Showing posts with label Romanian embassy in Lima. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Romanian embassy in Lima. Show all posts

Tuesday, 29 September 2015

Trying to Get Romanian Citizenship Again

In early 2014 I was told that I couldn't get Romanian citizenship by the embassy in Lima. This was confirmed again in summer of 2014 by the consulate in Chicago.

However, about a week ago I was put in contact with a lawyer named Ioan-Luca Vlad (Linked / Facebook) who has been working as an attorney with the Romanian Royal Family for 9 years. He also has a website called Romanian Documents. He has a lot of experience with difficult cases such as mine and was able to help the Royal Family get their Romanian documents even though they had none.

I do have lots of roadblocks. I have had 3 legal names in the US (maiden, marriage, marriage) and 2 legal names in Peru (maiden, marriage) and documents from 3 countries (USA, Peru, Korea). I also found out that the document issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs that I thought said my mom still has citizenship simply says she was a citizen when she left Romania.

If everything goes well I should be able to get a new Romanian birth certificate (with a valid CNP), get my mom a CNP, and get a document saying I'm Romanian. If I'm lucky I might get a Romanian passport. We're not exactly sure how things will go due to all the names I have had and documents from all these countries, but we will see how it goes. In addition, the Romanian Embassy here in Seoul will not let me give Ioan-Luca power of attorney (even though they let me give it to my ex) since I don't speak Romanian. We are trying to find a work-around but that just further complicates things.

I'm very excited about all this and hope things go well. Even if things don't work out I can honestly said I exhausted all possibilities trying to get citizenship.

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

Disclaimer:

Saturday, 30 November 2013

More docs required for my CNP

I mentioned that I had sent all my docs to my husband in Peru and given him POA to try to get my CNP and register our marriage. In late October he went to the embassy and they said that first I needed a CNP. Earlier this week they asked for a copy of our marriage cert to show a link between my maiden name and my married name. Now they want a "constancia" which is like a record of proof showing how I got my Romanian birth certificate.

I don't understand it. I didn't think that I'd have to prove how I had gotten something. If I have my birth cert, which the embassy has recognised as true and valid, I shouldn't have to go back a step and show the documents I showed in the first place when I got it.

But I do have to show a constancia proving my claim to citizenship, which is the letter from the Ministry of Internal Affairs stating that my mom's a citizen.

They haven't given a time frame this time. I'm guessing that since St. Nicholas Day, Christmas, and Orthodox Christmas are coming up in December and January I probably won't hear anything until the end of January.


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

Disclaimer:

Wednesday, 27 November 2013

News about my CNP

It's officially been 4 weeks since my docs were presented at the Romanian embassy in Lima. We were told that it would take 3-4 weeks for them to find out about my CNP. My husband called and it seems they have a dilemma about my name. They're not sure whether to use my maiden name or my married name.

I honestly don't mind which name they use as long as I can get my CNP. They've asked for a scan of my marriage certificate, which my husband is going to email to them. I thought that he had already shown them our marriage certificate, but I guess they just glanced at it or didn't make a copy or he didn't give them a copy. I'm not sure. All I know is that I'm glad he called when he did or else we'd be waiting even longer.

He thought about sending other documents, such as my license or degrees, but I don't think that would help since none of my documents have been apostillised and all it would prove is the name I had and the name I have now.

They need to see a link between my maiden name and my married name. I did what they do in Peru when they get married. I kept my maiden name, then added "de" and then my husband's first name. Here's an example with both a woman with one last names and a woman with two last names.
  • Mary Smith gets married to John Doe Black. In Peru she'd then change her name to either Mary Smith de Doe.
  • Mary Smith Jones gets married to John Doe Black. In Peru she'd then change her name to either Mary Smith Jones de Doe.
I only had one last name, so my married name is like the first example. So my husband is going to email them a scan of our marriage certificate along with my old passport with my maiden name. I hope that we get the answer soon so that I can apply for my Romanian marriage certificate this year since the fee might go up next year.

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

Disclaimer:

Wednesday, 30 October 2013

News from the Romanian Embassy in Peru

As I mentioned before, I sent all the documents to Peru so that my husband could apply for my CNP and register our marriage. My husband went to the embassy. He had just told them that he wanted to register our marriage since I was told he could do both at the same time.

