Romanian citizenship lawyer in Bucharest

The lawyer checks whether your family line qualifies, prepares and files the application with you, answers the authority's requests for documents and, if the application is refused, represents you before the Bucharest courts. The legal work is done under a separate engagement signed directly with the lawyer, once the documents have been reviewed and the scope of the case is clear.

Do you need a lawyer to get Romanian citizenship by descent?

The law does not require one. An applicant can collect the records, file the application and follow it alone, and some people do. A lawyer becomes useful where the case depends on legal judgement rather than paperwork: deciding which article of the law applies, showing that an ancestor born before 1918 or in the borderlands was a Romanian citizen, answering a request for additional documents within its deadline, and going to court after a refusal.

For most families abroad, the practical difficulty is distance. The records are kept in archives in Ukraine, Moldova and Romania, the authority works in Romanian, and every step has its own deadline. A lawyer in Bucharest closes that distance.

What the lawyer does at each stage

Eligibility. Before any money is spent on documents, the lawyer reviews what you already have — names, places, years of birth, any surviving papers — and tells you whether the claim falls under Article 10 or Article 11 of Law 21/1991 and what it will need. The difference between the two articles is explained in Article 10 or Article 11.

Documents. Birth, marriage and death records are recovered from civil registry offices and state archives in Ukraine, Moldova and Romania, apostilled and translated into Romanian by a sworn translator. The lawyer checks that every record links to the next one, because a single inconsistency in a name or a date is a common reason for a request for further documents.

Filing. The application is filed with ANC in Bucharest or at a Romanian consulate. Filing is personal: you attend it yourself, because ANC takes fingerprints and a photograph from the applicant at submission. The lawyer can travel to accompany you at a consulate abroad, which is described in Applying in person in Romania or at a consulate.

While the file is open. ANC may ask for additional documents. Since Law 14/2025, the deadline to answer such a request is four months. The lawyer follows the file and prepares the answer, so that the request is met in full and on time.

Language. Applications under Articles 10 and 11 require a Romanian language certificate at level B1, with a transition period that ends on 15 March 2027. Who is exempt and how the deadline works is explained in Romanian language requirement: B1.

Oath. Once citizenship is granted, the oath is taken in person — at a Romanian consulate for applicants living abroad — within one year of being notified of the order. The lawyer tracks this deadline, because a missed oath means the order ceases to have effect. What follows the oath is described in How to get a Romanian passport by descent.

If the application is refused

A refusal by ANC can be challenged in court. The claim goes directly to the Bucharest Tribunal (Tribunalul București), administrative section, within 15 days of the refusal being communicated; there is no prior administrative complaint. The Tribunal's decision can then be appealed to the Bucharest Court of Appeal (Curtea de Apel București), whose decision is final.

The lawyer reads the reasons for the refusal, checks them against the file and the law, and represents you in both courts. Whether a refusal can be overturned depends on the specific reasons and documents, and the lawyer will tell you that after reading the decision, not before.

Can the case be handled without travelling to Romania?

Most of it can. Records are requested from abroad, documents are exchanged electronically and by courier, and the file is followed online by its number. You need to be present twice: when the application is filed and when the oath is taken, and both can take place at a Romanian consulate in your country of residence.

How fees are set

Fees are agreed after the documents have been reviewed. The work in one family takes a few weeks, while in another it involves several archives in different countries, records that need to be reconstructed, or a court case. A fair price can only be named once that is known, so the first step is a review of what you already have.

Who the lawyer is

Your case is handled by a lawyer of the Bucharest Bar (Baroul București). Before you sign the engagement, you receive the lawyer's name and Bar registration number. Registration of any lawyer practising in Romania can be checked in the public register of the National Union of Romanian Bar Associations (Uniunea Națională a Barourilor din România, UNBR).

Common questions

Do I need a lawyer for Romanian citizenship by descent?

No, the law does not require one. A lawyer is useful when the case needs legal judgement — which article of the law applies, proof of an ancestor's citizenship, an answer to a request for documents, or a court appeal after a refusal.

Can a Romanian lawyer file the application for me?

No. Filing is personal: the applicant attends it, because the National Citizenship Authority takes fingerprints and a photograph at submission. The lawyer prepares the complete file and can accompany you to the filing at a Romanian consulate.

How long does Romanian citizenship by descent take?

It depends on the article of the law and on the authority's workload. According to the National Citizenship Authority's own statistics for June 2025, applications under Article 10 took on average about 1.6 years and under Article 11 about 3.3 years.

Can the lawyer represent me in court if my application is refused?

Yes. A refusal is challenged at the Bucharest Tribunal within 15 days of its communication, and the Tribunal's decision can be appealed to the Bucharest Court of Appeal. The lawyer represents you at both stages.

How much does a Romanian citizenship lawyer cost?

The fee is set after the documents are reviewed, because the volume of work differs greatly between families: some cases need only a few records, others need archive searches in several countries or a court case.

Will I know who my lawyer is before I sign?

Yes. Before the engagement is signed, you receive the lawyer's name and Bar registration number and can check them in the public register.

Does the lawyer speak English?

Yes. The case is handled in English; documents for the authority are translated into Romanian by a sworn translator.