Documents for Romanian citizenship: complete list 2026

Who has the right and why this matters before document collection

Before assembling the package, you need to understand the legal basis for your application. Article 11 of the law applies to descendants of Romanian citizens who lost citizenship involuntarily: as a result of deportations, Soviet annexation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina (1940), forced change of citizenship. This directly affects which documents are needed. If your ancestor was a Romanian citizen before 1940 from Moldova or Chernivtsi region, the logic is one thing. If it concerns a Romanian citizen who emigrated in the 1930s—another. The volume and composition of the package depend on the length of the kinship chain and which archives hold the necessary documents.

Chain principle: from ancestor to you

The main rule that many overlook: each link in kinship must be documentally confirmed. You cannot simply show a great-grandmother's birth certificate and your birth certificate—all intermediate documents are needed. Example of a three-generation chain: - Birth certificate of great-grandmother (Romanian citizen, born in Bessarabia) - Birth certificate of grandmother (daughter of great-grandmother) - Marriage certificate of grandmother (if surname changed) - Birth certificate of applicant's mother/father - Marriage certificate of parents (if applicable) - Birth certificate of applicant If someone in the chain died—a death certificate is required. If divorced—a divorce certificate. There should be no gaps.

Documents of Romanian ancestor-citizen

This is the foundation of the entire case. You must prove that a specific person was indeed a Romanian citizen and lost citizenship involuntarily. What to request: - Birth certificate (vital record) from Romanian or Moldovan archive - Marriage certificate (if applicable and surname changed) - Documents confirming the fact of residence in Romanian territory or loss of citizenship Where to look: National Archives of Romania, State Archives of the Republic of Moldova, Chernivtsi Regional Archives (Ukraine), State Archival Service of Ukraine. Requests can be submitted directly or through intermediaries with agreements with archives. Format: original or certified archival copy. Mandatory: apostille (if document from Ukraine or Moldova) and notarized translation into Romanian.

Birth certificates of entire chain up to applicant

Each document of an intermediate link is a birth certificate, marriage certificate, death certificate, or divorce certificate. The logic is simple: no document—no proof of kinship. Practical points: - Soviet birth certificates in Russian must be translated into Romanian with notarized certification - If Soviet vital record was reissued (duplicate certificate, form No. 2)—the current version with archival notation is required - Documents from Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus—apostille + translation - Documents from Moldova—apostille (Moldova in Hague Convention since 2007) - Ukraine—apostille Special case: if someone in the chain changed their name or surname (not just through marriage, but by personal statement in USSR)—a document on name change is needed.

Applicant's documents

Two documents are required here:

Internal passport (for Russian citizens—RF passport, for Kazakhstan—identity card, etc.)

International passport Both are needed: internal confirms identity in country of residence, international—for registration of Romanian passport after obtaining citizenship. Format: notarized copies with translation into Romanian. Originals are presented upon personal appearance. Important: international passport validity period. If it expires in the next 12–18 months—it is better to replace it before submission or have a new one by procedure completion.

Criminal record certificate

Required from each country where applicant lived for the last 5 years. If lived in Russia entire time—one certificate from Russian Interior Ministry. If lived in Russia and Kazakhstan in recent years—from both countries. For Russian citizens: certificate issued through Interior Ministry (information center of regional police) or MFC. Term—up to 30 days. Certificate requires apostille and notarized translation. Important nuance: certificate has limited validity period for foreign proceedings purposes. Romanian side accepts certificates not older than 6 months as of submission date. Schedule document collection so the certificate does not expire while preparing other documents.

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State fee and payment receipt

State fee amount—approximately 200 Romanian lei (about 40 €). Payment made: - At ANR (National Citizenship Agency) cashier in Bucharest when submitting in person - By bank transfer to ANR account when submitting through consulate Payment receipt is attached to document package. Without it, application is not accepted for review. Note: if submitting through Romanian consulate abroad, clarify current payment procedure—it may differ from direct submission in Bucharest.

"I have worked with Romanian citizenship by descent long enough to know: most refusals and case returns are not a problem of grounds. Grounds exist for almost everyone who contacts us. The problem is documents. The most common story: person spent six months independently collecting, confident everything is complete, comes to pre-submission consultation—and we discover three or four critical gaps. Translator without accreditation. Apostille on copy, not original. No grandmother's divorce certificate—meaning break in chain. Criminal record certificate already expired by the time other documents were ready. It is important to understand ANR's logic: they do not help fix packages. They either accept it or return it with formal indication of deficiencies. Sometimes the indication is so general that it is unclear what is wrong. And the case goes through another round. Another point rarely considered at document collection stage: tax planning. Romanian passport is a tool. Many use it for relocating within EU or opening business in Europe. But if you simultaneously maintain assets or a business at home - in Russia, Kazakhstan or any other country - you need to understand in advance how your tax status will change and what obligations arise. Sometimes it is better to restructure assets first, then change residency. This is not a citizenship question, but planning—however, it must be done in parallel, not after."