He said that the counsel (a woman) was very nice and helpful. She said that it was very strange that I was able to get a Romanian birth certificate in Peru because you're supposed to get it where you were born (for me that would be the USA), however, she also said that it was a true, original birth certificate and the stamps and seals were legit.

So they're not really sure what to do now.

They had my husband pay $50 to apply for the CNP, but they could reject my application due to the issue above. Anyways, the long and short of it is that in about 3-4 weeks we should find out if they accept or reject the application.

They said that first we have to apply for the CNP and then we have to register the marriage. We're not sure how long it will take to register our marriage. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Fingers crossed!

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

Disclaimer:

Wednesday, 16 October 2013

Power of Attorney for Marriage Cert and CNP

I've given my husband power of attorney to register my marriage and get my CNP at the same time. The Romanian embassy in Seoul says that it can be done and it should be easy. Time varies from one embassy/consulate to the other, but in Korea it only takes 24 hours to register your marriage. I'm assuming Peru is similar since there aren't a lot of Romanians there.

The CNP is a totally different issue. I'm guessing that will probably take 3-6 months since I was born before CNPs were given to embassies/consulates. For children born in the 22st century it's much faster and easier to get them CNPs than for people like me.

Registering my marriage in Peru requires a number of items and documents. Here's what I'll be sending later this week.
  • Anexa 1 (you can get it at www.oficial.ro) and it says that I want to register my marriage.
  • Anexa 8 (you can get it at www.oficial.ro) and it says that there's no legal issues with me registering my marriage (i.e. not already married to someone else)
  • Power of attorney given to me by the Romanian embassy in Seoul that says my husband can apply for my CNP and register our marriage.
  • Our original Peruvian marriage certificate and translation (done by an official translator in Romania, Roxana Cazacu)
  • My husband's original Peruvian birth certification and translation (done by an official translator in Romania, Roxana Cazacu)
  • My Romanian birth certificate (without the CNP)
  • My American passport (because I don't have my Romanian one...yet!)

More requirements and info.
  • I'm also required to send my Romanian passport (which I don't have) and write my CNP (which I also don't have). Let's hope that this won't be a problem. The embassy here in Seoul contacted Bucharest and they said that the ONLY place that can register my marriage is the Romanian embassy in Peru. Hopefully they'll agree and not pass the buck and say that it can't be done or that it has to be done in Romania. I guess one thing that I have going for me is that my Romanian birth certificate was issued by them. 
  • The fee to register a marriage in Peru at the Romanian embassy is $286 and the CNP is free!
  • I guess I'll find out in a couple of weeks if I'm successful!

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

Disclaimer:

Friday, 13 September 2013

Registering My Marriage at the Romanian Embassy in Peru

My husband called the embassy in Lima the other day and they said that it should be no problem for me to register my marriage at the embassy despite the fact that I have no CNP nor a Romanian passport. They said one of us just has to fill out some forms. I have my doubts.

Last time it was a Catch-22. In order to get a passport you need a CNP and to have registered your marriage. In order to register your marriage you need a CNP and a passport.

They said they would email him the forms. Let's see what happens.

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

Disclaimer:

Wednesday, 11 September 2013

The Romanian Embassy Called Me

I'm happy to report that I just got a call from the Romanian Embassy the other day. It looks like it might be possible that I can actually get citizenship. There's the slight problem that I changed my name, so I have to register my Peruvian marriage cert. This can only be done in Peru unfortunately. Luckily, my husband is there now, though I hope the embassy in Lima will help him out and let him register my marriage. I simply can't afford to fly to Peru in order to get this done.

I've also considered changing my name back to my maiden name. To be honest, I can't believe I changed it in the first place after all the problems my mom had with her name. I'm hoping that if I changed it back, then I wouldn't have to register my marriage.

There's also the issue with my Romanian birth certificate and the lack of the CNP on it. I don't really know what happened when it was issued. I'm tempted to say that it was just issued so that I would go away and that it's just a piece of paper, nothing more.

The good news is that my mom is still a citizen and we have the paper to prove it.

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

Disclaimer:

Friday, 25 May 2012

No CNP, No ID card: No Passport

I can't believe how helpful the embassy here is in Seoul. I've been to the consulate in Chicago, the embassy in Lima, the Sector 1 Centre in Bucharest, and the Social Security Office in Bucharest, and I felt like me going there was an imposition.

