Guides

We have broken the procedure down step by step — as it works today, not as it was written two years ago. Every guide is checked against the primary source: the law, the website of the authority that issues the document. Each one carries the date it was verified.

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Guides23

Source of factsANC and the law

Verified23 September 2026

Recent changes

The rules keep changing — this is what matters today

What changed From 1 December 2025 the ANC does not accept incomplete files — and does not read papers sent without a request Two ANC announcements from November 2025 change how a case must be prepared: the set has to be complete on the filing date, and additions are accepted only at the commission's request. What changed OUG 16/2026: the B1 certificate may be supplied until 14 March 2027 The government has extended the deadline for supplying the language certificate by another year. The file can be submitted now — with a declaration in place of the certificate.

Do you have a claim

Am I even eligible?

Guide Romanian citizenship by descent in 2026: what changed and how it works now Law 14/2025 and OUG 16/2026: B1 language requirement, a two-year review period, in-person filing with biometrics, complete files only. Based on primary… Checklist Checklist: do you have a claim and what is already ready for the file A printable checklist: verifying the claim under article 11, documents along the chain of descent, validity periods, legalisation and red flags when… Guide Who qualifies for Romanian citizenship by descent: territories, generations, articles 10 and 11 Which territories count as Romanian before 1940, how many generations the right covers, how articles 10 and 11 differ and what counts… Guide What a Romanian citizenship case costs: what the estimate is made of State fees, archives, apostilles, translations, the exam and support: what costs what, what the price depends on and why it cannot be… Guide What a Romanian passport gives you: EU citizens’ rights and what comes with them Living, working and studying in any EU country without permits, visa-free access to around 178 countries, citizenship by birth for your children…

Documents and archives

Where do I find a paper that does not exist?

How-to Apostille, legalisation and multilingual extracts: what a file actually requires For countries party to Vienna Convention no. 16 the original multilingual extract is enough, with no apostille or translation. For the rest… Guide How to search for ancestors’ records in the archives of Moldova, Ukraine and Romania Where the parish registers of the Romanian period are kept, how to order an archival certificate in Moldova online, what to do… Guide Documents for an article 11 file: the full list and the order to collect them What the ANC actually requires under article 11: the application, declarations, cazier judiciar, extracts of records along the whole chain of descent,… How-to The two-year rule: which documents expire and how to plan the collection Record extracts must be issued no earlier than 2 years before filing. What falls under the rule, what does not, and the…

Language and the B1 exam

Do I have to take it, and how?

Guide Romanian citizenship without the language exam: who is exempt and how it is proved Two categories are exempt from proving the language: former citizens and applicants aged 65 and over. Plus the alternative — three years… What changed OUG 16/2026: the B1 certificate may be supplied until 14 March 2027 The government has extended the deadline for supplying the language certificate by another year. The file can be submitted now — with… Guide B1 Romanian language certificate: which documents the ANC accepts and how to obtain them The ANC accepts certificates from four types of issuer only. What qualifies, what does not, what alternatives exist and the deadline for…

Filing the dossier

Where do I go and what happens at the filing?

What changed From 1 December 2025 the ANC does not accept incomplete files — and does not read papers sent without a request Two ANC announcements from November 2025 change how a case must be prepared: the set has to be complete on the filing… How-to Filing at the ANC: online booking, biometrics and what happens at the appointment Filing is in person only, with fingerprints and a photograph. How to book through programarecetatenie.eu, where you can file and why an…

Waiting for the decision

How much longer, and why the silence?

Guide How long a decision on a file really takes: the law’s deadlines and real life The law gives the commission 2 years plus 6 months; the average under article 11 is around three years. What the wait… How-to How to check your file status on the ANC website and what the wordings mean Where to look up stadiu dosar by case number, how to obtain information through a representative and what to do when the… How-to An ANC refusal: how to appeal, when to reapply and how to fix the cause The appeal deadline is 15 days, a new application no earlier than 6 months. The typical grounds for refusal and what to… How-to Your file was submitted before 12 March 2025: which rules apply to it The substantive conditions are those of the old law, with no language requirement. But the procedural changes do apply to older files.…

The oath and your documents

What do I do after the order?

How-to The oath and the citizenship certificate: when, where and within what deadline Citizenship arises on the date of the oath. The deadline is six months per the ANC website and one year per the… Guide What to do after the oath: transcription of records, the CNP, the passport and the buletin A citizenship certificate is not a travel document. The order of steps: transcription of civil status records, the CNP, a CRDS passport,…

Alternatives and related routes

What if Romania is not the route for me?

Guide Moldova or Romania: which route to choose with Bessarabian roots The same ancestry often gives a right to both Romanian and Moldovan citizenship. Comparing timelines, requirements and outcomes — and when both…

Safety and background

How do I avoid getting burned?

Reference Glossary: the authorities, documents and procedures of Romanian citizenship ANC, dosar, extras, apostilă, jurământ, transcriere, CNP, CRDS — what the Romanian terms in the documents and on the ANC website actually… Guide Romanian citizenship: schemes, scams and red flags Fabricated ancestry, forged certificates, a 'guaranteed result' and fake citizenship certificates. What the consequences are and how to vet a provider.

Read it all and still not sure where to start?

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