Documents for an article 11 file: the full list and the order to collect them

The short answer

An article 11 file consists of four groups of papers: the application with its declarations, the applicant’s personal documents, a criminal record certificate and — the bulkiest part — civil status records along the entire chain of descent, from you back to the former Romanian citizen. Plus proof of payment for the citizenship card (91.50 lei) and either a language certificate or a declaration that it will follow.

1. The application and declarations

• Cerere tip — the standard application for Romanian citizenship, filled in by hand (olograf). It includes three mandatory declarations: on keeping your domicile abroad or establishing it in Romania; on whether you have applied before; and that you have not committed and do not support acts against public order and national security.
• Declarație de consimțământ — consent to the processing of personal data.
• Opis — the inventory of documents attached to the application.
• Declarație certificat lingvistic — if the B1 certificate is to follow later (permitted until 14.03.2027).

All the forms are on the ANC website under “Categorii de cereri → Articolul 11”.

2. The applicant’s personal documents

There is a detail about the criminal record certificate that is often missed: it is needed

from every country of citizenship, and if you legally reside in a third country, from your country of residence as well.

3. Civil status records — the main part

This is where most do-it-yourself attempts fall apart. The rule is simple: for every event in the chain of descent you need two documents — the certificate (certificat) and the extract from the register entry (extras / adeverință), and the extract must have been issued no earlier than 2 years before the application is filed.

Which events have to be covered:

• the applicant — birth, marriage, divorce (for every marriage, if there were several);
• the parents — birth, marriage, divorce, death;
• the grandparents on the relevant line — birth, marriage, divorce, death;
• the great-grandparents — if the basis comes from them;
• minor children included in the application — birth certificates;
• a change of name or surname anywhere in the chain — the document confirming it;
• changes in national onomastics (where the spelling of names or the name of a settlement changed) — a certificate from the competent authority of the country of origin.

The depth depends on the degree: if you are being restored to citizenship as a former citizen, no ancestor documents are needed at all; as a first-degree descendant you do not need documents on grandparents and great-grandparents.

4. Legalisation and translations

This is where hundreds of euros can be saved. Romania is party to Vienna Convention no. 16 on multilingual extracts. If the document was issued by a member state — and Moldova is one — the original multilingual extract issued within the last 2 years is enough: neither an apostille nor a translation is required.

For countries outside the convention (Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan and others) you need the certificate and the extract with an apostille or consular legalisation and a certified translation into Romanian. The details are in the separate guide on apostilles.

5. Payment

The citizenship card (card de cetățenie) costs 91.50 lei including VAT, separately for the applicant and for each child included in the application. Payment is made in cash at CEC Bank branches or by bank transfer to the IBAN given on the ANC website. The receipt is attached to the file.

The order of collection that saves time

1. First — searching for and restoring old records (archives take months).
2. Then fresh extracts for recent events: they are valid for two years, so there is no point taking them first.
3. Next — the criminal record certificate: it has a short validity, so it is taken closer to filing.
4. In parallel with everything — the language.
5. Right at the end — translations, apostilles and booking the filing appointment.

Where people get it wrong

• They bring only the certificates. Since November 2025 the ANC expressly requires both the certificate and the extract from the register entry. A file without extracts is incomplete.
• They obtain documents “in advance, just to have them”. An extract older than two years on the filing date is no good — money and time wasted.
• They apostille Moldovan multilingual extracts. No need: that is a pointless expense.
• They fill in the application on a computer. It must be handwritten.
• They count on sending missing papers later. Since 1 December 2025 an incomplete file is not registered, and papers sent without a request from the commission never reach the case.

What we take on

The list looks frightening exactly once — until it is broken down into steps. In practice the client hands over whatever is at home and then steps back: requests to archives and registry offices, the correspondence with them, obtaining extracts in the correct form, apostilles, sworn translations, assembly and the final check of the set against the inventory — that is our work. You travel once: to the filing, where biometrics are taken.

The easiest place to start is the free checklist: tick off what you already have — the rest is your scope of work.

Frequently asked questions

How many documents does it come to in total? With the basis coming from a grandparent — usually 20–30 items including copies and translations. From a great-grandparent — more.

Are photographs needed? Separate photos are not required: your facial image is captured at filing together with your fingerprints.

What if the record of the ancestor has not survived? Then indirect evidence and archival certificates from a thematic search come into play. That is separate work, and nobody can guarantee its outcome in advance.

Can I submit copies and keep the originals? No. A number of documents are surrendered as originals — above all the record extracts and the criminal record certificate.