Here, however, they actually seem to want to help me get a passport. The big problem I have now is that I have no CNP and according to the MAE they won't give out passports to people without CNPs.

I need to do these things:
  1. Get my CNP (ID number)
  2. Get my ID card
  3. Register my marriage
  4. Get my passport
Basically I need these docs:
  • CNP
  • ID card
  • Civil status doc
  • Marriage cert registered in Romania 
  • Someone to swear I am who I say I am
  • Husband's birth cert legalised at the embassy in Peru
  • Proof of address in Romania. Don't have one
  • Old RO passport! Don't have one
I think the CNP will be the easiest since I just need my marriage cert. But in order to register my marriage I need an ID. And in order to get an ID I need a Romanian address. So it's all a catch-22. Hopefully my lawyer will be able to get my CNP and my marriage cert registered, but that still means I need proof of a Romanian address in order to get my ID, which I don't have. I wonder how I'm going to deal with that.

1. Here's what I need to get a CNP according to the Consulate General in LA.
I must say my reading comprehension of Romanian is getting better and better. I can't really understand people when they speak, but I can fill out docs. I'm missing the docs in purple.
  1. Cetatenii români care nu au atribuit un cod numeric personal vor depune o cerere scrisa pentru atribuirea CNP la structura de stare civila din cadrul oricarui serviciu public comunitar judetean de evidenta a persoanelor, indiferent de locul nasterii sau al ultimului domiciliu avut în Romania. (It says I have to apply at the Community Centre for the People. Now I'm not actually sure if that means I have to go back to Romania again after Sector 1 Community Centre said they couldn't help us. Or if I can do it from here. Or maybe my lawyer can do it since I signed paperwork giving him permission to get my CNP.)
  2. La depunerea cererii cetatenii români vor prezenta la structura de stare civila din cadrul oricarui serviciu public comunitar judetean de evidenta a persoanelor în original si fotocopie urmatoarele documente:
    • Certificatele de stare civila eliberate de autoritatile române; (I don't have this. My marriage cert is from Peru. It has been apostillised by the MFA in Peru though)
    • Documentul de identificare valabil: act de identitate sau pasaport eliberat de autoritatile straine; (Ta-da! I have this. A foreign passport.)
    • Documentul care face dovada cetateniei române; (Ta-da! Have this: a Romanian birth cert)
    • Timbru fiscal în valoare de 4 lei. (And lastly I have to pay the fee of about $1.)


2. Here's what I need to get a Romanian ID card for those over 18 according to MAE. I'm missing the docs in purple and the docs in orange I'm not sure about and the blue is a loophole.

Misiunile diplomatice ÅŸi oficiile consulare nu eliberează cărÅ£i de identitate, cu excepÅ£ia primei cărÅ£i de identitate. Cartea de identitate se eliberează doar în România. Persoanele interesate pot solicita autentificarea de către ambasadă a unei procuri speciale prin care să împuternicească pe cineva din România pentru depunerea tuturor documentelor necesare eliberarii cărÅ£ii de identitate. Pentru detalii click AICI. (They need to be issued in Romania. Hopefully the doc I signed will allow my lawyer to do it on my behalf, though I think he can just get my CNP. However, first things first: the CNP).


În situaţia în care eliberarea primului act de identitate este solicitată după împlinirea vârstei de 18 ani, de o persoană care nu se poate deplasa în ţară, din motive obiective, (se află la studii, urmează un tratament care nu permite întreruperea acestuia ş.a.) şi are domiciliul în România, aceasta va depune la misiunea diplomatică a României următoarele documente:
  • „cererea pentru eliberarea actului de identitate” (anexa nr. 4); (Application form: check, but the link doesn't work)
  • documentul  eliberat de autorităţile statului ori de alte instituÅ£ii din statul în care se află temporar solicitantul, din care să rezulte motivul pentru care nu se poate deplasa în Å£ară; (Proof that you live legally in that country: check)
  • certificatul de naÅŸtere, cu care se face dovada cetăţeniei române, original ÅŸi copie; (RO birth cert: check. But it has no CNP, so it's a maybe.)
  • documentul cu care se face dovada adresei de domiciliu din România, original ÅŸi copie; (Proof of home address in Romania: nope)
  • declaraÅ£ia unuia dintre părinÅ£i ori a unei terÅ£e persoane, din care să rezulte faptul că identitatea declarată în cererea de eliberare a actului de identitate, coroborată cu imaginea preluată ori cu fotografia ataÅŸată cererii, aparÅ£ine solicitantului; (Declaration by a third person saying you are who you say you are: nope)
  • fiÅŸa cu impresiunile decadactilare ale solicitantului realizată numai de unitatea de poliÅ£ie din localitatea în care locuieÅŸte solicitantul în statul respectiv; (Fingerprints: check)
  • două fotografii mărimea 3/4 cm având la bază o bandă albă de 7mm; (Photos: check)
  • contravaloarea cărÅ£ii de identitate; (Fee for the card itself: check)
  • timbru fiscal ori contravaloarea taxei extrajudiciare de timbru. (Fee for the paperwork (stamp fee): check)

