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EU/EEA/Swiss registration — EU-national family member of a Romanian citizen

RomaniaFree movement

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

Official link

Which citizenship, status or regional agreement creates the person's right to move/reside?

Romania's free-movement emergency ordinance sets the conditions for exercising the right of free movement, residence and permanent residence in Romania of citizens of the European Union and of the European Economic Area states and their family members who accompany or join them, and of citizens of the Swiss Confederation and their family members. For this purpose an 'EU citizen' is a national of an EU member state other than Romania, so the right belongs to the person's own EU/EEA/Swiss citizenship.

See recorded sources

Under which circumstances can the person reside: worker, self-employed, student, jobseeker, self-funded person or another recognised basis?

An EU/EEA/Swiss citizen may reside in Romania for more than 3 months as a family member of a Romanian citizen who has domicile or residence in Romania. 'Family member' means the spouse, direct descendants under 21 or dependent (and those of the spouse), and dependent direct ascendants (and those of the spouse).

See recorded sources

What entry, registration or residence-document formalities remain?

EU citizens enter at any open border crossing on a valid national identity card or passport, without an entry stamp. Within 3 months of entry the person must apply to the competent territorial office of the immigration authority for a registration certificate with the application form, a valid national identity card or passport (original and copy), the civil-status act proving marriage or documents proving kinship with the Romanian citizen, the Romanian citizen's valid identity card (original and copy) and proof of health insurance. The certificate is valid for 5 years from issue (or, at the citizen's request, a shorter period of not less than one year).

See recorded sources
  • https://igi.mai.gov.ro/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ORDONANTA-DE-URGENTA-nr.-102-din-14-iulie-2005.pdf
    (1) Intrarea cetăţenilor Uniunii Europene pe teritoriul României este permisă prin toate punctele de trecere a frontierei de stat deschise traficului de persoane, cu condiţia prezentării documentului naţional de identitate, a paşaportului sau a unui document eliberat în condiţiile prezentei ordonanţe de urgenţă pentru cetăţenii Uniunii Europene, valabil, fără a se aplică ştampila de intrare de către organele poliţiei de frontieră în oricare dintre aceste documente.
  • https://igi.mai.gov.ro/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ORDONANTA-DE-URGENTA-nr.-102-din-14-iulie-2005.pdf
    (1) În vederea luării în evidenţă şi eliberării certificatului de înregistrare, cetăţenii Uniunii Europene prevăzuţi la art. 12 alin. (1) lit. d) trebuie să depună, la sediul formaţiunii teritoriale competente a Oficiului Român pentru Imigrări, în termen de 3 luni de la data intrării pe teritoriul României, o cerere însoţită de documentul naţional de identitate sau paşaportul, valabile, precum şi de următoarele documente: a) actul de stare civilă care atestă căsătoria sau, după caz, documentele care atestă legătura de rudenie cu rezidentul, în condiţiile art. 9 alin. (6), ori cu cetăţeanul român, în condiţiile legii, şi atunci când este cazul; b) cartea de identitate valabilă a cetăţeanului român al cărui membru de familie este.
  • https://igi.mai.gov.ro/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ORDONANTA-DE-URGENTA-nr.-102-din-14-iulie-2005.pdf
    (3) Cetăţeanul Uniunii Europene, membru de familie al unui cetăţean român, este obligat să facă dovada asigurării de sănătate.
  • https://igi.mai.gov.ro/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ORDONANTA-DE-URGENTA-nr.-102-din-14-iulie-2005.pdf
    (4) Valabilitatea certificatului de înregistrare prevăzut la alin. (1) este de 5 ani de la data emiterii. La solicitarea cetăţeanului Uniunii Europene, certificatul de înregistrare poate fi emis pentru o perioadă mai mică de 5 ani, dar nu mai puţin de un an.
  • https://igi.mai.gov.ro/en/citizens-of-eu-eea/
    1.4.B Family members of the Romanian citizen application form; ID card or passport (original and copy); act of civil status certifying marriage or, if necessary, documents certifying the family relationship with the resident; identity card of the Romanian citizen in original and copy; proof of the existing health insurance;

Which non-member-country family members can accompany or join, and what broad rights do they receive?

Non-EU family members (including dependants and partners who are not EU citizens) may reside in Romania for more than 3 months when they accompany or later join an EU citizen who is a worker, is self-sufficient or is a student; they receive a residence card for a family member of an EU citizen, valid up to 5 years but not beyond the EU citizen's residence period. The official source does not state such a right where the EU citizen resides in Romania only as the family member of a Romanian citizen. EU citizens and their family members exercising residence rights enjoy equal treatment with Romanian citizens within the scope of the EU Treaties.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Art. 12(2) ties the non-EU family members' right to an EU citizen meeting art. 12(1)(a)-(c); the source does not state a right for third-country family members of an EU citizen who resides only as a family member of a Romanian citizen (art. 12(1)(d)).

When do permanent/long-term rights arise and what continuity, absence or retention conditions matter?

EU citizens with continuous and lawful residence in Romania for at least 5 years acquire the right of permanent residence; non-EU family members with 5 years' continuous residence as family members of a resident or permanently resident EU citizen also qualify. Continuity is not broken by temporary absences not exceeding 6 months a year, compulsory military service, absences of up to 12 consecutive months for important reasons (pregnancy and childbirth, serious illness, study or vocational training, posting to another member state or third country), or a custodial sentence in Romania of less than 6 months. The permanent right is lost after an absence from Romania of more than 2 consecutive years. The permanent residence card is valid 10 years (5 years for persons under 14).

See recorded sources

These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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