Romanian citizenship can be acquired in several ways, both by children and adults who have another nationality or are stateless and wish to become Romanian citizens.
Romanian citizenship can also be regained by former Romanian citizens who have lost it, as well as by their descendants up to the second degree inclusive, if they fulfill certain conditions.
The ways of acquiring Romanian citizenship are: by birth, by adoption and on application.
1. By birth
Children are Romanian citizens by birth:
- born on Romanian territory of Romanian citizen parents;
- born on the territory of Romania, even if only one of the parents is a Romanian citizen;
- born abroad if both parents or only one of them has Romanian citizenship.
If a child is found on Romanian territory, it is considered to be a Romanian citizen if neither parent is known, until proven otherwise.
2. By adoption
- Adoption by two Romanian citizens - the child automatically acquires Romanian nationality, regardless of whether the child had another nationality or was stateless (without nationality).
- Adoption by two parents of which only one is a Romanian citizen - the child's nationality will be decided by mutual agreement between the adoptive parents, and if there is no agreement, it will be decided by the court according to the best interests of the child. Children over the age of 14 must give their consent.
- Adoption by a single person - if the adopter is a Romanian citizen, the child automatically acquires Romanian citizenship.
3. On application (naturalization)
To be granted citizenship by naturalization, the applicant must meet certain conditions, namely:
- Have a right of long-term or permanent residence and have been living in Romania for at least 8 years or 5 years if married to a Romanian citizen;
- Be of good moral character and have no criminal convictions;
- Be at least 18 years of age;
- Proof of means of subsistence in Romania;
- To know the Romanian language, notions of Romanian culture and civilization, the Romanian Constitution and the national anthem.
Procedural steps:
- Submitting the application to the National Authority for Citizenship;
- Settlement of the application by the Citizenship Commission;
- Interview to verify knowledge of Romanian language, Romanian culture and civilization, Romanian Constitution and national anthem;
- Commission Report;
- Issuing the order of the President of the National Authority for Citizenship;
- Taking the oath - within 1 year from the communication of the order. Citizenship is acquired from the date of taking the oath.
Our team offers you the necessary legal support to obtain Romanian citizenship throughout the entire procedure. We also represent our clients in front of the courts of law in order to request the resolution of the citizenship file when it is not resolved by the National Authority for Citizenship within the deadline.