Translation into Romanian must be performed by a certified translator and notarized. Here are two options: (1) The translation is completed in the country of origin by a certified translator, after which an apostille is affixed to the translation; (2) The translation is completed in Romania or at the Romanian consulate by an accredited translator. Option 2 is often simpler and more reliable: Romanian translators are familiar with ANR requirements and format documents correctly. Lists of accredited translators are published by the Romanian Ministry of Justice. Not accepted: translations from standard translation agencies without accreditation, translations without notarization, machine translations with any certification.

Where to submit: ANR or consulate

There are two submission routes: (1) Directly to ANR (Agenția Națională pentru Cetățenie) in Bucharest—in person or through an authorized representative with a notarized power of attorney; (2) Through the Romanian consulate in the country of residence. Submission through the consulate is more convenient geographically, but often slower: the consulate forwards documents to ANR, adding an extra step. Personal appearance in Bucharest allows you to immediately receive confirmation of case acceptance and remedy any remarks on site. After obtaining citizenship—oath ceremony and receipt of citizenship certificate. With it, you can then apply for a Romanian passport and ID card.

Document package verification before submission: what to check

Before sending documents, be sure to verify: (1) Matching names and dates throughout the entire chain. Soviet documents often contain discrepancies: "Mariya" and "Mariya," "1936" and "1937." Each discrepancy must be explained or eliminated through an archival certificate; (2) Currency of criminal record clearance certificate (not older than 6 months); (3) Apostille is affixed to the correct document, not to its copy without notarization; (4) Translation covers the entire text of the document including the apostille; (5) All application forms are completed in Romanian without hand corrections; (6) Receipt of state fee payment is attached. Any of these oversights is grounds for return of the case without substantive consideration. The timeline is lost in this case.

Typical mistakes I see in practice

Frankly, most cases that come to us after independent attempts contain the same problems. Mistake 1: Incomplete chain. A person brought their great-grandmother's birth certificate and their own birth certificate—and thinks that is sufficient. It is not. Mistake 2: Apostille is outdated. An apostille has no expiration date in itself, but some countries issue documents with an expiration date notation—you need to check. Mistake 3: Translator is not accredited. Translation was done at a standard bureau, there is a nice seal, but the translator has no accreditation—ANR will not accept this. Mistake 4: Name changes are not taken into account. Grandmother was married twice—both marriage certificates and divorce certificate (or death certificate of the first husband) are needed. Mistake 5: Documents from different periods. Soviet birth certificates were sometimes re-registered in the 1990s—you need exactly the version that matches archival data.

Tax aspect: what changes after obtaining Romanian citizenship

This is a topic rarely discussed when collecting documents—and for good reason. Romanian citizenship itself does not make you a tax resident of Romania. Tax residency is determined by other criteria: place of residence, center of vital interests, length of stay (183 days). However, if you plan to relocate to Romania or use a Romanian passport to obtain residence permit in another EU country—you need to plan the tax implications in advance. Romania has double taxation avoidance agreements with most CIS countries, but the tax credit mechanism works differently depending on income structure. If you have a business, real estate, or investments in your current country of residence—do not postpone tax planning until "after obtaining a passport." By that point, some windows may have closed.

Realistic timelines: from document collection to passport

The official ANR consideration period is up to 12 months. In practice in 2024–2026, the actual timeline is 18–24 months due to high agency workload. Approximate timeline: (1) Document collection and preparation: 3–6 months (depends on chain complexity and archive availability); (2) ANR consideration: 18–24 months; (3) Oath ceremony and citizenship certificate receipt: 1–2 months after decision; (4) Romanian passport and ID card issuance: 1–3 months. Total from beginning of document collection to Romanian passport in hand: realistically 2.5–3 years. This must be taken into account when planning relocation, business launch, or obtaining residence permit in another EU country.

When to seek professional help

People with a short and simple chain handle it independently: one ancestor, well-preserved documents, no name changes or discrepancies. You should consult a specialist if: (1) Chain spans three or more generations; (2) Documents from multiple countries and archives; (3) There are discrepancies in names, dates, surnames; (4) Some documents are lost and recovery is needed through court or archival requests; (5) Ancestor lived in territory that changed state affiliation (Bessarabia, Bukovina, Transylvania); (6) There is no confidence in the legal clarity of the kinship chain. An error in submission means loss of time and repeated document expenses. Professional package verification before submission costs less than redoing everything a year later.