The process for aquiring Romanian citizenship is very complex and time consuming.
We want to provide you a guideline that will make it a little easier.
Please see below our remarks to the frequently asked questions. For a comprehensive legal opinion regarding your case or your inquiries, we kindly advice you to contact National Authority for Romanian Citizenship or the nearest Romanian Consulate…
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Please be advised that we are independent Romanian legal experts and we are not connected to any Romanian public institution, Romanian Consulate or Romanian Embassy. Romanian authorities will keep the legal right to request you any additional data or documents towards your Romanian dual citizenship application. We cannot control their requirements, nor the way in which Romanian citizenship law can be changed.
Will my application for gaining Romanian citizenship affects my current citizenship ?
In the United States and the United Kingdom, Brazil, Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, being recognized as an Romanian citizen by Ancestry (jure sanguinis) will not affect your current citizenship. If you are a citizen of any other country, you should check your status with the nearest Romanian Consulate.
How manny generations can I go back to qualify?
Romanian citizenship restoration process is addressed to the people who lost their Romanian citizenship or to their descendants up to grade II (children, grandchildren). For people from Romanian old territory (Basarabia, Northern Bucovina), their descendants can go back three generations. Anyway, if you are the third or the forth generation, in the moment when your first or second ascendant will gain Romanian citizenship by Ancestry, you will become also eligible.
I was adopted from Romania and I lost Romanian Citizenship. Can I regain it ?
Yes, you are eligible for Romanian restoration process.
What is the procedure suitable for my children in order to gain Romanian citizenship?
If they have less than 18 years old, than they can apply with you. If they are 18 years or older and qualify, they will need to apply separately.
My Romanian ancestor changed his name listed in the Romanian birth records. It can be an issue ?
The Romanian authorities shall request the foreign document attesting the name changes in order to prove the identity of your ancestor.
Is there a way to speed up the application process?
Unfortunatelly, not. National Authority for Romanian Citizenship has the same procedure for all the files concerning Romanian citizenship by ancestry.
How long does the process take to gain Romanian citizenship by descent?
If your file is not requesting additional data or documents, the timeline is between 18-22 Months.
How do I know which documents must bear an Apostille?
ALL the foreign documents (including affidavits, birth, marriage, divorce and death records for all relatives in a direct line between you and your Romanian ancestor) must have Apostilles or legalizations.
Is there a residency requirement to become a Romanian citizen?
No, not if you apply abroad in your country of residence. If you are looking to apply in Romania, you will need to prove your Romanian address.
My country is not a member of the Hague Convention.
Than you must bear your foreign documents with additional legalizations.
If I will gain Romanian citizenship, can I live and work in other European country ?
Yes. Under the terms of Article 17 of the Treaty on European Union, “any person holding the nationality of a member state is a citizen of the Union.” “EU citizenship, which supplements national citizenship without replacing it, grants citizens the right to move freely and to reside on the territory of the member states” (Article 18).
What documents is mandatory to sworn translate into Romanian language ?
As a general requirement, all the foreign documents (birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, affidavits) shall have Hague Apostille and shall be sworn translated into Romanian language .
I am the third generation of a Romanian ancestor. My maternal great grandmother was Romanian. She passed away. Her daughter, is still alive but very old. However, my mother died in 1991. What happens if she starts and dies in the middle? Do I lose the right to apply for citizenship myself?
In this case, your grandmother should apply for Romanian citizenship before dying. If the applicant is not alive when Romanian authorities finish the procedure and declare him/her Romanian citizen, they will issue a citizenship certificate at the request to his/her descendant, without the obligation to take the oath. Based on this citizenship certificate you will have the right to submit the application even that you are the third generation.