Romanian citizenship for Russians: is it possible to obtain in 2026

Which Russians can claim Romanian citizenship

The citizenship restoration program applies to descendants of people who were Romanian citizens before June 28, 1940. This was the day the USSR annexed part of Romanian territory. For Russians, this is realistic if the family has roots in three regions: **Bukovina** - today this is the Chernivtsi region of Ukraine. Before 1940 - part of Romania. Many families from Chernivtsi, Storozhynets, Vyzhnytsia have Romanian citizenship in their genealogy. **Bessarabia** - today this is Moldova and part of the Odesa region of Ukraine. Before 1940 - part of Romania. The majority of Moldova's citizens have obtained a Romanian passport through this route. **Northern Transylvania** - part of modern Romania, which from 1940 to 1944 was under Hungarian administration. The logic here is slightly different, but the basis is the same. If your grandfather or great-grandmother was born in one of these regions before 1940 and had Romanian citizenship - you can apply. There is no legal limit on the depth of kinship: great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren also have the right.

Citizenship restoration program conditions

Requirements are established in the Romanian Citizenship Law (Legea nr. 21/1991). Key conditions: **1. Ancestor was a Romanian citizen** before losing citizenship as a result of political changes (1940, 1947, or 1952 depending on the specific situation). **2. Continuous chain of documents** from you to this ancestor. Each document - birth certificate, marriage certificate - must confirm the generational link. **3. Apostilles and translations** of all foreign documents. Ukrainian and Moldovan archive certificates must be apostilled and translated into Romanian. **4. No criminal record.** A certificate of no criminal record from the country of residence will be required. **5. Renouncing Russian citizenship is not required.** Romania recognizes dual citizenship. The Russian side formally does not recognize it - but de facto most clients retain both passports without consequences. No need to reside in Romania to obtain citizenship on this basis. Taking a language examination is not required either, although basic language knowledge is welcomed during interviews at ANC (National Citizenship Authority).

Where to find documents: archives for Bukovinians and Bessarabians

This is the most labor-intensive part. Most applications fail here - not because of lack of ancestry, but because documents are collected incorrectly. **For Bukovinians (Chernivtsi region of Ukraine)** The main archive is TsIAHK Ukraine (Central State Historical Archive in Kyiv). Metric books of Orthodox, Catholic, and Greek Catholic parishes of Bukovina are stored here. The State Archive of Chernivtsi region also operates - for Soviet-era documents and part of pre-Soviet records. Requests can be sent by mail or through authorized representatives. Execution time - from 1 to 6 months. **For Bessarabians (Moldova)** The National Archives of the Republic of Moldova (ANRM) in Chișinău. Metric books of Bessarabian parishes and documents from the Romanian period of 1918–1940 are concentrated here. When documents are lost at one generation level, indirect evidence sometimes helps: census records, lists of voters from the Romanian period, property documents. **What to do if documents are lost** Wars, Soviet re-registrations, archive fires - documents may be missing. In this case, two paths are possible: recovery through court decision (fact determination) or search for parallel sources - church books, notarial registers, land ownership documents.

Application procedure through ANC: step by step

ANC - Autoritatea Națională pentru Cetățenie - is the only body that accepts applications for citizenship restoration. **Step 1. Document collection** Birth records of the entire chain from you to the ancestor-Romanian citizen. Marriage certificates where surname changed. An archive certificate confirming the ancestor's Romanian citizenship. **Step 2. Apostille and translation** All foreign documents (Ukrainian, Moldovan, Russian) are apostilled in the country of issue. Then translated into Romanian by a translator accredited in Romania. **Step 3. Submit application** Personally at the ANC office in Bucharest. Or through the Romanian consulate - this takes longer but allows you to avoid traveling to Romania at this stage. **Step 4. Review** Legal deadline - 6 months, actual - 12–24 months. ANC checks documents and requests additional materials if necessary. **Step 5. Oath and passport receipt** After approval, you must personally appear in Romania and take an oath. This is mandatory. After the oath - issuance of citizenship certificate, then passport and identity document.

