How to Get Romanian Citizenship

How to get Romanian citizenship in 2026: it can be acquired in the following ways: birth, adoption, or upon request. All citizenship by naturalization applications are conditioned by the mandatory requirement to have lived in the country lawfully, with a residence permit for Romania. The applicant will also need to renew his or her residence permit accordingly (once a year or further apart, as per the type of permit). Our team can give you more information about this condition and the other applicable ones.

QUESTION: MY PARENTS ARE FROM IRAQ AND I WANT TO OBTAIN ROMANIAN CITIZENSHIP. I NEED A LAWYER TO HELP ME IN THIS PROCESS. COULD YOU PLEASE TELL ME WHAT IS THE LEGAL PROCEDURE?

Answer: Our law firm provides juridical assistance and representation regarding for obtaining or reacquiring Romanian citizenship. Moreover, our lawyers will also deal with obtaining civil status documents, or any other documents, throughout the Romanian territory, for completing the necessary file. We ensure representation when filling, submitting and collecting the file.

We will give you some examples in order for you to understand how to acquire Romanian citizenship on request or if you reacquire it if you lost it before December 1989.

Quick facts
How to obtain Romanian citizenship	– by birth, – by adoption, – upon request, – by repatriation
Citizenship upon request	Hold a long-term residence right and lawfully reside in Romania for at least 8 years; Demonstrate good behavior; Have sufficient financial means; Have knowledge of Romanian language & culture.
Citizenship for married foreigners	Must have resided in Romania and been married to a Romanian citizen for at least five years.
Conditions for reducing residency periods	Reduction of the 8-year term by up to 3 years, only for EU/EEA or Swiss citizens or for persons born in Romania to a parent legally living here; The applicant must also prove integration (economic activity, education, or a special contribution in culture, human rights, social engagement or volunteering); Similar reduction for refugees who made serious integration efforts; No reduction for investments.
Reacquiring Romanian citizenship	For former Romanian citizens who lost citizenship for reasons beyond their control, and their descendants up to the third degree (knowledge of Romanian at level B1 is required, with exemptions).
General required documents	– notarized passport copy, – copy of permanent residence permit, – proof of residence, – birth certificate, – marriage certificate (if applicable), – criminal record certificate, – proof of dwelling & financial means, – application form, etc.
Citizenship by investment	No. There is no citizenship-by-investment route; however, an investment of at least 1,000,000 euros or the creation of more than 100 full-time jobs can grant long-term residency in Romania without the usual 5-year stay condition.
Citizenship by real estate investments (YES/NO)	NO
Honorary citizenship	Granted only for individuals with exceptional contributions to the country and its people.
Citizenship by birth	For children born in Romania or abroad with at least one Romanian citizen parent.
Citizenship by adoption	Depends on the age of the child and the citizenship of the adoptive parent.
Loss of citizenship	– withdrawal by authorities, – voluntary renunciation, – other law-specific cases
Dual citizenship allowed (YES/NO)	YES
Benefits of acquiring Romanian citizenship	– EU citizenship, – right to vote, – visa-free travel, – social benefits, – employment opportunities, – access to public education, etc.
Assistance	We help interested individuals immigrate to Romania and assist in preparing and submitting all required documents.

Our team is able to assist foreign nationals who wish to immigrate to Romania, irrespective of their country of origin.

Romanian nationality is granted upon request to a stateless person or to a foreign citizen, if he meets the following criteria:

• at the time of the application, the individual is living in Romania, despite the fact that this is not his/her country of origin;
• he holds a long-term residence permit (long-term stay right or permanent residence right) in Romania and has been lawfully living in the country for at least 8 years;
• is married to and had been living with a Romanian citizen, for at least 5 years from the marriage date;
• shows proof of good behavior, actions and attitude, he/she is loyal to the Romanian state, does not develop or support illegal actions or those considered a threat to national security; can declare that he has not been involved in such actions in the past;
• is at least 18 years of age (had turned 18 years old at the time of the application);
• has legal financial means to ensure a decent existence;
• is known to have a good behavior and has not been convicted in Romania or abroad for a felony that makes him unworthy of Romanian citizenship;
• has sufficient Romanian language skills and possesses elementary knowledge about the Romanian culture and civilization, adequate for social integration;
• knows the regulations stipulated in the Romanian Constitution and knows the national anthem.

The 8-year period can be reduced by up to 3 years, provided the applicant proves active participation in Romania’s economic life, relevant educational achievements, or a special contribution in culture, human rights, social engagement or volunteering, and is in one of the following situations:

• the applicant is a citizen of a member state of the European Union, of the European Economic Area or of Switzerland;
• the applicant was born in Romania to a parent who was legally living in Romania at the time of birth;
• a similar reduction applies to refugees who have made serious integration efforts;
• there is no longer any reduction for investments made in Romania.

The application is submitted in person at the National Authority for Citizenship (or, for former citizens and their descendants, at a Romanian diplomatic mission); filing through a proxy is no longer possible, and biometric data are taken at filing.

Our Romanian immigration lawyer can prepare the file and assist those who apply to obtain citizenship in Romania in 2026; the application itself must be filed by the applicant in person, as the law no longer allows filing through a power of attorney.

