The gendarmerie is subordinated Ministry of Internal Affairs [2] and does not have responsibility for policing the Romanian Armed Forces.

After the Union of Moldavia and Wallachia in 1859 under Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza, the Gendarmerie was subordinated to the Ministry of War as a separate armed force.

[3] The first article of the Ordinance regarding the Implementation of the Rural Gendarmerie Law mentioned that:[3] The organization of the Rural Gendarmerie, as described in the law, makes this institution a military body, subordinated to the Internal Affairs Minister, with the mission to maintain the public order and security.

The Gendarmerie oversaw the demobilization of the Army in July 1918 and the re-mobilization in October 1918 and maintained the public order in the new territories.

- (1) The Romanian Gendarmerie is the specialized institution of the state, with military status, component of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which exercises, under the law, its attributions regarding the defense of public order and peace, of the fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens, public and private property, the prevention and detection of crime and other violations of the laws in force, as well as the protection of fundamental state institutions and the fight against acts of terrorism.

- The Romanian Gendarmerie carries out its activity in the interest of the citizens, of the community and in the support of the state institutions, exclusively on the basis and in the execution of the law.

(2) The Romanian Gendarmerie participates, in accordance with the law, in actions organized within the Association of European and Mediterranean Police and Gendarmerie Forces with Military Status or in those organized by similar bodies of other states and fulfills peacekeeping missions, according to international commitments assumed by Romania.

[8] The first deputy (prim-adjunct) is the chief of the Gendarmerie Staff and heads the Operational Planning and Management, Guard and Institutional Protection and the Public Order and Security Directorates.

[7] The General Inspectorate of the Gendarmerie also acts as an interface of the organization with the other law enforcement agencies and the Internal Affairs Ministry.

The commanders of the Gendarmerie since its establishment in 1893:[14] During the period up to 1915 the Romanian Gendarmerie wore a distinctive dress comprising a shako with white plume, dark blue tunic with red facings, white trefoil epaulettes and aiguillettes plus light blue trousers with red stripes.

Likewise, the Mounted Detachment wears a similar late-nineteenth century style uniform, adding the white plumed pickelhaube.

[20] Beginning with 2008 Romanian Gendarmerie was part of EULEX Mission in Kosovo (Rule of Law) and it participated with a detachment of gendarmes located in Mitrovica.