Cost: how much does Romanian citizenship through ancestry cost

There are no official investment thresholds - this is not an investment program. But expenses are still significant. **Archive requests:** $200–800 per archive depending on search scope and urgency. With a deep chain (3–4 generations) - $1,500–3,000 for archives alone. **Document apostille:** $30–80 per document. For 10–15 documents - $300–1,200. **Translations to Romanian:** $40–100 per document. Complex Soviet documents with non-standard formulations - more expensive. **ANC state fee:** approximately 70 EUR for application review. **Legal support:** $3,000–8,000 depending on case complexity, firm, and scope of archival work. **Trip to Romania for oath:** flight + hotel + 1–2 days. Budget $400–800. **Total independently:** from $2,000 with ideal documents. **Total with full support:** $6,000–15,000. There is an important nuance: with an incomplete document set, ANC may refuse. Resubmission - another fee and another wait. Saving on lawyers often results in loss of time and money.

Real timelines: why 2 years is the norm

The law says "6 months." Reality is different. ANC is systematically overloaded. Tens of thousands of applications arrive annually - mainly from Moldova, Ukraine, Russia. The review queue has extended. In my practice, the average time from submission to approval is currently 18–24 months. Cases with incomplete documents or requests for additional materials - up to 36 months. What affects speed: - Completeness of documents at first submission - key factor - Submission through Bucharest is faster than through consulate - Complexity of archival chain: 2 generations easier than 4 - Region of ancestor: Bessarabian cases historically reviewed slightly faster Application is submitted once. There are no official "accelerations." This must be taken into account when planning.

Naturalization: path for those without Romanian roots

If proving Romanian descent is impossible, the standard path remains - naturalization. **Requirements:** - 5 years of legal continuous residence in Romania (residence permit) - Knowledge of Romanian language - A2/B1 examination - Basic knowledge of the Constitution and country's culture - Proof of housing and means of subsistence - No criminal record - Renouncing current citizenship is not formally required, but Romania notifies - the dual citizenship issue is decided at the country-specific level **For Russians in 2026** the main challenge is obtaining initial residence permit. After February 2022, Romania, as an EU member, is under general pressure regarding visa and residence permit issuance to Russian citizens. Work permits, student visas, family reunification - are granted but checked more thoroughly. This path takes 6–7 years from relocation to passport. For most clients who have even the slightest possibility of proving ancestry, the path through redobândirea is more rational.

How to check if you have Romanian roots

First step - interview elderly relatives. Often it turns out that grandmother or great-grandmother is "from somewhere near Chernivtsi" or "from Moldova before the war." **Signs to pay attention to:** - Names with characteristic Romanian endings: -eanu, -escu, -yanu, -ul - Mentions of Chernivtsi, Khotyn, Soroca, Beltsy, Izmail as birthplace of elder relatives - Orthodox or Greek Catholic faith in the family from these regions - Documents in two languages - Russian and Romanian **What to do next:** Request an archive certificate from TsIAHK (Ukraine) or ANRM (Moldova) with the ancestor's name and approximate birth date. The archive will check for existence of metric records. If the request confirms existence of records - further work with documents. If not - check parallel sources: church books, the Romanian Academy, which has digitized some documents. I regularly see clients decline to check, deciding in advance that "there are no roots." But 2–3 hours of archival search reveals documents that completely change the picture.

Romanian passport: what it gives in 2026

Romania is an EU member since 2007. The passport grants EU citizenship with all the accompanying rights. **Visa-free entry:** Schengen zone, United Kingdom, United States (via ESTA), Canada, Japan, UAE - total 170+ countries. **Right to live and work in any EU country** without permits and restrictions. Germany, France, Netherlands - on a Romanian passport. **Opening accounts in European banks** without additional checks as for third-country citizens. **Business in the EU:** company registration in any EU country with full resident rights. **Important:** Romania is not yet part of the Schengen zone as regards land borders - only air and maritime. This restriction is being gradually lifted, and by 2026 significant portions of Schengen rules already apply. The passport is valid for 10 years (for adults). For children under 14 - 5 years.

