The oath and the citizenship certificate: when, where and within what deadline

The short answer

Citizenship arises on the date the oath is taken, not on the date of the order. The oath is taken after the order has been received: at the ANC if domicile in Romania was requested, or at the diplomatic mission or consulate of your country of residence if your domicile stays abroad. The citizenship certificate is issued immediately after the ceremony.

An important discrepancy about the deadline

The ANC pages have not been updated since 2020 and the discrepancy has still not been resolved publicly. There is only one practical conclusion: work to six months. Waiting up to a year on the strength of the statutory text is a risk with nothing to justify it: the price of being wrong here is the order ceasing to have effect.

If the deadline genuinely cannot be met (illness, lack of travel documents), an application for an extension is submitted before the deadline expires, with supporting documents. It is approved by the ANC president or the head of the diplomatic mission, depending on where the oath is to be taken.

How the ceremony goes

• A formal session at the ANC — before the Minister of Justice, the ANC president or one of the two vice-presidents authorised for this.
• Abroad — before the head of the diplomatic mission or consulate.
• The text of the oath is short: a promise to be loyal to the Romanian people and state, to defend national rights and interests and to observe the Constitution and laws of Romania. It is spoken in Romanian.
• After the oath the commission issues the citizenship certificate with a photograph and security features, signed by the ANC president. The new version of the law introduces a biometric citizen’s card — payment for it (91.50 lei) is part of the document set already at filing.

Children acquiring citizenship together with their parents do not take the oath — they are entered on the parent’s certificate. If a child comes of age during the review, they take the oath themselves and receive a separate certificate.

Special cases

• Missing the deadline through your own fault — the order ceases to have effect for that person. Everything has to start again.
• Death before the oath — the person is recognised as a citizen from the date of the order, on an application by the lawful heirs filed within one year of the death.
• Inability to take the oath because of permanent disability or chronic illness — citizenship arises from the date of the order, on an application supported by medical documents; the application is filed within one year.

Where people get it wrong

• They think citizenship already exists once the order is issued. Before the oath it does not. No passport will be issued on the order alone.
• They put the trip off “until later”. The deadline runs from the communication of the order, not from when you read it; a registered letter counts as delivered.
• They plan to take the oath in Romania while holding domicile abroad, without agreeing it. That is possible, but it requires the consent of the head of mission.

What we take on

We track the order, book the oath, accompany you at the ceremony and immediately start the next block — transcription of records and documents. The thing not to lose here is the deadline: the order arrives by post, and someone who has gone away for a couple of months is the last to know about it.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a language test at the oath? There is no separate exam. The text of the oath is spoken in Romanian.

Is the passport issued straight away? No. After the oath come the transcription of civil status records and obtaining the CNP, and only then is the passport issued.

Can the oath be taken by power of attorney? No.