A recent amendment to Law No. 21/1991 on Romanian Citizenship (“Citizenship Law”), which was modified by Law No. 14/2025, became effective mid March, 2025. Among other changes, this amendment introduces a new Romanian language proficiency requirement for citizenship applicants.
I. Romanian Language Proficiency Requirement
As of March 17, 2025, individuals applying for Romanian citizenship by descent must demonstrate an adequate level of proficiency in the Romanian language, as stipulated by the updated Citizenship Law.
In practice, this means applicants must prove they can speak, read, and understand Romanian at an intermediate level (corresponding to Level B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).
There are two ways to fulfill this language requirement:
1. Language Certificate
Applicants may submit an official Romanian language proficiency certificate issued by one of the following accredited institutions:
• Romanian universities (specifically those offering a Romanian language preparatory program – An pregătitor de limba română);
• The Romanian Language Institute (Institutul Limbii Române);
• The Romanian Cultural Institute (Institutul Cultural Român);
• Romanian cultural institutes abroad (Institute Culturale Românești din străinătate).
2. Educational Documents
Alternatively, applicants can provide proof of having completed at least three (3) years of education in Romanian. Acceptable documentation includes a notarized copy of an academic transcript from a high school or university program, confirming at least three years of study in Romanian.
The deadline to submit proof of Romanian language proficiency is March 15, 2026.
Exemptions from the Language Requirement
The following categories of applicants are exempt from the Romanian language requirement:
• Former Romanian citizens reapplying for citizenship;
• Applicants aged 65 or older.
II. Additional Legislative Updates
1. Civil Status Documentation
Applicants must provide proof of their civil status, as well as that of their ascendants and descendants (if applicable), through original extracts from civil status records. These extracts must:
• Be issued by the competent authority no more than two years before the submission of the citizenship application.
• Be accompanied by legalized copies of civil status certificates.
Although the reference to “original extracts from civil status records” is very general, we consider that any duplicate or other document having the same value in the issuing country as an extract from a civil status record should be acceptable.
2. Updates on Application Forms & Requirements
Within 30 days, the National Citizenship Authority will issue an order detailing the updated forms and required documents for reacquiring Romanian citizenship.
III. Miscellaneous Changes
• Two new grounds for expedited citizenship processing have been introduced:
o A serious health condition affecting the applicant or their minor child for whom Romanian citizenship is requested.
o The existence of compelling public interest.
• The National Citizenship Authority will introduce an electronic application file system. Within 30 days of submitting a citizenship application, each applicant will have access to their digital file on the National Citizenship Authority’s website.
o All requests and official communications related to the application will be managed through this electronic system.
At this time, we do not anticipate any further significant changes to the citizenship process.

Should you require any assistance or clarification, please do not hesitate to reach out.