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Showing posts with label birth cert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label birth cert. Show all posts
Friday, 17 February 2017
Cancellation of Romanian Birth Certificate
The final decision of the court regarding the cancellation of my problematic birth certificate was reached. Now my lawyer is going to try to register it properly. Here's hoping I'll have citizenship by this summer.
Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.
Wednesday, 12 October 2016
News from Romania about Correcting My Birth Certificate
About a month ago, I thought I should email my lawyer and see what was going on. It had been a long time since I heard from him. I never emailed him. Life got in the way and I figured, if something was meant to happen, then it would.
Today I got an email saying that after nearly a year, they finally got to my file and filed a court action. They didn't tell my lawyer about it though, so luckily he called them. They reached an agreement and hopefully within the next few months we will get a court decision in regards to my birth certificate and citizenship.
Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.
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Wednesday, 30 December 2015
American Birth Certificate Sent to Romania
I sent my American birth certificate to my lawyer in Romania to re-start the citizenship process. Here's hoping that 2016 will finally be the year it happens! 2016 will bring a lot of changes. I'll finally be moving in with my husband, starting a new job, and my daughter will start a new school. Lots of stress, but it'll be over soon.
Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.
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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.
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.
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Wednesday, 22 July 2015
Took All My Romanian Documents Back to My Parents' House
Since in early 2014 I was told that I couldn't get Romanian citizenship by the embassy in Lima and this was confirmed again in summer of 2014 by the consulate in Chicago, I decided to take my huge folder back to my parents' house in the USA and leave it there. I've have mixed feelings about all this, but I've been given closure so it's ok.
Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.
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Wednesday, 19 February 2014
They've Revoked My Romanian Birth Certificate and I'm Giving Up for Good
As you probably remember my docs were submitted to the Embassy of Romania in Peru at the end of October 2013. I was told it would be 3-4 weeks. So at the end of November, they asked for a link between my maiden name and married name and said it would be a little while longer. But their hands were tied, it was up to Bucharest to do what they had to do.
I thought that I'd hear something by January. I just received a long email from the embassy quoting laws, which are just letters and numbers to me. The long and short of it is that they've cancelled my birth certificate, so now I have nothing. They've cited that article 40 alin (2) of Law no. 119/1996 wasn't respected when I got my birth certificate (since the consul of Peru gave me my birth certificate, I completely blame him for not respecting the laws). According to article 57 of law no. 119/1996 and article 127 about civil status documents approved by government decision no. 64/2011 they've decided to revoke my birth certificate.
My mom still has a piece of paper from the Ministry of Internal Affairs stating that she's Romanian, however, the Chicago consulate has refused to register her marriage stating that she needs a passport and refuses to give her a passport stating that she needs to have her marriage registered. And let's not even get started with the fact that she has no CNP because they didn't exist when she was born.
I've been trying to get Romanian citizenship for years and years now. I've run into brick walls and kept going, but I think this is the straw that broke the camel's back. It's time to say this is enough and move on. For some reason it's simply not meant to be.
Ironically, this Saturday I received an email from someone who came across this blog and he wrote this, "May I ask you why you want to learn a useless language and get a useless citizenship from a f***ed up country like Romania ...I don't know what to do next in order to get out of this cursed place as soon as possible."
In some ways that sums up how I feel right now. Romanians have been leaving Romania in droves now that they're in the EU. How they got into the EU I don't know, though from talking to Romanians it seems to be a well-known secret that they outright lied about various issues in order to get in. The Romanian government sure has a long, long way to go to reach EU standards. The low salaries, high cost of living, and rampant bribery all add to the problem. Everyone in my family was asking me, "But Sharon, WHY do you want to become a Romanian citizenship?" There are many reasons why I want to get Romanian citizenship. However, I'm starting to see more and more problems with how the country is run.
I'm trying to get in, while many Romanians want out. Enough is enough, if you want to move on you simply have to move on.
Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.
I thought that I'd hear something by January. I just received a long email from the embassy quoting laws, which are just letters and numbers to me. The long and short of it is that they've cancelled my birth certificate, so now I have nothing. They've cited that article 40 alin (2) of Law no. 119/1996 wasn't respected when I got my birth certificate (since the consul of Peru gave me my birth certificate, I completely blame him for not respecting the laws). According to article 57 of law no. 119/1996 and article 127 about civil status documents approved by government decision no. 64/2011 they've decided to revoke my birth certificate.