În cazul în care solicitantul nu poate indica o persoană de contact din România, va contacta Serviciul public comunitar local de evidenţă a persoanelor pe raza căruia părinţii au domiciliul şi va solicita numărul contului în care poate plăti taxele legale precum şi cuantumul acestora. Plata taxelor se va putea face prin transfer bancar, urmând ca la dosar să depună documentul eliberat de bancă prin care se confirmă efectuarea transferului, tradus în limba română. (You can contact someone in Romania to help you pay the fees).

Atunci când solicitantul nu poate prezenta toate documentele necesare pentru eliberarea cărţii de identitate, art.19 din O.U.G. nr.97/2005 prevede eliberarea unei cărţi de identitate provizorii. În această situaţie, solicitantul va prezenta trei fotografii mărimea 3/4cm, având la bază o bandă albă de 7mm. (If you don't have all the docs you can get a temporary ID card! if you submit photos.)

3. Here's what I need to register my marriage according to the MAE.
If I have to register my marriage it's going to be a pain because it would mean having to pay someone to deal with the Romanian embassy there. I'm missing the docs in purple and the docs in orange I'm not sure about.

Înscrierea căsătoriilor se poate solicita la misiunea diplomatică sau oficiile consulare ale României din statul unde s-a încheiat căsătoria. (May be required at the embassy in the country you got married in)


Documente necesare: (Required documents)

  • extrasul actului de căsătorie străin, apostilat sau legalizat de autorităţile locale Ã®n original ÅŸi copie; (Foreign marriage cert: check)
  • declaraÅ£ia pe proprie răspundere privind inexistenÅ£a altei transcrieri în România sau la altă misiune diplomatică a României (formularul se primeÅŸte la misiunea diplomatică); (Declaration that there is no other marriage: check)
  • declaraÅ£ia pe proprie răspundere privind inexistenÅ£a altor căsătorii anterioare ale cetăţeanului român (formularul se primeÅŸte la misiunea diplomatică) (sau, după caz, certificatul de naÅŸtere eliberat de autorităţile române cu toate menÅ£iunile de căsătorie ÅŸi de divorÅ£); (Declaration of never having been married to a Romanian: check)
  • paÅŸapoartele soÅ£ilor (primele 4 pagini), în original ÅŸi copie (Spouse's passport: check)
  • certificatele de naÅŸtere ale soÅ£ilor, în original ÅŸi copie; în cazul în care unul din soÅ£i este cetăţean străin, se va prezenta extrasul de naÅŸtere al acestuia; (Spouse's birth cert: maybe. It's been apostillised in Peru, not sure if they'll accept it)
  • buletinul/cartea de identitate din România, în original ÅŸi copie (ID card: nope)
  • taxa consulară (Fee: check)
Cererea poate fi depusă de unul din soÅ£i (cetăţean român), care se va prezenta ÅŸi la eliberarea certificatului. Ambasadele ÅŸi oficiile consulare ale României sunt în măsură să ofere informaÅ£ii suplimentare, în funcÅ£ie de practica locală. De asemenea, informaÅ£ii generale despre procedura de obÅ£inere a certificatelor de căsătorie pot fi accesate la DirecÅ£ia pentru EvidenÅ£a Persoanelor ÅŸi Administrarea Bazelor de Date. (Only the Romanian citizen has to go to the embassy. The embassy might be able to help with local marriage customs / docs. You can also see the website.

