Citizenship of Bulgaria or Romania: what to choose for an EU passport

Briefly about the main thing: how they are similar and how they differ

Let's start with the general. Both Bulgarian and Romanian citizenship by origin lead to the same result - an EU citizen passport. With such a passport, all 27 EU countries are open: you can live in Germany, work in the Netherlands, study in Spain as a local, without visas or permits. Since 2025, both Bulgaria and Romania are full members of Schengen, controls at land borders have been removed, so the difference in entry between them has practically disappeared.

And now about the differences that really affect the choice. The first is language. Bulgaria by roots does not require a language exam at all. Romania requires basic knowledge of Romanian (approximately level B1, everyday communication and interview). Secondly, the timing: in both countries the process is slow, but it is structured differently. Third - and this is decisive - along what line your roots are. Bulgarian ancestors lead to Bulgaria, Romanian (including Bessarabian) - to Romania. Sometimes one family has both lines, and then the choice is yours.

Important fair disclaimer: Bulgarian golden passports canceled back in 2022. You cannot buy Bulgarian citizenship through investment. The real ways are roots or long-term naturalization through residence permit and permanent residence.

Big table: Bulgaria vs Romania by roots

Let's summarize the key parameters in one table so that the whole picture can be seen. The figures for the time frame are realistic, without underestimation: in both Bulgaria and Romania, queues and final government procedures stretch out the process.

The table shows the main fork in the road: Bulgaria has a simpler language (it simply doesn’t exist), but the final deadlines are comparable. Romania is broader in terms of the geography of ancestors - Bessarabian families whose ancestors lived in territories that were once part of Romania also fall there.

Bulgarian citizenship by roots: how it works

The Bulgarian Path of Origin is for people of Bulgarian origin. This means that among your ancestors there were Bulgarians: father or mother, grandfather or grandmother, great-grandfather or great-grandmother on father’s or mother’s side. The closer the relationship, the easier it is to prove; the further you go, the more archival work there is.

In recent years, the procedure has been simplified: proof of origin is now submitted directly to the Ministry of Justice of Bulgaria, and a separate mandatory certificate from the State Agency of Bulgarians Abroad is no longer needed as before. An applicant by descent is exempt from residence qualifications, a language exam and the requirement to renounce previous citizenship. These are serious concessions - especially the lack of language.

But there is a side to timing. By law, the review process takes about 12 months. In practice, due to queues at the Citizenship Council under the Ministry of Justice and the final decree of the President, by which citizenship is granted, obtaining citizenship is extended to 24-36 months. Writing about 9 months would be dishonest. The whole path is discussed in detail in our material about Bulgarian citizenship by descent.

Romanian citizenship by origin: how it works

The Romanian path is broader in geography. Anyone whose ancestors were citizens of Romania or lived in territories that were part of Romania during certain historical periods can apply - this is modern Moldova (Bessarabia), part of Ukraine (Northern Bukovina, Southern Bessarabia), border areas. Therefore, the Romanian line often comes up among Bessarabian families who had no idea about such roots.

Depth - approximately up to the third generation: children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of a former citizen. There is no need to give up your previous passport; Romania allows dual citizenship.

The main difference from Bulgaria is the language. Romania requires basic knowledge of Romanian: you will have to prepare for the interview, understand and speak at an everyday level. For many this is not a blocker, but it is time and effort. The period of origin is approximately 2-4 years: submission, verification of archives and documents, oath. In 2026, the authorities announce a more thorough check of archival certificates, certificates and apostilles - that is, the documents must be in order.

Timing: why both countries are not a couple of months

The most common disappointment is the expectation that an EU passport based on roots will be given in six months. This is not the case either in Bulgaria or in Romania, and a editor is obliged to say this.

In Bulgaria, the law allows about 12 months for consideration. But the real road is longer: after a positive decision, the case goes to the Citizenship Council, and citizenship is finally granted by presidential decree. These stages form the queue. The result is 24-36 months from submission to passport in hand, and this is a normal, expected period, and not a failure.

In Romania, the guideline is 2-4 years. This includes the collection and legalization of documents, language training, review by the National Office of Citizenship, and the oath. If the ancestors are from Bessarabia and the documents are scattered across Moldavian and Ukrainian archives, closer to the upper border.