My mom still has a piece of paper from the Ministry of Internal Affairs stating that she's Romanian, however, the Chicago consulate has refused to register her marriage stating that she needs a passport and refuses to give her a passport stating that she needs to have her marriage registered. And let's not even get started with the fact that she has no CNP because they didn't exist when she was born.
I've been trying to get Romanian citizenship for years and years now. I've run into brick walls and kept going, but I think this is the straw that broke the camel's back. It's time to say this is enough and move on. For some reason it's simply not meant to be.
Ironically, this Saturday I received an email from someone who came across this blog and he wrote this, "
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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.
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.
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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.
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.
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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.
More requirements and info.
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!
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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.
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.
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Friday, 23 August 2013
Helpful People at the Romanian Embassy in Seoul
I had problems with the Romanian embassy's email. Their email is now embassy@romania.ollehoffice.net
The man I spoke to on the phone was very nice and polite. He told me to send him copies of my documents and he would see what he could do. I sent him a scan of my Romanian birth cert, my mother's Romanian birth cert, and the letter from the Ministry of Internal Affairs stating that my mother is Romanian. Neither my mother's nor my birth certificates have CNPs.
I just went to the embassy today with my daughter. The woman I spoke to was so incredibly nice. Very polite and wonderful English. She also didn't tell me that I had to speak Romanian in order to get a passport (which is what people usually tell us, though since I'm applying to become Romanian due to birth rights it shouldn't matter. I'm not asking to be naturalised, I'm simply asking to get citizenship through my mother). She said that I need my CNP and that it usually takes 3 months. I told her that I'd been trying to get citizenship since 1999, so another three months isn't that much.
She copied my Romanian birth cert and my mother's Romanian birth cert. As well as my mother's proof of citizenship from the Ministry of the Interior. She says she will contact Sector 1 in Bucharest. After I get my CNP I have to register my marriage and that can either be done in Peru or Romania, so it looks like I might be going back to Romania. After that then I can get my passport. I'm excited, but I know that I've been so close before so I'm trying not to get my hopes up.
Fingers crossed it will work! Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.
The man I spoke to on the phone was very nice and polite. He told me to send him copies of my documents and he would see what he could do. I sent him a scan of my Romanian birth cert, my mother's Romanian birth cert, and the letter from the Ministry of Internal Affairs stating that my mother is Romanian. Neither my mother's nor my birth certificates have CNPs.
I just went to the embassy today with my daughter. The woman I spoke to was so incredibly nice. Very polite and wonderful English. She also didn't tell me that I had to speak Romanian in order to get a passport (which is what people usually tell us, though since I'm applying to become Romanian due to birth rights it shouldn't matter. I'm not asking to be naturalised, I'm simply asking to get citizenship through my mother). She said that I need my CNP and that it usually takes 3 months. I told her that I'd been trying to get citizenship since 1999, so another three months isn't that much.
She copied my Romanian birth cert and my mother's Romanian birth cert. As well as my mother's proof of citizenship from the Ministry of the Interior. She says she will contact Sector 1 in Bucharest. After I get my CNP I have to register my marriage and that can either be done in Peru or Romania, so it looks like I might be going back to Romania. After that then I can get my passport. I'm excited, but I know that I've been so close before so I'm trying not to get my hopes up.
Fingers crossed it will work! Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.
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Friday, 12 July 2013
Organising Documents Once Again
I'm in the US and got the folder of documents that my lawyer sent. I've organised everything and am hoping to go to the embassy in Seoul in August. One of my friends knows someone at the embassy and another one of my friends is Romanian. I'm hoping that somehow one (or both of them) will be able to help me out some way or another and I can finally get my CNP and my passport.
I've got ...
I've got ...
- My American original birth cert (with my mom's name change so that it matches her US naturalisation record) as well as a translation with apostillisation.
- My Romanian original birth cert.
- An apostilised copy of my mom's new Romanian birth cert.
- My mom's marriage cert (with my mom's name change so that it matches her US naturalisation record) as well as a translation with apostillisation.
- An original letter from the Ministry of Internal Affairs stating that my mom is a Romanian citizen.
- My original Peruvian marriage cert as well as a translation with apostillisation.
- Permission from my husband to register my marriage.