4. Here's what I need to get a Passport according to the MAE.
Puteţi beneficia de paşaport CRDS dacă sunteţi cetăţean român care are atribuit un Cod Numeric Personal şi dacă : (The bullet points below say that you need to have lived in that country legally for a year). I'm missing the docs in purple and the docs in orange I'm not sure about.
  • aÅ£i dobândit drept de ÅŸedere pentru o perioadă de cel puÅ£in un an sau, după caz, aveÅ£i prelungit succesiv dreptul de ÅŸedere , în decurs de un an, pe teritoriul statului respectiv;
  • aÅ£i dobândit un drept de ÅŸedere pe teritoriul statului respectiv în scopul reunificării familiale cu o persoană care are domiciliul în statul respectiv;
  • aÅ£i dobândit drept de lungă ÅŸedere sau drept de ÅŸedere permanentă;
  • aÅ£i dobândit cetăţenia statului respectiv;
  • aveÅ£i drept de muncă;
  • sunteÅ£i înscris la o instituÅ£ie privată sau publică pentru studii sau formare profesională;
  • sunteÅ£i posesorul unui certificat de înregistrare ori al unui document care atestă rezidenÅ£a într-un stat membru UE sau al SpaÅ£iului Economic European.
Cererea pentru eliberarea paşaportuli trebuie depusă personal. (Must be done in person)

Documente necesare: (Required docs)
a) cererea de obţinere a paşaportului: furnizată de sistemul informatic la consulat; (Application form: check)
b) dovada achitării taxelor şi tarifelor de emitere a paşaportului; (Pay the fee: check)
c) permisul de şedere original sau atestatul de înscriere în registrul de populaţie rezidentă de la autoritatea ţării de domiciliu sau orice alt document care atestă dreptul de şedere legală (ex: certificat de rezidenţă eliberat de primăria locală, paşaportul emis de autorităţile ţării de reşedinţă în cazul în care aveţi cetăţenia acesteia, etc.) în original ; (Proof of legal residence: check)
d) cartea de identitate emisă de autorităţile statului de reÅŸedinţă în original – permisul de conducere care menÅ£ionează domiciliul pentru statele care nu eliberează străinilor cărÅ£i de identitate sau certificat de rezidenţă emis de primăria locală; (ID or license: check)
e) certificatul de naÅŸtere romanesc in original; (RO birth cert: maybe since it has no CNP)
f) certificatul de căsătorie romanesc in original (pentru cei căsătoriţi şi pentru cei văduvi); RO marriage cert: nope, have the Peruvian one)
g) sentinţa de divorţ rămasă definitivă în original (pentru cei divorţaţi); (Divorce cert, N/A)
h) certificatul deces romanesc al soţului/soţiei, in original (pentru cei văduvi); (Death cert of spouse: N/A)
i) paÅŸaportul vechi in original; (Old RO passport: nope)
j) buletinele sau cărţile de identitate româneşti in original. (RO identity papers or ID card: nope)

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

Disclaimer:

Wednesday, 21 December 2011

More notary fun

So after spending about $120 in fees here at the Peruvian embassy in Seoul, we were told that the MFA in Lima wouldn't approve the documents we sent and that my husband would have to go to Peru in person and sign. That's the only way to get docs apostillised in Peru. And that's utterly ridiculous.

So. . .

Tomorrow we're going to go to three Korean notaries and try to get his signature notarised. If that works, it'll only cost $1 to get them apostillised, compared to $2 in the State of Illinois and $15 in Peru. Seems a bit backwards that it's more expensive in a third world country, but Peru's a backwards place.

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

Disclaimer:

Monday, 15 November 2010

FAQ: Why do you need your father's license?

Question
It would be sad to give up after having gotten this far and spent over 6 years trying. Keep it up, in my humble opinion. If you tell them your father doesn't want to cooperate perhaps they can work around him. After all you don't lose your rights due to someone else's non-cooperation (even a parent). The authorities are able to look up his birth record in their municipal archives with his name and date of birth, aren't they?

Answer
He's not Romanian. Only my mother is, so they can't look him up. My mom's not in the computer system either since they didn't have IDs when she was born. Sigh, it's been more than 6 years. I first contacted the Chicago consulate back in Sept 1999. I believe that the Lima embassy purposely left off the ID number to render the birth cert invalid. The embassy in Korea is the third embassy / consulate I've dealt with (due to moving) and they all ask for MORE paperwork.

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

Disclaimer:

Monday, 31 May 2010

FAQ: Are you done yet?

