Within the framework of our Immigration & Citizenship practice, the Costaș, Negru & Asociații team has reviewed the most recent changes regarding Romanian citizenship.
After completing the extensive public debate process launched at the beginning of last year (2024), which aimed to adapt the citizenship law to current realities and provide a more transparent, easier and safer process for acquiring Romanian citizenship, Law no. 14/2025 was adopted to amend and supplement the Romanian Citizenship Law no. 21/1991.
The amendments occurred in the context of Romania’s obligation to transpose the objectives assumed through the PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan) and also in order to facilitate accession to the Visa Waiver program, which at this time, however, has been suspended, being reanalyzed by the United States.
In this context, we recall that in 2025 the Romanian passport entered the ranking of the 6 most powerful passports in the world, along with Japan, Slovenia, Latvia, New Zealand and Liechtenstein, which is why Romanian citizenship has become a desire for many foreigners outside the European Union, as there are many and most diverse ways to acquire Romanian citizenship, a citizenship that brings multiple benefits to its holders.
For investors in Romania who want to obtain Romanian citizenship, we have a special article dedicated in this regard on our blog: https://costas-negru.ro/economic-romanian-citizenship-acquired-by-investing-or-setting-up-a-company/?lang=en
Therefore, starting from 2025, the deadlines for obtaining Romanian citizenship for some categories of applicants have been reduced to 3 years.
The categories of applicants are as follows:
- EU/EEA citizens – can acquire Romanian citizenship after a 3-year stay in Romania, if they were born in Romania and at the date of birth at least one of their parents was legally residing in Romania.
- Refugees – can acquire Romanian citizenship after a 3-year stay in Romania, if they have residency in Romania/long-term residence permit, if they have made special efforts to integrate into Romanian society, especially if they can prove remarkable achievements in their school or professional training or in their occupation or special civic involvement.
- Foreign citizens/stateless persons – can acquire Romanian citizenship if, through activities carried out over a period of at least 3 years prior to the date of application, they have contributed particularly to the protection and promotion of Romanian culture, civilization and spirituality.
Also, the new form of the Romanian Citizenship Law allows now new categories of applicants to obtain Romanian citizenship, namely descendants of the third degree, including those of persons who were Romanian citizens, but lost Romanian citizenship for reasons not attributable to them or to whom this citizenship was revoked against their will.
Therefore, the process of obtaining Romanian citizenship has been relaxed and becomes easier starting this year, granting more categories of persons, and in a much shorter period, the opportunity to become Romanian citizens and benefit from all related rights.
In addition to the right to own land throughout the European Union, not only in Romania, the right to free movement is the most important right that those who wish to acquire Romanian citizenship aspire to, considering that since 2025, the Romanian passport grants access to 174 states and territories where one can travel without a visa and with minimal formalities, leaving only 52 countries and territories on the list where a visa is still required upon arrival.
The other conditions, in addition to the duration of stay, remain in force, and are the following:
- has reached the age of 18;
- knows the Romanian language and is declared admitted to the Romanian culture and civilization exam;
- knows the provisions of the Romanian Constitution and the national anthem.
Other interesting changes to the Romanian Citizenship Law that are worth mentioning are the following:
- Digitalization of the citizenship process. The entire process of obtaining citizenship has been digitalized, through an IT application through which applicants can follow the status of their files online, thus ensuring the transparency of the public service.
- Citizenship card. The traditional paper certificate has been replaced by a citizenship card containing advanced security features. The Romanian citizenship card is issued within a maximum of 60 days from the date of taking the oath.
- Temporary certificate. A temporary citizenship certificate has also been introduced, containing security features and the holder’s photograph, attesting to the date of granting or regaining citizenship, to serve the person in question until the date of obtaining the citizenship card.
Costaș, Negru & Asociații represents clients both in establishing companies in Romania and in acquiring Romanian citizenship on all legal criteria.
This article was prepared for the Blog of Costaș, Negru & Asociații by Clara Dohotar, a lawyer from Bucharest Bar Association.
Costaș, Negru & Asociații is a civil law firm with offices in Cluj-Napoca, Bucharest and Arad, which provides assistance, legal representation and consultancy in several areas of practice through a team composed of 18 lawyers and consultants. Details regarding legal services and the composition of the team can be found on the website https://www.costas-negru.ro. All rights for the materials published on the company’s website and through social networks belong to Costaș, Negru & Asociații, their reproduction being permitted only for information purposes and with correct and complete citation of the source.