- Permission from my husband to change my name.
- My husband's original Peruvian birth cert as well as a translation with apostillisation.
- An apostillised copy with translation of my husband's Peruvian passport.
- My grandfather's original death cert as well as a translation with apostillisation.
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Wednesday, 3 July 2013
It's Been a While
I'm still not further closer to my quest than I was before. I've had a lot of things on my plate both personally and professionally. I'll be going back to visit my parents this summer and the Romanian documents are there waiting for me. I'm going to try again at the Romanian embassy in Seoul. I hope it works. As I mentioned before, the Seoul embassy has the nicest people I've come across so far since I've started trying to get citizenship.
Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.
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Saturday, 28 July 2012
Power of attorneys are no longer valid in Romania
My lawyer has been extremely helpful over the years and if it not for him and his wife I would have given up long ago. This spring the Romanian government, made it virtually impossible for people to get anything done using a POA (Power of Attorney). This means that you need to deal with the nearest Romanian embassy or consulate or go to Romania and deal with the authorities in person. Due to this my lawyer will not be accepting any new citizenship cases. In addition, it means that he will be sending me all my documents, which are in a folder about 3 inches thick, for me to apply for my CNP, Passport, and ID card here in Korea.
I called the embassy and there's a catch 22 with all the documents. Nonetheless I'm going to try. According to my lawyer, I'll need to get my marriage cert and possibly my mom's marriage cert from the embassy. I'm hoping that I won't need my parents'. I didn't when I got my birth cert. For some reason I also have to get permission from my mom to apply to become Romanian. Why, I don't know. I'm not underage. With those docs, along with proof that my mom's a citizen and my birth cert I should be able to get the CNP. If I can, then everything else should fall into place. It sounds nice and easy, but it rarely is. I'm always missing one or two docs that are impossible to get.
Although the embassy was very nice, it says I need a lot of other things online, but that seems to be very different from my case. Rather it's more for Romanians who for some reason have let their Romanian passports expire while abroad and are unable to renew them there and therefore cannot leave the country to go to Romania in order to renew them. Or children of Romanian couples who came to live abroad and never registered their children as Romanians. The couples would have had an address in Romania, whereas I don't. It's all very confusing. My case is very different:
If push comes to shove and it doesn't work, I'm entertaining the idea of moving to Romania for a year or so in order to get everything done. I won't save as much as Korea, but I can already read and it shouldn't take too long to learn how to speak Romanian. Plus, I have a list of schools and TEFL institutes that I could work at. Though I'm risking moving to Romania and being told that I can't get the documents in Romania and that I have to go to the US, Korea, Peru, etc in order to get them. It's so much easier to fob people off than to actually help them. Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.
I called the embassy and there's a catch 22 with all the documents. Nonetheless I'm going to try. According to my lawyer, I'll need to get my marriage cert and possibly my mom's marriage cert from the embassy. I'm hoping that I won't need my parents'. I didn't when I got my birth cert. For some reason I also have to get permission from my mom to apply to become Romanian. Why, I don't know. I'm not underage. With those docs, along with proof that my mom's a citizen and my birth cert I should be able to get the CNP. If I can, then everything else should fall into place. It sounds nice and easy, but it rarely is. I'm always missing one or two docs that are impossible to get.
Although the embassy was very nice, it says I need a lot of other things online, but that seems to be very different from my case. Rather it's more for Romanians who for some reason have let their Romanian passports expire while abroad and are unable to renew them there and therefore cannot leave the country to go to Romania in order to renew them. Or children of Romanian couples who came to live abroad and never registered their children as Romanians. The couples would have had an address in Romania, whereas I don't. It's all very confusing. My case is very different:
- I don't have immediate family in Romania.
- I was never a Romanian resident.
- I've never had a Romanian passport.
- I have to get a CNP before I can get a passport.
- I can't get a passport without a CNP.
If push comes to shove and it doesn't work, I'm entertaining the idea of moving to Romania for a year or so in order to get everything done. I won't save as much as Korea, but I can already read and it shouldn't take too long to learn how to speak Romanian. Plus, I have a list of schools and TEFL institutes that I could work at. Though I'm risking moving to Romania and being told that I can't get the documents in Romania and that I have to go to the US, Korea, Peru, etc in order to get them. It's so much easier to fob people off than to actually help them. Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.
