Filing at the ANC: online booking, biometrics and what happens at the appointment

The short answer

The application is filed in person only: a facial image and prints of two fingers are taken at filing. You have to book in advance through the programarecetatenie.eu application. You can file at the ANC’s central office in Bucharest, at the regional offices in Iași, Galați and Suceava, or at a Romanian diplomatic mission or consulate in your country of residence. Since 1 December 2025 an incomplete file is not registered.

Where to file

ANC opening hours for receiving and registering files: Monday to Thursday, 08:30–12:00 and 12:30–16:00.

How the online booking works

1. Register as a user at programarecetatenie.eu — every field of the form has to be filled.
2. A key for two-factor authentication arrives by email; you install an authenticator app and scan the QR code.
3. You choose the type of application (the article of the law) and the place of filing — the locations available depend on the type.
4. A session in the application is limited to 30 minutes, after which you are logged out automatically.
5. Once confirmed, the system generates proof of booking with the date, time and address. Save it and print it.

Forms cannot be selected in bulk, and a booking can no longer be cancelled less than 72 hours before the date.

What happens at the appointment

• Only applicants are admitted to the reception area. Companions do not go in.
• A lawyer may accompany you and be present at the filing, on a lawyer’s warrant.
• Biometrics are taken: a facial image and prints of two fingers — from the applicant and from children over 14 included in the application. For children under 14, only a facial image.
• The officer checks completeness against the inventory. If anything is missing, the file is not registered.
• The case receives a number of the form 12345/RD/2026. That number is the only way to track it afterwards.

What cannot be done

Filing by power of attorney. The law provides no exceptions to the rule on taking biometrics. The only exception is applications on behalf of people under guardianship or judicial protection, filed by their legal representatives with supporting documents.

Sending in something you forgot. For files submitted from 1 December 2025, additional documents are accepted only at the commission’s request. Anything sent on your own initiative does not reach the case and stays in the ANC archive. The exceptions: notifications of a change of name, civil status or domicile, of representation by a lawyer, of a child born after filing, and the submission of the language certificate.

Where people get it wrong

• They buy tickets before booking. Slots appear irregularly; book first, travel after.
• They turn up with an incomplete set “just in case”. Since December 2025 that means a guaranteed refusal to register and a wasted trip.
• They count on a relative filing for them. Biometrics are taken in person.
• They lose the proof of booking. Without it you will not be let in to file.

What we take on

The final check of the set against the inventory before you buy tickets, the booking, the preparation of the application and declarations, an explanation of exactly what happens at the appointment, and the presence of our partner on the ground. Your job is to turn up; everything else is ready by then.

Frequently asked questions

Can I file at a consulate and take the oath in Romania? Yes — if you keep your domicile abroad the oath is taken at the diplomatic mission, but with the head of mission’s agreement it can also be taken at a ceremony in Romania.

How long is the wait for a slot? It depends on the location and the season: from a few weeks to a few months. Plan the booking before the two-year validity of your extracts runs out.

Do I need to speak Romanian at the filing? There is no oral exam at filing, but the commission may invite you to an interview and conduct it in Romanian — at the level your certificate attests.