Romanian citizenship
Romania is an actively developing member state of the European Union, which offers its citizens great prospects. Therefore, many residents of the former CIS countries seek to obtain Romanian citizenship. Especially since the state has a simplified scheme of its registration for some categories of immigrants.
Romanian passport – what it gives and why to apply for it
The Romanian passport provides belonging to the Romanian people, therefore, a person receives the same rights as the indigenous population. But not only. Since 2007, Romania is a member of the European Union and according to the 38th Directive, its citizens have the same rights as the indigenous population of the EU. If you read the forum about Romanian citizenship, people dream of obtaining it for the following reasons:
- Two citizenships. Repatriation to Romania allows you to keep your current passport. Ukrainian, Russian, Belarusian laws also do not prohibit having a second passport.
- Life in Europe. Romanian and EU citizens can choose their country of residence. It is possible to live in France, Germany and any other state in Europe.
- Free traveling. Romanian passport holders do not need visas to cross the borders of more than 170 countries. A passport is enough.
- Prestigious education. Romanian citizens have the opportunity to enter the best European universities for free or with discounts on tuition. University diplomas are valued in any country of the world.
- Official employment. Since 2014, Romanian passport holders can legally work in any EU country without restrictions.
- Quality medical care. You can get medical insurance up to 6000 euros and be treated in any hospital within the EU.
- Free banking services. With a Romanian passport, opening an account is available in any European bank, and loans are issued at favorable interest rates.
In addition, according to reviews, the Romanian passport provides social payments, which are enough for basic needs, and profitable entrepreneurial activity in Europe without having to pay taxes twice.
Romanian citizenship: the main ways of obtaining it
How to get a Romanian passport? To become an official resident of the republic, you need good reasons:
- Birthright. Children of one or two Romanian citizens are entitled to citizenship. It is also assigned to adopted children.
- Repatriation. This term refers to the process of regaining citizenship. Anyone who has once lost Romanian citizenship can regain it. The repatriation process is available to descendants of former citizens of the Republic.
- Naturalization. If an immigrant lives and works in Romania for at least eight years, he can apply for a Romanian passport.
- Creating a family with a citizen of the republic. Subject to five years of official marriage.
Are there ways to shorten the waiting period for citizenship when creating a family and naturalization? Yes, it is possible if:
- you have citizenship of another EU country;
- you have a refugee status;
- investments in the state economy in the amount of at least 1 million euros have been made.
Important: in order to obtain citizenship, one must have A1 level of Romanian. In order to take the oath, it is necessary to understand the constitution. And to facilitate integration into society – familiarization with the culture of the country.
Repatriation: a real option to obtain Romanian citizenship for Russians, Belarusians, Ukrainians and Kazakhstanis
According to the provisions of the Constitution, Romania provides a facilitated process of obtaining citizenship on the basis of ethnicity or nationality. What does this mean? Between 1918 and 1940, Romania’s possessions included Bessarabia and Bukovina. During wartime, these lands were lost and Romanian citizens were dispersed throughout the former Soviet Union. Thus, many current residents of post-Soviet countries may have Romanian roots. If one can prove kinship, one can apply for renewed citizenship and an EU passport. Repatriates are subject to the following requirements:
- being of legal age;
- proof of relatives living in Romania before 1940;
- absence of legal problems.
Citizenship is also granted to children of repatriates. At the same time, minors do not need to attend the presentation of the certificate and take the oath. The procedure of repatriation is the most preferable for registration of citizenship of Romania, as it does not force to give up the passport of another state. At the same time, a new citizen of the republic is not obliged to reside on its territory.
Options for obtaining Romanian citizenship in the absence of ethnicity
If the presence of Romanian relatives is not established, you can go to work in Romania. The law states that after eight years of permanent residence and work on the territory of the republic, you can try to obtain citizenship. It is worth considering that you will have to stay in the country for at least 6 months a year, otherwise the year is not counted in the length of service. Those who married or married a Romanian/Romanian woman will have to wait three years less. In this case, citizenship is granted after five years of marriage. All those who have created a family with natives of the republic are granted a 3-year residence permit. It is possible to try to submit documents for citizenship after the end of it. There is a nuance: when trying to obtain citizenship by the above methods, you will have to give up your past passport and prepare to move to Romania forever. Another possibility of obtaining Romanian citizenship is to invest a million or more euros in real estate or securities. The method is available to those who have this amount of money. If not, you can donate and 500 thousand. However, in this case, you can claim the coveted document only after 2.5 years. Rarer cases – granting citizenship for certain services to the country or for humanitarian reasons. The last option is to open a business with a capital of 100 thousand euros and after five years go to get a Romanian passport. However, it is not easy to do it. You will have to thoroughly prepare a project, prove the availability of funds, and take care of at least 15 jobs. But if all goes well, the entrepreneur receives first a residence permit, and then – a permanent residence permit.