Question
Sounds like you are the verge of completing the (lengthy) process you are already in the midst of to obtain a Romanian passport. Considering that you already have your Romanian birth certificate (something that can only be issued to a Romanian citizen [if the person was born outside Romania]), you should be able to complete your original process much quicker than this new idea.
So, are you almost done?

Answers
You'd think that with the birth cert I could easily get my passport, right? Nope, the counsel in at the Romanian embassy in Lima, Peru, didn't give me a Romanian ID number. So the people at the Romanian embassy in Seoul, Korea, couldn't find my name.

And then there the Catch 22 of not getting a passport without a marriage cert and not getting a marriage cert without a passport. Basically, I'm in the same situation that my mom was in years ago when we went to the Chicago consulate. I've emailed my lawyer and am waiting to hear back from him.

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

Disclaimer:

Monday, 24 May 2010

FAQ: Why is it taking so long?

Question
Hi naturegirl321 (again),

I assume you are still too busy to have completed this? (BTW, the fact that you now have your Romanian birth certificate means they officially recognize you as a citizen. So the hard part is over, you just need to finalize the paperwork formalities.)

Anyways, I'm researching the same issue you had with your mother changing her name after she came to the U.S. What document(s) did your mother have to submit to the Romanian consulate to change her name in Romania? Was it just her U.S. naturalization certificate, or did they need anything else as well? If so, what else? And did they need her original U.S. naturalization certificate or just a photocopy? Do they also require copies (or originals) of your and/or your mother's photo ID card (i.e. U.S. Driver License or U.S. Passport)?

And one thing I didn't get clearly from your post, was why your mother had to change her name on her U.S. Marriage certificate, if she was already going to just change her name in Romania to match her U.S. name?

Thanks again!

Answer
Not too busy, just moved to Korea. I need to get my marriage cert legalised by the Romanian embassy in Lima. My husband has been calling for over a month and they haven't picked up the phone.

Also, here's the catch.
In order to get my RO marriage cert, I need a valid RO passport.
In order to get a RO passport, I need a RO marriage cert.

I don't really think that the birth cert proves citizenship. I think the passport does. And I still don't have that. My mom has her birth cert and was denied a passport. They told her the same thing at the Chicago consulate, no passport they won't issue her with a marriage cert. No marriage cert, they won't issue her with a passport.
It's a catch 22. I have a lawyer working on it.

Plus, neither of us speaks Romanian. I can read and understand a bit though.

Timewise for my mother's name change in Romania, it took 9 months. For her name change on my birth cert and her marriage cert it was 7 months.

She didn't submit antyning to the consulate. They refused to help her at the Chicago consulate. She had to get her cousin in Romania to help. She had to give a power of attorney and her old birth cert as far as I know, as well as her US naturalisation cert. I believe she just sent regular photocopies.

My mother had to change her name because she had only used TWO of her THREE names. She had TWO names on my birth cert and my marriage cert. And THREE on her naturalisation cert. And the THREE on her naturalisation cert weren't the same THREE on her Romanian birth cert. ONE name had been Americanized.

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

Disclaimer:

Monday, 12 April 2010

FAQ: What does your timeline for Romanian citizenship look like?

Question
Hi naturegirl321,

Thank you for posting the looong multi-year process you've gone through to document your Romanian citizenship. It is a MAJOR help to anyone considering going through the same steps. (And this thread is one of the top Google results when searching to get Romanian citizenship through parents/grandparents.) And congratulations on getting your Romanian birth certificate. It sure sounds like they finally recognized (admitted may be a better word!) you are a Romanian citizen by birth.

Do you think the major complication in your process was the differences in how your mother's name was recorded in Romania and in America? If you didn't have that problem (meaning if your mother's name had been registered exactly the same in both the United States and in Romania) how long do you think the process would have then taken you?

Also, how long did it take to get a certified copy (I assume it was certified?) of your mother's Romanian birth certificate, once she requested it? (I think you mentioned she requested it through the consulate in the U.S.)

If not for the name change complication, do you think this process could have been done without a Romanian lawyer? How long did it take to update your mother's name registration? (I got the impression the name correction was done on her U.S. documents, rather than on her Romanian papers?)

And how much did you have to spend for all the lawyers services? Can you mention who the lawyer is and if they are quick and efficient? Also, how much did the whole process cost you in dollars so far from beginning to end?

