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A new Soros report: "Reacquiring Romanian citizenship: a policy with vision?"
Carmen Munteanu - Communications Coordinator
13 May 2013
A new survey done by Soros Foundation Romania and entitled ”Reacquiring of Romanian citizenship: a policy with vision?”, whose authors are Sergiu Panainte (coord.), Victoria Nedelciuc and Ovidiu Voicu, gives current information about the number of persons in the former Romanian territories who were given Romanian citizenship.
This is a continuation of the survey which appeared in 2011 and was entitled ”Reacquiring Romanian citizenship: historic, comparative and applied perspectives”, done by the same Soros Foundation, and offers a synthesis of the changes in the legislation and practices related to the reacquiring of Romanian citizenship.
According to the data provided by the National Authority for Citizenship (NAC), since 1991 up to now, 323.049 files with reacquiring of citizenship have been solved. This means 323.049 adults (titularies). ”NAC does not make separate statistics for minors, who are included in their parents’ files. It means that the number of files above does not contain only 323.049 persons, but rather 323.049 adults, plus their children, as the authors of this survey show.
According to the previous survey, ~226.507 persons reacquired Romanian citizenship starting with 1991, until August 15 2011~. }n the period 2011 – 2013 there is a drop in the number of applications for the reacquiring Romanian citizenship.
Regarding the previous survey, though published in 2011, it is still actual. Three main problems were identified then, related to: the excessively bureaucratic procedures of getting the necessary documents, the legal term of 5 months stipulated by law for solving an application for the reacquiring of citizenship, and to the problem of middlemen.
In 2013, it was found that, although the administrative procedures were improved, they remain the main obstacle in the reacquiring citizenship. In relation with the difficulties met in getting the necessary documents, criminal records are still required in Romania – by virtue of the procedures applied by Romanian authorities, the subsequent transcription of the documents, after getting the citizenship, takes very long.
The transcription of documents, which is a problem in Romania duet o the small number of employees and the great volume of papers, is done free of charge at the City Hall of District 1. Once more consulate departments were opened, the transcription of documents can be done there, paying a charge, but making less efforts and in a shorter time at Romanian consulates in the former territories. People prefer paying to coming in Romania, to wait in files and to be scheduled for taking back the documents in 2015.
Regarding the term of 5 months stipulated by law for solving an application, it refers to checking the file, and the whole process of getting the citizenship lasts a year, maybe longer.
The business of handing in files by middlemen has been partially solved through the opening of territorial offices of NAC and of the Romanian consulates at Bălți and Cahul. The result was that applicants are now directed to the consulates in the Republic of Moldavia, and they do not have to come in Bucharest to hand in the file for Romanian citizenship at NCA headquarters.
The authors of this survey conclude that “(….) in 2013 (…) some problems were addressed, others were not. On the whole, we can ascertain that there are improvements, but it could be better”.
Sources: Sergiu Panainte (coord.), Victoria Nedelciuc, Ovidiu Voicu, Soros Foundation, 2013 - ”Reacquiring Romanian citizenship: a policy with vision?”
www.soros.ro
This is a continuation of the survey which appeared in 2011 and was entitled ”Reacquiring Romanian citizenship: historic, comparative and applied perspectives”, done by the same Soros Foundation, and offers a synthesis of the changes in the legislation and practices related to the reacquiring of Romanian citizenship.
According to the data provided by the National Authority for Citizenship (NAC), since 1991 up to now, 323.049 files with reacquiring of citizenship have been solved. This means 323.049 adults (titularies). ”NAC does not make separate statistics for minors, who are included in their parents’ files. It means that the number of files above does not contain only 323.049 persons, but rather 323.049 adults, plus their children, as the authors of this survey show.
According to the previous survey, ~226.507 persons reacquired Romanian citizenship starting with 1991, until August 15 2011~. }n the period 2011 – 2013 there is a drop in the number of applications for the reacquiring Romanian citizenship.
Regarding the previous survey, though published in 2011, it is still actual. Three main problems were identified then, related to: the excessively bureaucratic procedures of getting the necessary documents, the legal term of 5 months stipulated by law for solving an application for the reacquiring of citizenship, and to the problem of middlemen.
In 2013, it was found that, although the administrative procedures were improved, they remain the main obstacle in the reacquiring citizenship. In relation with the difficulties met in getting the necessary documents, criminal records are still required in Romania – by virtue of the procedures applied by Romanian authorities, the subsequent transcription of the documents, after getting the citizenship, takes very long.
The transcription of documents, which is a problem in Romania duet o the small number of employees and the great volume of papers, is done free of charge at the City Hall of District 1. Once more consulate departments were opened, the transcription of documents can be done there, paying a charge, but making less efforts and in a shorter time at Romanian consulates in the former territories. People prefer paying to coming in Romania, to wait in files and to be scheduled for taking back the documents in 2015.
Regarding the term of 5 months stipulated by law for solving an application, it refers to checking the file, and the whole process of getting the citizenship lasts a year, maybe longer.
The business of handing in files by middlemen has been partially solved through the opening of territorial offices of NAC and of the Romanian consulates at Bălți and Cahul. The result was that applicants are now directed to the consulates in the Republic of Moldavia, and they do not have to come in Bucharest to hand in the file for Romanian citizenship at NCA headquarters.
The authors of this survey conclude that “(….) in 2013 (…) some problems were addressed, others were not. On the whole, we can ascertain that there are improvements, but it could be better”.
Sources: Sergiu Panainte (coord.), Victoria Nedelciuc, Ovidiu Voicu, Soros Foundation, 2013 - ”Reacquiring Romanian citizenship: a policy with vision?”
www.soros.ro
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