RO
Romania · Cetățenia Română prin Descendență · Citizenship by Descent
Former Romanian citizens who lost citizenship for reasons not attributable to them, or whose citizenship was withdrawn without their consent, and their descendants through the third degree may apply to regain or receive Romanian citizenship under Article 11. Applicants may retain foreign citizenship and keep their domicile abroad. Descendants generally must prove Romanian at B1 level; former Romanian citizens and applicants aged 65 or older are exempt.
Article 11 applies to descendants (children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren) of a former Romanian citizen who lost citizenship involuntarily; ancestry from territory that was once Romanian is not, by itself, the statutory test. The applicant must be at least 18 and satisfy the loyalty and good-conduct requirements. Minor children may be included under the corresponding Article 10 provisions; a spouse is not included. The applicant can file in person with the National Authority for Citizenship or, if legally resident abroad, through a Romanian diplomatic mission or consulate. An oath is required after approval and may be taken at a Romanian mission or consulate abroad, so travel to Romania is not required. The application is free apart from the Romanian citizenship card charge of EUR 18.10 per applicant (about USD 20.25 at the 8 October 2026 ECB reference rate). A Romanian electronic passport for an adult costs RON 258 domestically (about USD 54 at that reference rate); consular rates may vary. The language certificate may be submitted within two years of Law 14/2025 entering into force (through 14 March 2027); Article 15^1 accepts three years of Romanian-language secondary or higher education instead of a B1 certificate. Romania is an EU member and part of the Schengen area. Passport-index figures are not verified in this research pass.
Last verified Oct 9, 2026 Last changed Oct 9, 2026 Source
replaced the obsolete application fee with the official EUR 18.10 citizenship-card charge and refreshed the adult domestic passport fee estimate using the 8 October 2026 ECB rates (https://www.econsulat.ro/RedobandireArt11/TaxeConsulareDescriere/101000002).
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