Typical mistakes that lead to refusal

Over the years of practice, I have witnessed several recurring scenarios. **Error 1: Incomplete document chain.** Documents are provided from you back to your grandfather, but without a vital record linking your grandfather to his father—a Romanian citizen. ANC will reject the application even if everything else is impeccable. **Error 2: Improperly apostilled documents.** The apostille must be issued in the country that issued the document. A Russian birth certificate requires apostille in Russia. A Ukrainian vital record requires apostille in Ukraine. Attempts to circumvent this procedure result in rejection. **Error 3: Translations from non-accredited translators.** ANC maintains a list of accredited translators. A translation from any other specialist will not be accepted. **Error 4: Documents that do not cover the required period.** You must prove your ancestor's citizenship prior to the date of loss—1940 or 1947. Post-war documents from the Soviet period without pre-Soviet documents do not provide sufficient grounds. **Error 5: Attempting to submit independently without archival verification.** Applicants spend money on apostilles and translations without first confirming that the necessary archival records have been preserved.

Two paths: through ancestry or through residence—which to choose

Short answer: if there is even the slightest possibility of proving ancestry, pursue redobândirea. | Criterion | Citizenship Restoration via Ancestry | Naturalization | |---|---|---| | Residence in Romania | Not required | 5 years mandatory | | Language | Not required | A2/B1 exam | | Timeline | 12–24 months | 6–7 years | | Cost | $6,000–15,000 | Relocation + living expenses | | Complexity | Archival research | Residence permit bureaucracy | Naturalization is justified in two cases: when an individual wishes to relocate to Romania for other reasons, or when archival document searches have reached a genuine impasse.

Russian citizens with Moldovan ancestry: the dual pathway

A special case—Russians with roots in Moldova. Here, two parallel options open up: Romanian citizenship (through Bucharest) and Moldovan citizenship by descent. Moldova itself is not an EU member state—its passport does not provide work rights within the EU. However, a Moldovan passport allows visa-free entry into Romania and other EU countries (short-term). For most clients with Bessarabian ancestry, the target passport remains Romanian. Moldovan citizenship as an interim step is rarely used. Important note: the Romanian program does not require the applicant to first obtain Moldovan citizenship. You may apply directly to ANC with documents from Moldovan archives.

Tax implications: what you need to know before obtaining a passport

As a tax consultant, I will add an important section—one that is often overlooked before obtaining a passport and later regretted. **Tax residency and citizenship are different things.** Obtaining a Romanian passport does not in itself make you a tax resident of Romania. Tax residency is determined by place of residence, center of vital interests, and number of days spent in the country. **Romania is not a tax haven.** The standard income tax rate is 10%, VAT is 19%. For those relocating to Romania, this is quite competitive by EU standards. **Dual citizenship Russia–Romania.** Russia does not officially recognize dual citizenship, and under Russian law you are obligated to notify the FMS of obtaining a second passport. This is an administrative procedure, not a prohibition. Tax obligations to Russia remain as long as you are a tax resident of the Russian Federation. **Exiting Russian tax residency** requires separate planning—183 days outside Russia per calendar year with documentary proof of new residency. I recommend addressing the tax question in parallel with the citizenship matter, not after.

How to begin: practical algorithm for Russians

**Step 1.** Interview relatives. Record: full names of ancestors, approximate birth years, names of settlements. **Step 2.** Determine the ancestor's region: Chernivtsi Oblast → Central State Historical Archive of Ukraine and State Archive of Chernivtsi Oblast; Moldova → National Archives of Moldova, Chişinău. **Step 3.** Send a preliminary inquiry to the archive. This can be done independently or through an intermediary. The goal is to confirm that documents have been preserved. **Step 4.** Create a document map. Which documents exist, which are missing, where to obtain them. **Step 5.** Prepare a complete package with apostilles and translations. Only after this—submit to ANC. **Step 6.** Register the submission, receive a reference number, and wait. **Step 7.** Upon approval—travel to Romania for the oath ceremony. After the oath—complete citizenship documentation. The entire process is manageable. The key is not to skip the archival stage and not to submit an incomplete set of documents.