Romania is a bustling country that is centrally located in Europe. The current population is 19 million, making it the 12th largest European country. Becoming a citizen of Romania is popular because it has many advantages, not least because it is a member of the EU and allows freedom of movement in the Schengen zone.
Scoring high on the Human Development Index, Romania is fast becoming one the countries that overseas citizens wish to make their home. Applying for Romanian citizenship can be complex with strict eligibility criteria, however, there are many routes to obtain citizenship in Romania, including descent and naturalization.
What is Romanian Citizenship?
Becoming a Romanian citizen allows you to live and work in Romania permanently, travel freely, and work in other EU member states. Many foreigners first move to Romania for work, study, or business and later seek citizenship to make their stay permanent.
Romanian citizens enjoy a large degree of freedom, and many work across borders in other EU countries. Since 2007, when Romania joined the EU, large-scale judicial reforms have been made, and Romanian citizens now have access to both Romanian and EU courts for justice in what is classed as a hybrid regime.
Dual citizenship exists in Romania, provided you meet one of the following requirements:
- You are descended from Romanians (parents or grandparents),
- You have married a Romanian citizen,
- You have lived in Romania for a certain period of time legally,
- You have citizenship by birth,
- Citizenship by investment,
- Special cases.
Benefits of Romanian Citizenship
By becoming a Romanian citizen, you get all the benefits that living in the country offers.
Business and Career Potential
Romania is a fast-growing economy that has already industrialised but has a lot of untapped economic potential, especially in agribusiness.
Resources and EU Support
Since joining the EU, Romania has benefited from EU investment. This has quickly propelled Romania into a vibrant and developed country.
EU Safety and Travel Freedom
Romanian citizens enjoy a strong rule of law and can travel to other EU member states without visas or permits. Romanians can take work elsewhere in the EU or even move and live in other EU member states.
Excellent Education
If you are a student, citizenship in Romania gives access to Romania’s educational institutions as well as prestigious EU academies.
Ways to Obtain Romanian Citizenship
You can obtain Romanian citizenship through descent, naturalization, investment, birth, marriage, and a few special cases.
Descent
Romania allows foreigners to apply for Romanian citizenship by descent. You must be able to prove you have direct ancestors of Romanian origin and will be required to provide evidence of your Romanian lineage.
Naturalization
You can apply for naturalization citizenship if you’ve been legally living in Romania for 8 years, have a residency permit, and pass the test on Romanian culture and language.
Investment
Romanian citizenship by investment can only happen if you pass all the requirements for citizenship by naturalization and invest over 1 million Euros in Romania. This doesn’t automatically grant you citizenship, but it can shorten the naturalization citizenship route by 4 years.
Birth
If you are born in Romania to at least one Romanian citizen parent, or are a foundling with unknown parents discovered in Romania, you automatically acquire Romanian citizenship. You also gain citizenship if you are legally adopted by a Romanian citizen. If you were born outside Romania but at least one of your parents is (or once was) a Romanian citizen, you can obtain citizenship by descent (or have it restored if it was lost).
Marriage
If you are married to a Romanian citizen, you can apply through naturalization. The 8-year rule can be reduced to 5 years. For EU citizens married to Romanians, this is further reduced to 2.5 years. An EU citizen married to a Romanian presents the fastest route to Romanian citizenship by naturalization.
Special Cases
You can obtain Romanian citizenship if you have specifically contributed to Romanian culture and civilization. The definition for this special contribution is broad, and it is decided on a case-by-case basis. To satisfy the contribution requirements, you also need a direct referral from a Romanian embassy.
Citizenship By Descent
To get citizenship by descent, you don’t need to be living in Romania. However, you do need to prove that your descendants come from the country.
Romanian citizenship by descent is limited to only parents and grandparents and does not cover extended family or family further back in your lineage.
Alongside the lineage documentation, you will also need to follow the formal citizenship application process, which can take anywhere from 6 months to 2 years, depending on the documents requested.
How to Apply for Romanian Citizenship
The Romanian citizenship application is a well-established process, no matter what route you take, making it straightforward to follow:
- Register with the ANC online,
- Submit your application to ensure you meet the eligible entry requirements.
- Book and attend your in-person interview (including Romanian culture test, and language test),
- Receive your official decision from the ANC,
- If approved, you must re-attend the ANC office and take your oath of allegiance. This can also be done at a Romanian embassy if you are non-domiciled,
- Provide fingerprints and photos after the oath and receive either the citizenship card.
Once you have received your Romanian citizenship card, you can apply for a Romanian passport. Romanian passports are powerful, allowing travel access to a large majority of global countries.
How to Get Romanian Citizenship By Naturalization
The Romanian government recently updated its naturalization requirements, and from 2025 onwards, people looking to obtain Romanian citizenship through naturalization must:
- Have been lawfully resident in the country (not entered illegally),
- Hold a residency permit in Romania,
- Have lived in Romania (with the above requirements met) for 8 years,
- Pass a test on Romanian culture and language.
Only once all of those steps have been met can you make an application for Romanian citizenship through naturalization.
The rules are slightly different if you are applying for Romanian citizenship from an EU country or are investing in Romania.
For Romanian EU Citizenship
EU citizens have a fast-tracked citizenship route, and instead of the 8 years of residency required above, it is halved to 4 years.