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Wednesday, 3 August 2011
Day 8 in Romania: celebrating my birthday in Bucharest
← Day 7 in Romania
Happy Birthday to me! I never imagined that I'd spend my birthday in Romania. It kind of stinks to be alone though. I'm 29 now and the baby is 28 weeks along. I didn't exactly have the best birthday though since I had to deal with Romanian bureaucracy.
We went to the Registry Office for Sector 1. It was supposed to open at 9am. So around 9am they opened the door and quickly closed it. Then opened it again and closed it. No one had been in or out yet. They did that about 4 more times before they actually opening the door and let the avalanche of people in.
Once you got in you had to tell the guy who was blocking the stairs where you wanted to go. So he sent us up to the 5th floor. No elevators either. We get there and the office is empty. We wait and some woman finally shows up. She looks like she's about to go clubbing with fake eyelashes and long, fake nails. We talk to her and she tells us to go back to the other registry office that Yolanda went to on Monday (that registry office sent us here). We tell her that and she offers to call them. She picks up her phone and it doesn't work. It's probably not even connected.
My lawyer's wife says it's typical of Romania. That people don't want to really do anything, so they just send you to someone else or to another office. It probably has something to do with the fact that government salaries were just cut by 25% and taxes went up to 25% from 19%.
So this woman tells us to go down to the basement and push our way to the front of the line. So we do and the security guard won't let us in. Since they won't see us at this registry office, we're going to have to go to the passport office, where they know her and they're nice to her. She says there is a special place for foreigners and that's where she goes with my applicaton. We lug my huge 5 inch file folder out and arrange to meet later.
Of all the countries I've lived and worked in, I've never seen anything like the mess at the registry office. Government offices in Peru are even better than that. And I'm not one to speak highly of Peru.
Since I still had most of the day ahead of me, I decided to visit the 3rd St Nicolas Church near Lipscani, but it was closed. Ironically, it had a government office nearby with tons of people. Nearby Doamnei Church was a Peruvian store. I couldn't believe it. I went in to talk to the owner. He was Peruvian. he says there are only about 40 Peruvians in Romania. He's studying to be a doctor. He's rather old, about middle age, and imports things such as Peruvian chess sets and alpaca clothing to Romania. He complained about the tax hike as well. His shop is called Inca Land. He started off small, selling earrings on the street near Bucharest University and now has his own shop and has to pay 1000 euro a month just for rent.
After talking to him I went to the Romanian History Museum which was nearby, but again, hot, with no AC, and closed windows. It's like they don't want people to actually visit the museums.
I tried to find a good book to read since I had already finished mine on the trip over. Anthony Frost Bookstore was way too expensive and the one next door had cheaper books, but they were all in Romanian.
Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.
Happy Birthday to me! I never imagined that I'd spend my birthday in Romania. It kind of stinks to be alone though. I'm 29 now and the baby is 28 weeks along. I didn't exactly have the best birthday though since I had to deal with Romanian bureaucracy.
We went to the Registry Office for Sector 1. It was supposed to open at 9am. So around 9am they opened the door and quickly closed it. Then opened it again and closed it. No one had been in or out yet. They did that about 4 more times before they actually opening the door and let the avalanche of people in.
Once you got in you had to tell the guy who was blocking the stairs where you wanted to go. So he sent us up to the 5th floor. No elevators either. We get there and the office is empty. We wait and some woman finally shows up. She looks like she's about to go clubbing with fake eyelashes and long, fake nails. We talk to her and she tells us to go back to the other registry office that Yolanda went to on Monday (that registry office sent us here). We tell her that and she offers to call them. She picks up her phone and it doesn't work. It's probably not even connected.
My lawyer's wife says it's typical of Romania. That people don't want to really do anything, so they just send you to someone else or to another office. It probably has something to do with the fact that government salaries were just cut by 25% and taxes went up to 25% from 19%.
So this woman tells us to go down to the basement and push our way to the front of the line. So we do and the security guard won't let us in. Since they won't see us at this registry office, we're going to have to go to the passport office, where they know her and they're nice to her. She says there is a special place for foreigners and that's where she goes with my applicaton. We lug my huge 5 inch file folder out and arrange to meet later.
Of all the countries I've lived and worked in, I've never seen anything like the mess at the registry office. Government offices in Peru are even better than that. And I'm not one to speak highly of Peru.
