Romania Requires Citizenship Applicants to Submit Biometric Data
Summary
1. Romania has made it mandatory for foreigners applying for citizenship to provide biometric data.
2. Starting September 1, applicants must submit their photo and two fingerprints.
3. Children over 14 are also required to comply with these new rules.
Details
As of September 1, the process for obtaining or reacquiring Romanian citizenship will include the mandatory collection of biometric data. This change is part of the amendments to Romanian Citizenship Law No. 21/1991.
The National Citizenship Authority has announced that, starting September 1, all applicants will be required to provide their photo and two fingerprints. This requirement also applies to children over 14 years old, who must provide both their facial image and fingerprints when applying for or reacquiring Romanian citizenship. For children under 14 who are included in their parents’ application, only a facial image will be necessary.
Applications Must Be Submitted In Person
The National Citizenship Authority has emphasized that from September 1, all requests for acquiring or reacquiring Romanian citizenship must be submitted in person, including those involving minors listed in the parents’ applications. This also applies if a parent who has already obtained Romanian citizenship submits a request for a child who was not included in the other parent's original application.
Romanian citizenship can be granted to foreign nationals or stateless persons who have actively promoted and protected Romanian culture for at least three years before their request. It can also be obtained through marriage or descent.
Introduction of Biometric Data Collection
In July, Romanian authorities introduced biometric data collection for individuals seeking Romanian citizenship, announcing a shift from paper citizenship certificates to electronic cards containing both biographic and biometric data.
According to government spokesperson Mihai Constantin, these measures, implemented through an emergency ordinance, aim to integrate biometrics into the citizenship process while ensuring the security of the procedure with advanced IT and security systems. The regulation also provides the legal framework for the National Authority for Citizenship to acquire biometric data equipment and other IT tools.
The government has indicated that these steps are intended to align Romania’s procedures with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and to expedite entry into the US Visa Waiver Program.
Research by the Canadian immigration agency CanadaCIS revealed that Romania is among the ten easiest countries to obtain citizenship, based on Eurostat data from 2009 to 2021.