Repatriation to Romania: how the procedure is carried out
On the official website of Romanian citizenship, the procedure for obtaining an EU passport is described as follows:
- The person wishing to become a citizen of Romania collects a package of documents, necessarily translates them into Romanian, and notarizes them. The package also includes the facts of having Romanian relatives. On average, the paper procedures take about a month.
- Transmits all the papers (officially certified) to the Romanian Ministry of Justice. After receiving the documents, the applicant is given a slip with a stamp, personal data and the date of submission. It is not necessary to visit Romania to submit the documents – you can do it in the consulate of your country. But then the process of consideration of the case will be delayed for at least six months.
- Then you have to wait for an order to appear on the website of the Autoritatea Nationala de Cetatenie that the review of the case has started. The waiting process is quite long and can take up to a year and a half. It is better not to waste this time and to study the Romanian language.
- If the decision is positive, the applicant receives an official letter inviting him/her to the swearing-in process. At the oath the new citizen swears allegiance to the Republic and becomes the owner of a civil certificate.
- A few bureaucratic issues remain to be resolved. In particular, to obtain a birth certificate corresponding to the Romanian sample, and after that to issue an EU passport. The first will take about one and a half months, the second – up to two weeks.
Romanian passport: what documents to prepare
To become a Romanian citizen, you need the following documents:
- A copy of the civil and international passport.
- Documents proving the existence of Romanian relatives: archival extracts, civil registry certificates and other papers (all of them must be translated into Romanian).
- Birth certificates of the parents (copies are possible), as well as proof that they were officially married (if divorced, a divorce certificate must be attached).
- Documentary proof of absence of legal problems. It should be obtained both in the territory of the native country and in Romania.
- A notarized application form filled out by the applicant with a request for citizenship.
- Documentary proof of the absence of intentions to commit illegal acts that threaten the national security of Romania.
If there are minor children, the applicant also submits their birth certificates, the parents’ consent to the granting of Romanian citizenship and the consent of the children themselves, provided that they are already 14 years old. If citizenship is obtained through marriage or permanent employment in Romania, a health insurance policy, proof of home ownership or rental agreement, income certificate are also required. If the authorities have doubts about the reality of the marriage, they may require proof.
Whether Romanian citizenship can be denied
When applying for citizenship by repatriation to Romania, a refusal is possible if there is no substantiated evidence of Romanian ancestors (relatives up to the third generation). In other cases the refusal happens
caustic, but possible if:
- when submitting documents, the applicant behaves strangely, rudely, restless, inadequate;
- it is discovered that the person has been deported from any EU country before (e.g. due to debts and fines, violation of the law or migration regime);
- the applicant has provided an incomplete set of documents or forged proof of parentage.
Romanian passports with Prestige Model Agency
The laws allow residents of the former CIS to obtain Romanian citizenship quickly and easily. Dozens, hundreds of people annually take an oath and receive the coveted document of citizenship, after which they get a comfortable job in Europe. The procedure itself is not difficult, but you will have to spend time to thoroughly study the legislation and the subtleties of the citizenship process. You will also need patience, as it takes about 1.5 years to obtain a civil certificate and an EU passport. And this is only in the case of repatriation. Other options require even more time. What is the catch of obtaining Romanian citizenship independently? Due to the demand for repatriation services, there are many companies that promise instant citizenship. Therefore, before cooperating with a company that offers to buy an EU passport, you should check its reputation and familiarize yourself with the documents that allow you to carry out this kind of activity. All papers that are given for signature should be read carefully and copies should be requested. Do you want to know what to prepare for, how to draw up documents correctly to avoid rejection and fraud? Appealing to the professionals of Prestige Agency company gives a guarantee of fast and competent preparation of documentation even if some certificates of kinship have been lost. The service to buy a Romanian passport is complex and includes:
- assessment of the likelihood of repatriation to Romania;
- detailed advice on how to obtain an EU passport on a case-by-case basis;
- assistance in the preparation of evidence, including the search for missing documents confirming ethnicity strictly in accordance with the norms of the law;
- dossier preparation, translation of certificates and testimonies, notarization.
The cost of Romanian citizenship is calculated individually and depends on the initial set of documents and the method of procedure.