Since I still had most of the day ahead of me, I decided to visit the 3rd St Nicolas Church near Lipscani, but it was closed. Ironically, it had a government office nearby with tons of people. Nearby Doamnei Church was a Peruvian store. I couldn't believe it. I went in to talk to the owner. He was Peruvian. he says there are only about 40 Peruvians in Romania. He's studying to be a doctor. He's rather old, about middle age, and imports things such as Peruvian chess sets and alpaca clothing to Romania. He complained about the tax hike as well. His shop is called Inca Land. He started off small, selling earrings on the street near Bucharest University and now has his own shop and has to pay 1000 euro a month just for rent.
After talking to him I went to the Romanian History Museum which was nearby, but again, hot, with no AC, and closed windows. It's like they don't want people to actually visit the museums.
I tried to find a good book to read since I had already finished mine on the trip over. Anthony Frost Bookstore was way too expensive and the one next door had cheaper books, but they were all in Romanian.
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Tuesday, 2 August 2011
Day 7 in Romania: churches and museums in Bucharest
← Day 6 in Romania
I tried to go to the Natural History Museum, but it was closed for renovation, so I went to the Peasant Museum. It was neat, but not as nice as I thought it would be. It was also very hot and had no places to sit down. There were no toilets either. They had some postcards that I got though.
I also visited the George Enescu Museum, which was very small with only a couple rooms. It's hard to find since it's number 141, but the numbers opposite it are around 200.
I saw another St Nicolas Church, it seems to be a popular name. However, this one is known as the Biserica Alba, since it's white.
My lawyer's wife says that the Romanian authorities want to re-issue all my documents, including my Romanian birth cert since it doesn't have a CNP. They even want to re-issue my husband's Peruvian birth cert in Romania. I don't get the logic behind any of this.
Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.
I tried to go to the Natural History Museum, but it was closed for renovation, so I went to the Peasant Museum. It was neat, but not as nice as I thought it would be. It was also very hot and had no places to sit down. There were no toilets either. They had some postcards that I got though.
I also visited the George Enescu Museum, which was very small with only a couple rooms. It's hard to find since it's number 141, but the numbers opposite it are around 200.
I saw another St Nicolas Church, it seems to be a popular name. However, this one is known as the Biserica Alba, since it's white.
My lawyer's wife says that the Romanian authorities want to re-issue all my documents, including my Romanian birth cert since it doesn't have a CNP. They even want to re-issue my husband's Peruvian birth cert in Romania. I don't get the logic behind any of this.
Disclaimer:
- Please join my Patreon page
- University of Toronto's Online TEFL Course
Saturday, 23 July 2011
Good news!
My lawyer and his wife are fantastic! My mom was feeling very bad about not getting her birth cert to me. I'm wary about it having sent through the mail. We were told you only get one and that's it. No more. You lose it, you're in trouble.
Well, seems like they were wrong. Or things changed. My lawyer and his wife have gotten it re-issued in Bucharest. So they have it there, just waiting for me to come. I'll be bringing my Romanian birth cert (sans the ID number that they left off).
So with my mom's birth cert and my birth cert, both from Romania, we should get somewhere. I don't think I could get my passport, since we have to have Romania re-issue all the non-Romanian documents, like
1. My husband's birth cert from Peru
2. Our marriage cert from Peru
3. My grandfather's death cert from the US
4. My parent's marriage cert from the US
That's ok if I don't get my passport. I'll be happy if I can get a document from the Ministry of Internal Affairs saying that I'm a citizen, like they gave my mom.
I don't know why. They've been apostillised and translated, but we have been told that they have to be re-issued in Romania. Maybe that means registered. Not sure. Either way, I'll be there soon and it'll be great to visit a country I've been wanting to visit for years! Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.
Well, seems like they were wrong. Or things changed. My lawyer and his wife have gotten it re-issued in Bucharest. So they have it there, just waiting for me to come. I'll be bringing my Romanian birth cert (sans the ID number that they left off).
So with my mom's birth cert and my birth cert, both from Romania, we should get somewhere. I don't think I could get my passport, since we have to have Romania re-issue all the non-Romanian documents, like
1. My husband's birth cert from Peru
2. Our marriage cert from Peru
3. My grandfather's death cert from the US
4. My parent's marriage cert from the US
That's ok if I don't get my passport. I'll be happy if I can get a document from the Ministry of Internal Affairs saying that I'm a citizen, like they gave my mom.
