Residence Through Family Connection
Romania provides specific residence pathways for eligible foreign family members of Romanian citizens.
These rules are separate from the standard family reunification procedure for family members of non-EU foreign residents.
CETO Global Immigration Consulting & Partners assists international families in understanding the applicable residence pathway and coordinates the process together with qualified legal and immigration professionals.
Depending on the individual circumstances, eligible family members can include:
A foreign national legally married to a Romanian citizen may apply under the family-member residence pathway.
For the residence procedure, the marriage must generally be evidenced by a Romanian marriage certificate.
If the marriage was concluded abroad, the foreign marriage certificate may need to be transcribed into the Romanian civil-status register before it is used for the residence procedure.
Romanian rules also recognise certain unmarried partners. A foreign partner may qualify where the foreign national and Romanian citizen:
The relationship must be supported by appropriate civil-status and family documentation.
Eligible children can include:
The IGI rules recognise children who are under 21 years of age or, in certain cases, who continue their studies and have not exceeded 26 years of age, or who cannot support themselves for medical reasons.
Specific evidence of family relationship and dependency may be required.
First-degree relatives in the ascending line can potentially qualify. This can include:
The applicant must provide evidence of the family relationship and satisfy the applicable residence requirements.
A foreign national who is the parent of a minor Romanian citizen can also have access to a specific family residence pathway. The foreign parent must generally demonstrate that:
Family members of Romanian citizens who require a visa generally apply directly for the Romanian Long-Stay Visa for Family Reunification at the competent Romanian embassy or consulate in the country where they reside.
Unlike the ordinary family reunification route for a foreign sponsor, there is generally no separate prior sponsor-approval stage with IGI before the visa application for family members of Romanian citizens.
Depending on the family relationship, supporting documents can include:
The exact documentation depends on the relationship used for the application.
The Romanian long-stay family reunification visa is generally granted for 90 days, with one or more entries.
90 Days
After entering Romania, the foreign family member must obtain the appropriate residence permit from the Romanian General Inspectorate for Immigration.
The residence documentation confirms the person's right to remain in Romania as a qualifying family member of a Romanian citizen.
Application, Valid Passport / Travel Document, Romanian Citizen's Identity Document, Romanian Marriage Certificate, Declaration That the Foreign Spouse Is Not in Another Marriage, Proof of Legal Accommodation, Proof of Social Health Insurance, Medical Certificate, Applicable Fees.
Application, Valid Passport, Romanian Citizen's Identity Document, Birth Certificate of Their Romanian Child, Declaration That the Couple Lives Together, Proof That Both Partners Are Unmarried, Proof of Legal Accommodation, Social Health Insurance, Medical Certificate, Applicable Fees.
Application, Valid Passport, Romanian Citizen's Identity Document, Birth Certificate or Other Proof of Kinship, Evidence of Dependency where required, Declaration That the Family Lives Together, Proof of Accommodation, Health Insurance, Medical Certificate, Applicable Fees.
Foreign civil-status documents may require translation, apostille or legalization.
Romanian authorities can refuse a family-based visa or residence application where the relationship is determined to be a marriage of convenience.
Applications may also be refused where there is evidence of bigamy or polygamy.
Family members of Romanian citizens who hold qualifying temporary residence for family reunification can benefit from favourable access to employment.
IGI specifically lists foreign nationals holding temporary residence for family reunification as family members of a Romanian citizen among categories that can work without the standard employment-permit procedure required for many other third-country nationals.
Family members of Romanian citizens may eventually qualify for long-term residence in Romania, provided they satisfy the applicable continuous-residence and other legal requirements.
Romania generally requires 5 years of continuous qualifying residence for long-term residence.
For family members of Romanian citizens, the resulting long-term residence permit is currently valid for 10 years. This differs from the five-year card validity generally applied to many other long-term resident categories.
5 Years to Qualify, 10-Year Card
We review the family relationship and identify the appropriate Romanian family-member category.
Marriage, birth, parentage and other family documents are reviewed and, where necessary, prepared for Romanian use.
Where required, the foreign family member applies directly at the competent Romanian diplomatic mission or consular office.
Following visa approval, the family member enters Romania.
The applicant applies for the appropriate residence permit with IGI.
Where applicable, the family member can access Romanian employment and begin building a longer-term residence history.
After meeting the applicable qualifying residence period and other conditions, long-term residence may become available.
Potentially yes. A legally married foreign spouse is one of the principal recognised family-member categories.
If the marriage was concluded abroad, the certificate generally needs to be transcribed under Romanian civil-status rules before being used for the family residence process.
Yes, in specific circumstances. Romania recognises certain unmarried partners where both partners are unmarried, live together and have at least one child together.
Potentially. Romanian rules can cover certain children over 18, including children continuing studies up to age 26 or children unable to support themselves for medical reasons.
Potentially yes. The foreign parent of a minor Romanian citizen can qualify where the child is in their care or where a maintenance obligation exists and is regularly fulfilled.
Family members of Romanian citizens holding the applicable temporary family residence are among the categories that can access employment without the ordinary work-permit process required for many third-country workers.
Yes, potentially. After five years of qualifying continuous residence and satisfaction of the other requirements, long-term residence may become available.
For qualifying family members of Romanian citizens, the current long-term residence permit is issued with a validity of 10 years.
Residence Through Your Romanian Family Connection
If you are the spouse, partner, child, parent or other qualifying family member of a Romanian citizen, CETO can help assess your residence options and coordinate the immigration procedure together with qualified professional partners.
Eligibility depends on the family relationship, civil-status documentation, residence circumstances and Romanian immigration law applicable at the time of application.
Marriage or family relationship alone does not remove the need to satisfy the applicable immigration and documentation requirements.