The conclusion regarding the timing is simple: in both cases, budget for years, not months. But the result is a permanent EU passport inherited by children. Those who are in a hurry are usually explained: there is no quick legal way to buy such citizenship - Bulgarian golden passports are closed.

If there seem to be no roots or documents are lost

This is perhaps the most important section - at the direct request of our clients. Very often a person is sure that he has no roots. But in reality they exist, the family just doesn’t remember them. A classic example is the Bessarabian Bulgarians: in 1812-1846, Bulgarians and Gagauzes moved across the Danube to southern Bessarabia, and according to the mid-19th century census, Bulgarians made up a significant proportion of the region's population. Generations later, the descendants of these families live in Moldova, Ukraine, Russia - and do not know that they have a Bulgarian or Romanian line.

The same is true on the Romanian side: ancestors from Bessarabia, Bukovina, and Moldovan border villages could have been citizens of Romania in the interwar period. The family often did not talk about this at all.

The roots in such cases are not invented - they are find. Through state and church archives, parish and church registers, censuses, military and parish records, the real line of kinship is restored: who is whose father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, where and when he was born, what his origin was. We showed in detail how exactly this is done on Bulgarian material in the article about searching for Bulgarian roots through archives.

Prove origin through court: legal in both countries

It happens that there are documents, but they argue with each other: in one paper the surname is written with one letter, in another - with another; the date of birth of the grandfather in the metric and in the later document does not match; Some of the records were burned or lost in wars and moves. Then the relationship cannot be closed with an ordinary certificate - and here the court comes to the rescue.

In both Bulgaria and Romania this is a legal, working mechanism. The court is considering the case of establishing a fact of legal significance - the fact of kinship or origin. It is important to understand: the court does not draw roots. He examines real evidence - archival extracts, church books, witness statements, examination of documents - and officially establishes what was already true, it was simply poorly documented. After a court decision, this established fact becomes a full-fledged basis for an application for citizenship.

In Romania, for Bessarabian and Moldovan cases, missing records are restored through archives, through civil registries, and through judicial procedures - the legislation directly provides for this. In Bulgaria, if the records are burned out or divergent, the court to establish the fact of kinship is also an understandable and applicable way. So the phrase about lost documents is not the end of the story, but the beginning of the work.

Language: the main practical difference

If you put the family history aside and compare the two procedures technically, the most noticeable difference is the language. Bulgaria by origin does not require a language exam at all. You may not know a word of Bulgarian and still get a passport based on your roots - this is a huge convenience, especially for busy people and for the older generation.

Romania requires basic Romanian. This is not the level of a translator, but you will have to prepare for the interview: understand questions, answer everyday topics, read simple text. The benchmark is something close to level B1. For some, Romanian, which is close to Italian and Spanish, comes easy; for some it means additional months of preparation.

Therefore, if the choice between countries is really open for you (there are both options), but you don’t want to learn the language, the scales tip towards Bulgaria. If the Romanian line is stronger and more documented, the language is a solvable task, and it should not outweigh the presence of good roots in Romania.

Family: who can you take with you?

Citizenship by roots is always a story about a family, not about one person. In both Bulgaria and Romania, a passport obtained by descent is inherited by children: your minor children, as a rule, receive citizenship after their parent, and future children are already born EU citizens. This is the main value - you open Europe not only to yourself, but also to your descendants.

Spouses do not receive citizenship directly from your line of descent - everyone has their own bloodline. But the spouse usually has a separate path: naturalization by marriage after cohabitation and permanent residence. This takes longer and follows its own order, so families often act this way: first, one spouse receives a passport based on his roots, and then brings the second one through marriage.

In living terms of kinship, this sounds simple: you prove that your grandfather was a Bulgarian (or your great-grandfather was a Romanian citizen), receive a passport, and your children enter the EU legal framework with you. The line from father or mother does not matter, both are equal.

Taxes and life: what is important to understand in advance

A common misconception is that a new passport in itself makes you a taxpayer of that country. This is wrong. Citizenship and tax residency are two different things. You pay taxes where you actually live (usually the guideline is more than 183 days a year) and where your center of vital interests is. It is possible to have a Bulgarian passport and not be a tax resident of Bulgaria.

