Articles
How these cases really work
Eligibility, ancestral records, the language requirement, the procedure in Bucharest. Written from case work, with the law cited — no promises and no timelines we cannot keep.
Bulgaria
Proving Bulgarian origin: the records that support Bulgarian citizenship by descent
Which documents prove Bulgarian ancestry for citizenship: what the law requires, where Bulgarian birth records and parish registers are kept, what to do when no record says 'Bulgarian', and how translations and apostilles work.
Bulgaria
EU citizenship by descent: Bulgarian or Romanian — which route fits your family
Two EU passports by descent from the same region. How Bulgarian and Romanian citizenship by descent differ: who qualifies, language, how far back the line goes, timelines, and when one family can use both.
Eligibility
Romanian citizenship for Jewish descendants: the 1938 citizenship review, Bessarabia, and your passport
Romania has no special law for Jewish descendants, but its general law covers people whose citizenship was taken without their consent, and their great-grandchildren. What the 1938 review did, what applies to families who left after the war, and how a claim works today.
Bulgaria
How to get a Bulgarian passport and identity card after citizenship: certificate, EGN and one visit
The steps from the presidential decree to a Bulgarian passport: the citizenship certificate, address registration and the EGN personal number, then the identity card and passport applied for in a single visit. Documents, timing and what the passport gives you.
Eligibility
Does Romania allow dual citizenship? Keeping your US, UK or Israeli passport alongside a Romanian one
Yes. Romanian citizenship by descent is granted with the right to keep your current citizenship, and there is no limit on how many you hold. What your other country says, what changes for you as a Romanian citizen, and what happens after approval.
Procedure
Romanian ID card (buletin): how to get a Romanian electronic identity card
Since 2025, Romanian citizens who live abroad can get an electronic ID card without a Romanian address. Where to apply, what you need, and passport first.
Bulgaria
Bulgarian nationality law explained: the Bulgarian Citizenship Act in plain English
What the Bulgarian Citizenship Act says on citizenship by birth, descent and naturalisation, requirements, dual citizenship and revocation.
Procedure
How to get a Romanian passport by descent, step by step
A Romanian passport is issued only to citizens. How descendants get one: citizenship by descent, then the passport at a consulate or in Romania.
Poland
Polish citizenship by descent: requirements and how to apply
Polish citizenship by descent: requirements, documents, ancestors who emigrated before 1920, records from Galicia and Volhynia in Ukrainian archives, and how confirmation works.
Eligibility
Was your grandparent a Romanian citizen? How Greater Romania's 1918–1940 borders decide citizenship by descent
Your family came from Romania, but the town is now in Ukraine or Moldova. How 1918–1940 borders, birth year and records decide citizenship by descent.
Documents & archives
Power of attorney for Ukraine: getting birth records, citizenship documents and archive searches done without travelling
A power of attorney signed abroad lets a representative in Ukraine or Moldova request family records and search archives. Who signs, how to apostille it.
Bulgaria
Bulgarian citizenship by descent: who qualifies, how to get a Bulgarian passport, and the Dobruja case
Bulgarian citizenship through a parent, grandparent or great-grandparent, from the US, UK or Canada: who qualifies, what proof you need, how long it takes.
Documents & archives
Birth certificates from Ukraine, Moldova, Russia, Kazakhstan and Romania: getting your family's records for Romanian citizenship by descent
Birth, marriage and death certificates from Ukraine, Moldova, Russia, Kazakhstan and Romania: obtained, translated and apostilled without travel.
Procedure
Applying for Romanian citizenship by descent: in person in Romania or at a Romanian consulate
You apply for Romanian citizenship by descent in person, at the ANC in Romania or a consulate abroad. What is prepared without you and what needs you.
Eligibility
Do you qualify for Romanian citizenship by descent? What an eligibility check examines
Eligibility rests on facts established before a case opens: where and when the ancestor was born, which records survive, whether the line can be documented.
Procedure
Romanian citizenship language requirement: B1, who is exempt, and the 2027 deadline
Articles 10 and 11 require a B1 Romanian language certificate. The deadline moved to March 2027, and descendants applying in their own right are not exempt.
Eligibility
Romanian citizenship by descent: Article 10 or Article 11 — which route leads to your passport
Two routes: grandchildren under one, great-grandchildren under the other. The difference is not how many generations passed but why citizenship was lost.
Documents & archives
Romanian passport by descent: recovering your ancestor's records from Ukraine, Moldova and Romania
Your birth certificate proves one link. The rest sits in registries and archives abroad; where no birth certificate exists, another document stands in.
Eligibility
You may already be a Romanian citizen, entitled to a passport, without knowing it
If Romanian citizenship passed unbroken down your family line, it was inherited, not lost. It is confirmed, not applied for, with no language exam.