The infographic below offers some details about the process:

QUESTION: I HAVE LEFT THE COUNTRY BEFORE ’89 AND LOST MY ROMANIAN CITIZENSHIP. HOW CAN I REACQUIRE IT, IS IT COMPLICATED? I AM PLANNING ON RETURNING TO ROMANIA.

Answer: Reacquiring Romanian citizenship is possible for former Romanian citizens who have lost this status for reasons that were beyond their control or who have had it revoked without their consent.

The procedure is also in place for their descendants up to the third degree, who must prove knowledge of Romanian at least at level B1 (former citizens and applicants aged 65 or over are exempt).

Former citizens who wish to obtain citizenship in Romania by request can also retain their foreign nationality.

Essentially, for the purpose of regaining Romanian citizenship, the applicant will need to comply with most of the conditions for naturalization referring to good behavior, lack of convictions, having sufficient financial means for a decent life, have knowledge of the Romanian language and sufficient knowledge about the Romanian culture and civilization that will allow him or her to integrate in the society.

The applicant will also need to know the provisions of the Romanian constitution and the national anthem.

Our team can give you more details about the applicable conditions if you want to move to Romania.

If you are in need of other legal solutions, have questions about business or commercial legal matters, or are interested in other topics, our lawyers in Romania provide several other services.

You can also watch a short video on this topic:

THE CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION PROCESS

The application for Romanian citizenship is addressed to the Citizenship Commission within the National Authority for Citizenship (ANC), which operates under the Ministry of Justice.

The application is registered with the technical secretariat of the Commission; if documents are missing, the Commission asks for them and the applicant must provide them within 6 months (4 months for reacquisition applications of former citizens and their descendants), otherwise the application is rejected as unsupported.

The applicant is summoned to the Commission’s hearing at least 90 days before the date set for it; in practice the whole procedure takes over a year.

In order to process the application, the commission may:

• ask the petitioner to fill in documents, explanations and give an interview; a year in which the applicant was outside Romania for more than 6 months is not counted towards the 8-year residence period;
• ask for additional information about the applicant from any authority;
• call and quote any person who can provide useful information.

The person who is receives Romanian citizenship, with the condition to establish his in the country, shall take the oath of allegiance within one year from the communication of the order, in front of the Minister of Justice or the President of the National Authority for Citizenship (or one of its vice-presidents).

ACQUIRING CITIZENSHIP BY MEANS OTHER THAN THE REQUEST PROCEDURE

Foreign nationals can acquire Romanian citizenship upon request (or naturalization, as a result of a minimum time spent in the country), as well as through other means.

Our team lists below three other cases in which a foreign national can become a Romanian citizen.

Citizenship by birth

Children born on the territory of Romania, to parents who are Romanian citizens, are Romanian citizens.

The same applies in case of children who:

a)       were born on the territory of the Romanian state, even if only one of the parents is a Romanian citizen;

b)      were born abroad and both parents and only one of them has Romanian citizenship.

A child found on the territory of the Romanian state is considered a Romanian citizen, until proven otherwise, if neither of the parents is known.

Citizenship by adoption

A foreign national can become a Romanian citizen by adoption if the adopters are Romanian citizens.

If the adopted person is not a minor (over 18 years of age), his or her consent is required.

If only one of the adopting parents  is a Romanian citizen, the nationality of the adopted minor will be decided, by mutual agreement, by the adopters. If the adopters do not agree, minor’s citizenship will be decided via court proceedings, by taking into account the minor’s interests. The consent of the child is required if he or she has reached the age of 14.

If the adoption application is submitted by a single person, and this person is a Romanian citizen, the minor acquires the nationality of the adopter.

Loss of citizenship can occur in the following cases:

• withdrawal of citizenship by the authorities;
• the approval of a citizenship renunciation application;
• in other cases, as stipulated by law.

THE OATH OF ALLEGIANCE REQUIRED IN ORDER TO OBTAIN ROMANIAN CITIZENSHIP

Romanian citizenship is granted or reacquired on the date the individual takes the oath of allegiance.

The persons who have been granted or have reacquired Romanian citizenship shall take the oath of allegiance to Romania within one year from the date of communication of the order of the President of the National Citizenship Authority. Former citizens and their descendants who reacquire it while keeping their domicile abroad take the oath before the head of the Romanian diplomatic mission or consular office of the country where they live.

The oath of allegiance is taken in a solemn meeting before the minister of justice or the president of the National Authority for Citizenship or one of the 2 vice-presidents of the authority delegated in this regard and has the following content: I swear to be devoted to the country and the Romanian people, to defend national rights and interests, to respect the Constitution and laws of Romania.”

After taking the oath, the National Authority for Citizenship issues a provisional certificate of Romanian citizenship, valid for 60 days, and the Romanian citizenship card is issued within 60 days from the oath. The certificate contains security features and has the photo of the holder attached.

In the event that minor children acquire Romanian citizenship in 2026 together with their parents or with one of them, they will receive their own citizenship card and do not take the oath.

Our law firm has extensive experience with the process of acquiring and reacquiring Romanian citizenship. If you are ready to apply for this status (that is, you meet the minimum number of years of lawful residence in 2026 and can file the application), you can start the process with the help of our team.

Our immigration lawyer in Romania will provide you with the necessary assistance during this process and can also assist applicants who wish to obtain a Romanian passport.

Contact our Romanian immigration lawyer for judicial assistance.