And on what basis did the Romanians finally accept that your parent/grandparents citizenship was valid? (Based on the obstacles you mentioned throughout the thread.)

I think the most important piece of information you can share with us, is a list of all the documents you needed to complete this whole process. i.e. Your mothers birth certificate, marriage certificate, any old Romanian or American passport or exit papers, your birth and marriage certificate, certified translations of all the above?, Hague Apostil on all of them?, police (criminal) reports of you or your mother in either Romania or the US?, or any other documents the Romanians demanded to complete this.

Good Luck! (You truly deserve it after putting in almost 6 years of work -- which I'm sure was very time consuming for you -- to get this working correctly!)

Answer
Yep, I'm happily amazed that it's first on google.

Problem that I have now: I'm married and in order to get a Romanian marriage cert, I need a valid Romanian passport. In order to get a valid Romanian passport, I need a Romanian marriage cert. I don't have either.

The three complications that we had according to the Chicago consulate.
1. My mom changed her name
2. My mom doesn't speak Romanian.
3. My mom has never been back to Romania.

The name change alone took a couple of years, We had to change her birth cert, which took 9 months. She actually has a new Romanian birth cert to match her US naturalisation papers. Her US naturalisation papers have NOT changed. It took about 7 month to change my birth cert and her marriage cert. She doesn't have a Romanian marriage cert or valid Romanian passport. She and my aunt shared one with their mom, and that was many, many years ago. I don't have a certified copy of my mom's birth cert. Just her orginal and mine.

With the name complication, I don't know. When I got my Romanian birth cert from the embassy in Lima, I just had to fill out three papers in Romanian, show my mom's birth cert and my birth cert. That was it. Took about 2 weeks to process that.

THAT being said, we had been denied at the Chicago consulate multiple times. I think it depends where you go. The lawyer has been paid for by my mom, but the total cost will be less than $2000 if everything goes smoothly. As for my lawyer being quick and efficient, HE is, but Romanian paperwork and bueracracy IS slow and painful, so it's not his fault.

Other costs
my mom's new birth cert $100
My new birth cert $60
Notarising my birth cert $25
Translation and application for my Romanian birth cert $200

The basis on which they gave me a Romanian birth cert was because my mom was born in Romania. They didn't, like Chicago, say that I couldn't get it because my mom hadn't been to Romania in years or didn't speak Romanian; because that doesn't matter. My mom wasn't even WITH me when I applied and I didn't show her old passport either.

Documents vary, but you'll need
Romanian parent's birth cert
Your birth cert (with Hague apostille)
Application papers
birth cert must be translated, the embassy does that.

That's it. My mom's marriage cert wasn't needed. Nor was mine. I will, however, need my marriage cert to get the passport. My lawyer and I are taking a break now and going to start trying for the passport in the summer. I just moved to Korea and we both have had a lot on our plate.

But the most important thing to remember is that different embassies ask for different things. We spent a couple of YEARS getting stuff that the Chicago consulate wanted, only to be we needed more documents and then since my mom hasn't been back to Romania and doesn't speak Romanian that she can't be Romanian. The Chicago consulate kept giving us the runaround.

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

Disclaimer:

Friday, 26 October 2007

Problems with the Romanian embassy in Lima

The Embassy here in Peru won't let me in their doors. I guess that according to them, the embassy is only for citizens. However, I got my marriage cert legalised here in Peru and will be sending all the paperwork to my mom to get it legalised and then Apostillised in the States, then everything goes to Romania to my lawyer.

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

Disclaimer:

Saturday, 15 September 2007

Contract signed and sealed

Well, I did it. I signed the contract and posted it to my lawyer. Also sent the first payment of fees.

Good news, I contacted the embassy and they do translations and legalisations all there, so I won't have to be running all around Lima.

My mom's halfway through with the documents there in the USA, only needs the Apostille, then I have to get a police report and get an Apostille for that. Then we'll have all the docs we need to start the process. Which hopefully won't take longer than six months or a year at most.

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

Disclaimer:

Friday, 29 December 2006

Romanian Embassy in Lima, Peru

Just visited the counsel here in Lima. They said with my mother's birth cert, marriage cert from the US, proof that it's registered in Romania, and my birth cert, I can become Romanian.

Now we just have to register her marriage with RO and change her name on my birth cert because she left out one of her middle names.

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

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