I don't know why. They've been apostillised and translated, but we have been told that they have to be re-issued in Romania. Maybe that means registered. Not sure. Either way, I'll be there soon and it'll be great to visit a country I've been wanting to visit for years! Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.
Disclaimer:
- Please join my Patreon page
- University of Toronto's Online TEFL Course
Friday, 22 July 2011
More problems
My mom just sent off her birth cert to be apostillised. It should take 2 to 3 weeks for that, plus it has to be sent to Romania. Looks like it won't be done on time.
I emailed the Chicago consulate and asked about apostillisation and they never got back to me. My mom called a couple of times and they didn't answer. Seems like things are similar to when we went back in 2006. Luckily, the Romanian embassy here in Seoul answered the phone. They told my that apostillisation takes 3 months. So that's out. They're very nice and speak English very well at the embassy in Seoul. Courteous and helpful. I like this embassy.
Anyways, looks like we won't have my mom's birth cert, though my lawyer doesn't think it'll be a problem since he can get another one. Plus, my mom doesn't matter anymore, since in theory, my Romanian birth certificate should be enough. Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.
I emailed the Chicago consulate and asked about apostillisation and they never got back to me. My mom called a couple of times and they didn't answer. Seems like things are similar to when we went back in 2006. Luckily, the Romanian embassy here in Seoul answered the phone. They told my that apostillisation takes 3 months. So that's out. They're very nice and speak English very well at the embassy in Seoul. Courteous and helpful. I like this embassy.
Anyways, looks like we won't have my mom's birth cert, though my lawyer doesn't think it'll be a problem since he can get another one. Plus, my mom doesn't matter anymore, since in theory, my Romanian birth certificate should be enough. Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.
Disclaimer:
- Please join my Patreon page
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Sunday, 20 February 2011
Applying for my passport
Finally, after years of paperwork and wild goose chases, we found out that my mom is still a citizen. Due to this, I can apply for a passport. Here's all the items my lawyer will be submitting. Not all of these are original forms, but certified copies are all my lawyer needs.
● My Romanian birth cert and American birth cert
● My Peruvian marriage cert (for name purposes)
● Mom's birth certs (old and new one)
● Mom's American marriage cert
● My passport
● Power of Attorney
● Declaration of no criminal record
● Cert of Mom's Citizenship issued by the Immigration Office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs
The passport application normally takes 30 working days, but we're going to allow 60 for possible delays, because things always take longer! They may not physically give my lawyer my passport, because the power of attorney authorizes them to apply for citizenship (which would include the passport, but not to receive it, and they might want to see my American passport (so I'd have to send it to my lawyer).
The way around this is that my lawyer will request them to send it an embassy. I might have to sign a sworn declaration, but that would hopefully be the last thing I'd have to sign. Then a couple weeks later I could pick up my passport. Worse case senario, is that I'd have to go to Romania and get it. But, I'm planning on going to Europe anyways for the summer.
Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.
● My Romanian birth cert and American birth cert
● My Peruvian marriage cert (for name purposes)
● Mom's birth certs (old and new one)
● Mom's American marriage cert
● My passport
● Power of Attorney
● Declaration of no criminal record
● Cert of Mom's Citizenship issued by the Immigration Office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs
The passport application normally takes 30 working days, but we're going to allow 60 for possible delays, because things always take longer! They may not physically give my lawyer my passport, because the power of attorney authorizes them to apply for citizenship (which would include the passport, but not to receive it, and they might want to see my American passport (so I'd have to send it to my lawyer).
The way around this is that my lawyer will request them to send it an embassy. I might have to sign a sworn declaration, but that would hopefully be the last thing I'd have to sign. Then a couple weeks later I could pick up my passport. Worse case senario, is that I'd have to go to Romania and get it. But, I'm planning on going to Europe anyways for the summer.
Disclaimer:
- Please join my Patreon page
- University of Toronto's Online TEFL Course
Friday, 15 October 2010
FAQ: What does the UNHCR say about rights to citizenship?
Question
If Romania is a signatory to the UNHCR, then you have a right to Romanian citizenship. You have a right to return to the country of your birth. You cannot lose your citizenship unless you specifically denounce/renounce citizenship (and this is a specific process). Bureaucrats are playing politics.