Other Ways to Reduce the 8-Year Residency Requirement for Naturalized Citizenship
Finally, if you meet any of the following criteria, your 8-year residency in Romania requirement will be reduced to 4 years:
- Are an internationally recognized artist, performer, or personality,
- You hold refugee status in Romania.
- You invest a million Euros or more in Romania.
Challenges and Mistakes to Avoid in Romanian Citizenship
When you apply, the first thing you must do is follow the Romanian Citizenship requirements carefully. Failing to follow these requirements is one of the top reasons applications are rejected:
- You must be over the age of 18,
- Must have been living in Romania for 8 years (unless applying via descent),
- Proof of address and domicile (tax receipts) in Romania,
- Be of good character with no crimes committed in Romania or against the Romanian state,
- Show financial statements proving you can fund your life and earn a living in Romania for 3 years after the date of application.
- Meet the language requirements.
- Understand the Romanian constitution.
You must also make sure to provide biometric data. You will need to supply 2 recent photos that can be matched to your passport photo (if your current photo no longer looks like your passport, consider getting a new passport).
Don’t Forget Latin!
To ensure the application process goes smoothly and without delay, you should anticipate needing to file all your documents in Latin, too. This means:
- All documentation submitted in support of your application must be translated into Latin writing and certified by a notary.
- You must not submit official documentation in another language unless it supports a translated document (an original).
- All documents submitted, including those that needed translation, need to be supplied in their original form as well. For example, when providing a statement in Latin writing, you will need the original statement attached as well.
Romanian Oath of Allegiance: Meaning and Significance
A cornerstone of the Romanian Citizenship application is the culture test and the Romanian oath of allegiance. Without satisfying this requirement, you will be barred from Romanian citizenship, even if you meet other important criteria.
The oath must be made within 12 months of your initial application for citizenship being approved and cannot be extended. Your oath will also be recorded for any future legal purposes.
Romanian nationality is taken extremely seriously by Romanians, and you should only apply if you can integrate with the culture.
Maintaining & Renouncing Romanian Citizenship
Once approved, there are no ongoing requirements to maintain your Romanian citizenship. The citizenship will only be revoked in extreme circumstances, like committing serious crimes or joining the army of a country Romania is at war with.
Your citizenship will also be revoked if they discover you used fraudulent documents to attain it.
If you have citizenship by birth, it cannot be revoked.
Voluntary Renouncement
Romania does not allow citizens to renounce their citizenship except in exceptional circumstances. You must be over 18, not facing any criminal charges, and have your renunciation signed off by the Presidium of the Grand National Assembly. It’s a tall order!
Does Romania Allow Dual Citizenship Instead?
Yes! Instead of renouncing your citizenship, you could choose to pursue Romanian dual citizenship and enjoy the benefits of another state.
Other EU Countries Offering Citizenship Options
Some EU member states offer direct citizenship by investment programs, allowing qualified investors to get full EU citizenship by making substantial financial contributions.
Malta and Cyprus both allow applications for citizenship directly as a result of investment, offering a fast-tracked path to EU citizenship. The benefits of this are:
- Faster EU citizenship without lengthy naturalization periods
- Freedom of movement throughout all EU member states
- Right to live, work, and study anywhere in the European Union
- Access to high-quality healthcare and education systems
- Expanded business opportunities across the European market
- Potential tax advantages depending on your financial situation
Several EU countries also offer residency permits to qualified investors. While these don’t provide immediate citizenship, they create a pathway that can eventually lead to full citizenship.
Countries offering residency through investment include:
- Greece
- Cyprus
- Malta
- Portugal
- Spain
Similarly to citizenship by investment, the benefits of residency by investment include:
- Shortened timeline for citizenship by naturalization
- Legal right to reside in the country while keeping your original citizenship
- Potential path to full EU citizenship after meeting residency requirements
- Access to the country’s healthcare and education systems
All other EU countries have their own formal citizenship application processes.
The EU follows a general application process that countries can then add to. For example, the Romanian government has added the requirement for the oath of allegiance and the Romanian culture citizenship test.
While all EU countries have the same basic entry requirements, it is crucial you check the specific country you wish to apply to, as the additional requirements can differ significantly between countries.
Conclusion
Applying for Romanian citizenship allows foreigners and those with residency already to gain permanent access to a thriving European state. With Romanian citizenship, you are also able to travel, work, and live in other EU member states.
The process is strict but straightforward to follow. Providing you meet the eligibility requirements, access to Romanian citizenship is relatively easy and very beneficial!
FAQs About Romanian Citizenship
Romania has an agreed-upon dual citizenship application program with the US. To qualify, you must be eligible as outlined in this guide and also satisfy the USCIS requirements for dual citizenship.
There are fees involved with applying for Romanian citizenship. The first is the application fee itself – €220 per adult and €100 per child – however, you will likely need to pay additional fees to third parties, for example, notaries to certify documents, translators to translate documents, and so on.
It is not easy to meet the threshold for Romanian citizenship, and the culture and language tests often pose a significant barrier to entry. However, if you are eligible and confident about passing the tests, the process is easy to follow.
You must have been a resident in Romania for 8 years unless you meet the special entry eligibility outlined in the citizenship by naturalization section.