How much Romanian citizenship costs in 2026

7 min read · Published 6 October 2026

A Romanian passport cannot be bought, and the state charges little for it. Most of the money goes on archives, translations, language and years of waiting - here is the breakdown.

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Key point	2026 figures
Route	citizenship restored by descent, Article 11
State fees	passport ~$60 when applying in Romania
Main costs	archive records, translations, B1 certificate
Language	Romanian at B1 since 15 March 2025
Timeline	years: commission opinion up to 2 years or more
Relocation	not required
Dual citizenship	allowed

Amounts checked: 2026-10-06

Romania has no citizenship by investment programme. The passport goes to descendants of former citizens - children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of those who lost Romanian citizenship involuntarily, most often residents of Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina and Budjak. Without roots the only route is 8 years of legal residence in the country.

The state charges little for restoration, but since 2025 the requirements have grown: Romanian at B1, recent civil extracts and strict archive checks after scandals with forged documents. Below is every cost item, the minimum for a family and how long to wait.

What the cost is made of

Cost item	Amount	Who pays
Romanian passport	$60	main applicant
Child passport	$60	each child
Romanian B1 language certificate	price set by the university or cultural institute	each applicant except those exempt
Recent civil extracts, archive records, apostilles and translations	per document and generation	applicant
Passport at a consulate abroad	at the consulate's tariff	each family member

The fee of about $60 for an electronic passport has applied since 1 August 2025 when applying at a passport office inside Romania, and consulates have their own tariff. Birth and marriage extracts must be issued no more than 2 years before filing, so with long preparation they have to be ordered again.

Instead of a B1 certificate, a certified transcript works if you studied in Romanian for at least 3 years, and those who were Romanian citizens themselves and lost citizenship are exempt from the language requirement.

We check your roots before you spend time and money

The real price of a Romanian passport is years of waiting and the risk of refusal over documents. Murblz checks whether your ancestor qualifies under Article 11, finds archive records, renews extracts older than 2 years, prepares the file for the National Citizenship Authority and tracks the queue. We match B1 exam preparation to your level.

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How much it costs for a family of 2, 3 and 4

Family	Minimum
Two adults	from $60 for the applicant's passport; a spouse without own roots follows the general rules
Two adults and a child	from $120: passports for the applicant and a child
Two adults and two children	from $180: passports for the applicant and two children

Minor children are included in a parent's application, and a child from 14 gives notarised consent. A spouse without Romanian roots does not qualify under Article 11. The amounts in the table are only state passport fees; a family's main costs are documents and time.

We will work out online when you can apply and what fees and documents will cost for your family.

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What the cost does not include

Romanian lessons and B1 exam preparation;
searching for the ancestor in Moldovan, Ukrainian, Russian and Romanian archives;
sworn translations into Romanian and apostilles for each document;
trips to Romania for the oath and the passport application;
renewing extracts if preparation takes more than 2 years.

Timeline by step

Step	Time
Checking the ancestor and the document chain	1-3 months
Archive records, extracts, translations and apostilles	2-6 months
Language preparation and the B1 certificate	from a few months
Filing with the National Citizenship Authority	by appointment
Opinion of the citizenship commission	up to 2 years, may be extended
Oath, certificate and passport	a few months after the decision

In 2025 about 130,000 residents of Moldova were waiting for the authority's decisions, and Law No. 14/2025 extended the time for the opinion from 5 months to 2 years. So plan years ahead.

Is money refunded if you are refused

The fees are small and mostly paid after the decision anyway, but archive, translation and language costs are not recoverable if you are refused. Refusals most often come from documents that do not link the generations, different spellings of names and doubts about the authenticity of archive papers.

Offers to buy a Romanian passport without roots are schemes with forged documents: in 2025-2026 such cases led to searches and trials. In these stories people lose the money along with the passport.

Comparison with neighbouring programmes

Country	Route	Minimum for one	Time	Dual citizenship
Moldova	Citizenship by Moldovan descent	fees at the tariff	6-12 months	allowed
Bulgaria	Citizenship by Bulgarian origin	fees at the tariff	1-2 years	allowed
Greece	Citizenship by Greek descent through a consulate	from $150	About 18 months	allowed

Bulgaria and Moldova also grant citizenship by descent, and Bulgaria has no language exam. The Greek route by descent goes through a consulate and requires proof of Greek origin.

What a Romanian passport gives

A Romanian passport opens 178 destinations without a prior visa. Since 1 January 2025 Romania has been fully in the Schengen area, and a citizen can live, work and study in any EU country. The main exception is the US: in May 2025 the decision on visa-free travel for Romania was withdrawn.

Risks in 2026

In September 2026 a bill was submitted to the Senate that would keep the right to restore citizenship only for those who held it personally and exclude children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. It has not been adopted, and to take effect it must pass both chambers of parliament. Those whose roots are already documented would be wise not to delay filing.

This topic in other countries

Citizenship cost in other countries:

More about the country:

All programmes and a family calculator - how much citizenship costs in different countries.

FAQ

How much does Romanian citizenship cost for Russians?

State fees are small: a passport costs about $60 when applying in Romania. The main costs are archives, translations, apostilles and the Romanian B1 certificate, depending on the number of generations and the countries holding the documents.

Can I buy Romanian citizenship?

No, there is no investment programme. Offers to buy a passport without roots are schemes with forged documents, and in 2025-2026 they led to searches and trials.

How many years to get Romanian citizenship?

Restoration by descent does not require living in the country. Without roots the route is naturalisation after 8 years of legal residence in Romania.

How long does it take to get Romanian citizenship by descent?

Law No. 14/2025 gives the commission up to 2 years for its opinion, and the period can be extended. With document and language preparation the path takes several years.

Do you need to speak Romanian?

Yes, since 15 March 2025 B1 is required, proved by a certificate or a transcript of 3 years of study in Romanian. Those who were Romanian citizens themselves are exempt.

How much is a Romanian passport?

About $60 for an electronic passport when applying at a passport office inside Romania since 1 August 2025. Consulates abroad have their own tariff.

Does Romania allow dual citizenship?

Yes, you do not need to give up your previous passport. A Russian citizen must notify the Interior Ministry of a second citizenship within 60 days.

Will Romania abolish citizenship for descendants?

Not yet. The bill submitted to the Senate in September 2026 has not been adopted and must pass both chambers of parliament.

Don’t want to figure this out alone?

We handle the whole process end to end: we check your documents, match a program to your situation and give you honest timelines and costs. Ask your question in the chat: the free consultation starts right here. Legal representation before authorities and courts is handled by Murblz specialists together with locally licensed partners.

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