Friday 24 December 2004

Name Change

I had called the consulate general of Chicago and was told all my mom needed to do was get a passport and then I was automatically a citizen. They said that all my mom needed was a birth cert, marriage cert, and US ID. Well, of course, things didn't go as planned.

When my mom was naturalised, she changed her name from Mihaela to Michele. And never registered the change with Romania, So she needs to do that, That'll take at least three months and 90USD. At birth her name was A B C D when she was naturalised, she changed the order to A C B D, then later on in life, just went by C B D. She never dropped it legally, so on her marriage cert, driver's license, social security, everything is only C B D, so I'm sure that that'll cause problems later on.

She also needs to register her marriage after she registers her name change, which'll take at least three more months and 80USD. THEN she can apply for a passport, which takes three months and 80USD. AND THEN I can start applying. First I need to register my birht with Romania, which is three months and 90USD. Then I can get a passport. Three months and 80USD. So with any luck, I should get the passport within a year and a half. And it should cost around 500 USD.

Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.

Disclaimer:

Monday 15 November 2004

Military Service for Romanian Citizens

Art 17, Chapter 1 of the Romanian Constitution states that: "Romanian citizens living abroad benefits from the Protection of the Romanian State and must fulfil their duties except for those that are not compatible with their absence from the country." Obviously the military service for Romanian citizens living abroad is such a case of exception:-).

For practical reasons I doubt a Romanian citizen residing abroad can be called for military service in Romania:
  1. It has to be registered with a recruitment office. As far as I know there is none abroad and all information procedures are related only to Romanian-based institutions (e.g. local authorities/commercial agents must present lists with residents/employees of military age to the military institutions)
  2. It has to get by mail the incorporation order based on recruitment offices' records: no incorporation order, no military service
  3. Travel expenses are too high

Romanian citizens can opt for alternative utilitary service (e.g. working in a hospital, for environmental organizations etc. ).

Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.

Disclaimer:

Wednesday 3 November 2004

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Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.

Disclaimer:

Tuesday 2 November 2004

Mom's birth cert name change

My mom sent off the documents for her name change on her birth cert. Hopefully by this summer it will be finished and she can get her Romanian passport.

Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.

Disclaimer:

Monday 1 November 2004

Quick summary of dates

Last updated 20 March 2017

Here's a quick rundown of all the important events that happened while I was trying to get Romanian citizenship. I've now given up a few times and am currently trying once again. All the links take you my blog posts where you can read more about what happened. You also might want to take a look at the FAQs.

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

1999
  • Fall 1999: Called the Chicago consulate and was told that my mom wasn't Romanian because she hadn't lived there for years and didn't speak Romanian.

In the beginning
  • 1950s: Mom was born in Romania. 
  • 1950s: Mom moved to U.S. at when she was about 1 year old with my grandmother and my aunt. Her dad came 3 years later. 
  • 1960s: Mom was naturalized as an American at age 9, and changed her name from Mihaela to Michele as well as the the order of her given names.
  • 1980s: I was born
  • 1990s: My mom's dad died.

Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.

Disclaimer:

Saturday 30 October 2004

My quest begins

Some of you may know that I'm trying to get Romanian citizenship. So I thought I'd keep a bit of an ongoing diary about how to obtain it.

There are various ways to obtain it. The easiest is if one of your parents is Romanian. I just found out that my mother still has Romanian citizenship. She became a naturalized American citizen in 1965 after escaping from Romanian when it was going through a bad time. She escaped with my aunt and my grandmother
. My grandmother and my aunt were American. My grandfather came over a couple of years later.

Anyways, my mother thought that if she became American, she would give up previous citizenship. This whole time she was under the impression that she had given up Romanian citizenship. The truth was that American recognises, but does not encourage dual citizenship. Which meant that in America's eyes, she was only American. In Romania's eyes, she was Romanian.

Simply put, if one of your parents is Romanian, and have a valid passport, all their children related by blood are also citizens. My mother has to get a passport. She needs her Romanian birth cert and marriage cert. Which needs to be translated. She needs the originals. And it takes a long time. After this, I'll be Romanian and can apply for a passport.
Right now, my mother is requesting her birth cert. I'll write more as soon as something happens.

Giving Up Romanian Citizenship

According to Romanian law, my mother can't give up Romanian citizenship, because it was acquired at birth.


This is from EICEE.
The Romanian embassy in Israel also has lots of information.
(1) Romanian citizenship can be acquired, retained or lost as provided for by the organic law.
(2) Romanian citizenship cannot be withdrawn if acquired by birth.

Dual Citizenship Allowed in Romania
This is from the Romanian citizenship law 21/1991. Here's the updated version.

DUAL CITIZENSHIP: RECOGNIZED. Due to Romanian recognition of dual citizenship, a child born to parents of different nationality is permitted, by Romanian law, to be a dual citizen. The only possible restriction might be the laws of the non-Romanian parent's country.

Family Roots Option
I got this from the Romanian embassy in Denmark. Since 2004, they have taken this information off their webpage. I don't know what happened.

This is for people who's parents don't have passports. Under this option the applicant must have roots in Romania or ex Romanian territories; he must be born in Romania or to have one of his parents born in Romania, or one of his grandparents born in Romania. This will qualify the applicant, his/her spouse and children of any age for citizenship. If many members of same family will apply at same time for citizenship they will have separate sets of documents and citizenship will be obtained separately.

Necessary documents:
1. Birth certificate of the applicant and birth certificate of one parent (the one born in Romania). Original.
2. Marriage certificate of mother (in case she was born in Romania and changed name after marriage). Copy, legalized by a notary.
3. Passport (photocopy).
4. Declaration, made at the Notary office, attesting the applicant didn’t apply for citizenship in the past. In our office.
5. Police record. Translated into English and legalized by a notary.
6. Power of attorney to be represented in their best interest, in front of all Romanian authorities, in order to obtain the citizenship. In our office, legalized by Notary.

All documents will be given in copies, translated in English and legalized by a notary office with the “apostil” approval by the court . If you choose to be assisted by our law office, you will sign a contract between our office and yourself, the power of attorney that enables us to represent you abroad and the Declaration to the Romanian authorities, written in English or Romanian; in case it will be in English we shall have to translate it into Romanian language in Romania, by a authorized translator.

The process takes 4 to 6 months. Most of the time is taken up by the background checks on the client, translations and issue of documents. The applicant will be notified to his home address, by the Romanian Consulate that he/she obtained the Romanian Citizenship and he/she will be invited to the Romanian Consulate for the loyalty vow to the Romanian flag.

3. Romanian Passport
One can prove Romanian citizenship by owning a Romanian passport. Any Romanian citizen who lives or travels abroad is identified with his own passport. Requirements to obtain a Romanian passport (for Romanian citizens living in other country than Romania):

notarised copy of the ”Birth Certificate”;
copy of the Residence Permit (Opholdstilladelse in Denmark);
copy of the previous passport or other document with photo;
notarised copy of the ”Marriage Certificate” (when the marriage took place in other country than Romania it should be transcripted in Romania);
5 photos and fee

Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.

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