The solution is often beating them at their game before they play. Do the research. Quote the law at them. Treaties are legally binding and modify existing law (e.g. the Constitution) unless specifically overturned in court. What often happens is that something is rejected on a technicality. This protects the bureaucrat from responsibility.
The solution is twofold- give them legal basis to grant your claim and thereby protect them from mistakes. If Romania give Grandma citizenship, then she's got it. Next step (separate) apply for your own citizenship. One step at a time. You don't always dump all ingredients into a pan to make bread (dough must be kneaded, etc.) so why should you do other things that way?
Best wishes.
Answer
Romania's laws during the communist regime say that if you LEFT Romania, no matter what age, your citizenship was revoked. Here's what makes it worse. When my grandfather he left he wasn't even given a Romanian passport, just papers.
My grandmother was Romanian through marriage. She left with my mom and my aunt. They were given "stateless" passports, which according to the UNHCR isn't possible. I guess the loophole is that they were on my grandma's passport. Since she was a naturalised Romanian citizenship, maybe they could revoke her citizenship. And since my mom and my aunt were underage, they were simply put on my grandma's passport.
I've tried. Seriously I have. I'm ready to pull my hair out.
So in theory, if you want to uphold communist regime laws, then no one in my family HAS citizenship and we'd have to re-acquire it. My mom and I can't since our Romanian language skills aren't that good. They have to be fluent. And one the main reasons why I'm doing this is so that my kids can be citizens and I have to get citizenship before they're born and it looks like that's not going to happen.
I've tried quoted laws. For the past 10 years I've been searching for laws, Israel has the most compentent info. I FINALLY got my birth cert, after nearly a decade. Now they say it's no good. It's a Catch 22. Simply put: they don't WANT me to have citizenship, so I probably won't get it.
Until you've dealt with Romanian govt officials, you really have no idea what you're getting yourself into. I have a lawyer and he's also given the run around. They don't want us. That's it.
Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.
If Romania is a signatory to the UNHCR, then you have a right to Romanian citizenship. You have a right to return to the country of your birth. You cannot lose your citizenship unless you specifically denounce/renounce citizenship (and this is a specific process). Bureaucrats are playing politics.
The solution is often beating them at their game before they play. Do the research. Quote the law at them. Treaties are legally binding and modify existing law (e.g. the Constitution) unless specifically overturned in court. What often happens is that something is rejected on a technicality. This protects the bureaucrat from responsibility.
The solution is twofold- give them legal basis to grant your claim and thereby protect them from mistakes. If Romania give Grandma citizenship, then she's got it. Next step (separate) apply for your own citizenship. One step at a time. You don't always dump all ingredients into a pan to make bread (dough must be kneaded, etc.) so why should you do other things that way?
Best wishes.
Answer
Romania's laws during the communist regime say that if you LEFT Romania, no matter what age, your citizenship was revoked. Here's what makes it worse. When my grandfather he left he wasn't even given a Romanian passport, just papers.
My grandmother was Romanian through marriage. She left with my mom and my aunt. They were given "stateless" passports, which according to the UNHCR isn't possible. I guess the loophole is that they were on my grandma's passport. Since she was a naturalised Romanian citizenship, maybe they could revoke her citizenship. And since my mom and my aunt were underage, they were simply put on my grandma's passport.
I've tried. Seriously I have. I'm ready to pull my hair out.
So in theory, if you want to uphold communist regime laws, then no one in my family HAS citizenship and we'd have to re-acquire it. My mom and I can't since our Romanian language skills aren't that good. They have to be fluent. And one the main reasons why I'm doing this is so that my kids can be citizens and I have to get citizenship before they're born and it looks like that's not going to happen.
I've tried quoted laws. For the past 10 years I've been searching for laws, Israel has the most compentent info. I FINALLY got my birth cert, after nearly a decade. Now they say it's no good. It's a Catch 22. Simply put: they don't WANT me to have citizenship, so I probably won't get it.
Until you've dealt with Romanian govt officials, you really have no idea what you're getting yourself into. I have a lawyer and he's also given the run around. They don't want us. That's it.
Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.
Disclaimer:
- Please join my Patreon page
- University of Toronto's Online TEFL Course
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