B1 Romanian language certificate: which documents the ANC accepts and how to obtain them

The short answer

Language knowledge is proved by one of two documents: a language competence certificate at level B1 or above (CEFR) from an accredited issuer, or a certified copy of the academic transcript (foaie matricolă) from a school or university confirming at least three years of study in Romanian. The certificate may be supplied up to

14 March 2027.

Who may issue the certificate

The ANC has listed the issuers expressly, and the list is closed:

1. Romanian higher education institutions accredited for the “An pregătitor de limba română” programme (the preparatory year of Romanian);
2. Institutul Limbii Române (ILR) — the Romanian Language Institute;
3. Institutul Cultural Român (ICR);
4. Romanian cultural institutes abroad.

Everything else — language schools, online platforms, private “accredited” centres, certificates from other countries — is not accepted in a file, however convincing the paper looks. The ANC stresses separately that it does not regulate this area: questions of exam methodology and organisation go to the Ministry of Education, the ILR and the ICR.

How it works in practice

• The exam is taken in Romania — at universities and at the ILR — or abroad at Romanian cultural institutes and their accredited partners; the ILR also offers an online format.
• Each centre sets its own price; the ILR online exam costs around 250 lei.
• You register through the centre’s website: you choose a date and place, and need a passport or ID card at registration.
• The certificate is issued on paper and does not expire — it can be used at any time.
• Level B1 on the CEFR scale means everyday communication: understanding speech on familiar topics, reading and writing a simple text, coping in typical situations. For a Slavic speaker starting from zero this takes roughly 6–12 months of regular study.

The alternative to the exam

If you or your children studied in Romanian for at least three years at school or university — in your country of citizenship or residence — a certified copy of the academic transcript is submitted instead of the exam. For people from Moldova this is often the fastest route: the study record already exists and only needs to be properly formalised.

What to do if you do not have the certificate yet

File the case attaching a declaration on personal responsibility on the ANC form (the “Declarație certificat lingvistic” template in the section for your article), and obtain the certificate by 14 March 2027. If the certificate does not arrive in time, the application is rejected as unsupported — by order of the ANC president on the commission’s proposal.

The certificate is one of the few documents that may be sent in on your own initiative even under the general ban on sending papers later.

Where people get it wrong

• They buy a “B1 certificate” from a language school. At best the money is wasted; at worst it raises suspicion of forgery and triggers an authenticity check across the whole case.
• They assume B1 is checked at an interview. It is the other way round: the language used to be assessed orally, now a document is required. But the commission may still call you in and conduct the interview in Romanian, at the level you claim.
• They start learning the language after collecting the documents. These run in parallel; otherwise six months to a year is lost.
• They think being 65 exempts them from everything. The exemption concerns the language only.

What we take on

Choosing the format that fits your level and deadlines, a course with a partner school, help booking the exam with an issuer the ANC actually accepts, and — most importantly — collecting the documents in parallel, so that the language and the file advance together rather than one after the other. If your situation qualifies for an exemption or a school transcript instead of the exam, we will see it during the case review and save you a year.

Frequently asked questions

Is a certificate obtained several years ago still valid? Yes, if it was issued by one of the listed issuers: it has no expiry date.

Do children in the application need the language? The requirement is addressed to the applicant. Minors included in a parent’s application do not submit a certificate of their own.

Can the exam be taken online? The ILR runs an online exam. The conditions and availability of the format change — check the institute’s website before paying.

What if I fail the first time? A resit is possible; plan it with time to spare before 14.03.2027.