not by the client’s memory.

ATR about to expire? Call us today

If your ATR is approaching its deadline, has already expired, or no longer matches your project, the worst move is to wait. SUN WATT SRL (ANRE certificate no. 19761) handles connection files in Bucharest, Ilfov and Giurgiu daily and works with Retele Electrice Romania S.A. on exactly these situations.

Call 0733 097 440 or contact us — we will check your ATR status for free and tell you honestly whether it can be saved, updated or needs to be reissued.