Moreover, both countries are tax attractive. Bulgaria is one of the lowest tax countries in the EU: a flat income tax rate of 10% and corporate tax of 10%. From 2026, payments will switch to the euro, which simplifies life for those who work with European counterparties. Romania also has a relatively low base rate of around 10%, but the system is closer to progressive across the income range.

For Russians and citizens of the CIS, another fair framework is important: everything is strictly within the EU legal framework, with enhanced compliance and verification of the source of funds, without circumventing sanctions. If you are a Russian citizen, a second citizenship is allowed: you only need to notify the Ministry of Internal Affairs (within about 60 days). To compare the Bulgarian route with another popular one, take a look at our material Bulgaria or Hungary.

Who is closer to Bulgaria, and who is closer to Romania?

Without ratings and without a verdict that one country is better. Just practical guidelines by which people are usually defined.

Bulgaria is closer if: you have Bulgarian roots (Bulgarian ancestors on your father’s or mother’s side); you don't want to learn the language - there is no exam; A low flat tax rate and the transition to the euro are important to you; you are considering life or real estate on the Black Sea. The Bulgarian route is technically simpler precisely because of the lack of language.

Romania is closer if: your ancestors are from Bessarabia, Bukovina, Moldavian or border Ukrainian villages and were connected with Romania; Are you ready to master basic Romanian? What is important to you is a broader interpretation of territorial origin, which includes more families.

A special case is Bessarabian families. They often have both lines at once: Bulgarian and Romanian. Then the choice comes down to which documents are better preserved and which line is the fastest to collect the evidence base. Sometimes it makes more sense to go where the archives are more complete, and not where it sounds better.

Common mistakes when choosing between countries

Several typical mistakes that are costly in time.

Chasing speed and believing in six months. Neither Bulgaria nor Romania are rooted in a couple of months. Anyone who promises a quick passport for money is misleading: Bulgaria’s golden passports are closed, and citizenship cannot be legally purchased.

Choose a country by liking, not by roots. A passport is given for real origin. If you have Bulgarian roots, the Romanian path simply will not open to you, and vice versa. First, figure out whose line you have.

Giving up because of lost documents. This is the most annoying mistake. The loss or discrepancy of metrics is not a death sentence: roots are found through archives, and the fact of relationship is established through court. This is legal in both Bulgaria and Romania.

Confuse citizenship and taxes. The passport does not oblige you to pay taxes in the country if you do not live there. This removes many unfounded fears.

How to move forward: your options

To put it all together briefly: both Bulgaria and Romania lead to the same thing - an EU passport by roots. Bulgaria has a simpler language (there is none) and is attractive with taxes and the transition to the euro; actual period is 24-36 months. Romania has a wider ancestral geography and suits Bessarabian families, but requires basic Romanian; guideline 2-4 years. The right choice is not what is better in general, but what you have real roots and documents for.

A smart first step is not to apply blindly, but to first understand which line and which country you even have a basis in. This is an audit of the roots: analyzing family history, checking which archives to bring up, and assessing where the documents will be collected faster and cleaner. Sometimes it turns out that both lines are available, and then we choose the one with the shorter route.

We solve precisely the issue of obtaining EU citizenship and an EU passport - we find roots, look up archives, if necessary, establish the fact of kinship through the court and accompany you to the passport. And where to live and in which country to build a life - you decide for yourself. It's worth starting with the program page Bulgarian citizenship and a short conversation about your family history.

Leave a request for an analysis of your situation - we’ll tell you which line is stronger and where to start.

An expert's view: how decisions are actually made

In practice, clients rarely choose between Bulgaria and Romania in the abstract. The decision is almost always dictated by family history: those with a Bulgarian grandfather go to Bulgaria, those with Bessarabian roots and Romanian lineage go to Romania. Our job is not to persuade you to a beautiful country, but to show where you have a provable basis and where the archives will be collected faster.

The most common surprise is that there are roots at all. A person comes simply to find out, and a Bulgarian great-grandfather or a record of the Romanian citizenship of an ancestor from Bessarabia appears in the archives. And the second important point: lost or disputed documents are a solvable story. Establishing the fact of kinship through the court is legal in both Bulgaria and Romania, and the court establishes real facts, not fictitious ones. Therefore, I always advise not to abandon the idea in advance, but to first conduct an audit of the roots - very often the EU passport turns out to be closer than a person thought.