At a glance
Client: an individual descended from former Romanian citizens
Area: Romanian citizenship, civil status
The problem: the ancestors' civil status records could not be found and the applicable route was unclear
Result: records traced, correct procedure identified, timeline substantially shortened
The facts
The client intended to start the process for Romanian citizenship, but did not know exactly where his ancestors were born and held none of their civil status records. Earlier attempts to find them had led nowhere.
Without those documents, a citizenship file rests on assumptions. The most common assumption, that the reacquisition route must be followed, costs a year or more.
What we did
Tracing the records
Starting from the limited information the client had, we carried out searches with the competent authorities and identified the relevant civil status records in his ancestral line.
Reconstructing the citizenship history
Using those documents we reconstructed the citizenship history along that line. On the face of it, the circumstances suggested Romanian citizenship had been lost. The checks and confirmations obtained from the authorities showed otherwise.
The outcome
The analysis established that the client's situation did not call for a reacquisition procedure. We identified the applicable legal basis and moved the file onto the correct route, transcription of the civil status records, which substantially shortened the expected timeline.
What the file shows
The first stage in a citizenship file is not filling in a form, it is establishing what actually happened to the ancestors. A single document found often changes the entire procedure.
The difference between reacquisition and transcription is measured in months of waiting and in different costs, so it is worth settling before anything is filed.
Frequently asked questions
I do not know where my grandparents were born. Can I still obtain Romanian citizenship?
Often yes. Civil status records can be traced through archives and local authorities even from partial information, such as a name, a region or an approximate year.
What is the difference between reacquiring citizenship and transcribing records?
Reacquisition, under article 11 of Law no. 21/1991, applies where citizenship was lost. If the chain of citizenship was never broken, transcription of the civil status records is enough, and it is a far shorter route.
How do I know which route applies to me?
From an analysis of the ancestors' citizenship history, based on the records traced. The same family can have different positions from one branch to another.
How long does tracing the records take?
It depends on the archive holding them and on the quality of the starting information. It is the least predictable stage, and also the one that decides the rest of the file.
Do I need to travel to Romania for these searches?
No. Searches with archives and civil status offices are carried out by your lawyer under a power of attorney.
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