In the process of restoring citizenship for individuals of Romanian descent, an important concession remains: The National Agency for Citizenship Affairs of Romania (ANC) has confirmed that the requirement to include a B1 level Romanian language certificate will not be fully enforced for now.
This is reported by Rivne24
The transitional period has officially been extended by another year, meaning that applicants can continue to initiate the process without this document. This is particularly important for many families who are entitled to repatriation under Article 11 of Law No. 21/1991 on Citizenship, as the entire procedure remains accessible amid changing rules, with new regulations already adopted but the mechanisms for their implementation not yet fully established.
Following legislative changes adopted in 2024, one of the main innovations was the idea of moving the language assessment to the initial stage. Previously, knowledge of the Romanian language was only evaluated during the oath-taking, but the new regulations require the submission of an official certificate along with the document package. This point has raised many questions among potential applicants, as its implementation requires an extensive system of exams, accredited centers, and a transparent mechanism for verifying language proficiency.
While such infrastructure is still being developed, ANC maintains the current, more lenient procedure. This provides applicants with several practical advantages:
- firstly, it reduces administrative burdens;
- the dossier can be assembled without an additional step;
- people who are just starting their preparations have more time to learn the language without the risk of their documents being rejected at the initial stage.
This is especially important for those gathering archival confirmations, restoring civil status records, or processing documents from multiple jurisdictions simultaneously.
Another important aspect is that the extension of the transitional regime supports the stability of the procedure itself. The Romanian authorities demonstrate that they do not intend to artificially block the repatriation mechanism; on the contrary, they aim to maintain its functionality, clarity, and predictability.
This is an important signal for those closely monitoring legislative changes and worrying that new requirements may complicate the path to citizenship. Despite certain changes in regulations, the fundamental principle remains unchanged — the state recognizes the right of its compatriots and their descendants to restore their legal connection with Romania. Therefore, for those undergoing the procedure based on documented roots, the path to obtaining a Romanian passport and all the rights of an EU citizen remains open.