Rights for refugees, displaced persons and deportees
Allowances for families who fled, were relocated or were deported
The Romanian state pays monthly allowances to people who were refugees, displaced or deported in the 1940s and 1950s and, under certain conditions, to their children. The lawyer checks which law fits your family, searches for proof in the archives of Romania, Moldova and Ukraine, and files the application.
- No deadline for new applications
- Proof searched for in archives in 3 countries
- Old property claims, deadline 2028
Who qualifies
Which rights you can still claim in 2026
Several laws gave compensation for losses from the 1940s. Some closed long ago, but two are still open to new applications today, with no deadline.
Refugees or relocation on ethnic grounds (Government Ordinance (OG) 105/1999)
For people persecuted on ethnic grounds between 6 September 1940 and 6 March 1945, including those who became refugees, were expelled or were relocated. For refugees from Bessarabia and Bukovina, you must prove the ethnic reason and the period. Proof that the family left is not enough on its own.
Deportation, forced relocation or captivity (Decree-Law (DL) 118/1990)
For people deported abroad after 23 August 1944, people relocated for political reasons after 6 March 1945, for example to the Bărăgan Plain in 1951, and people held prisoner by the Soviets after 23 August 1944. Many families who had fled Bessarabia and Bukovina were among those deported to the Bărăgan.
Children of persecuted people
Under both laws, children have their own right to the allowance after the parent’s death. For children of refugees (OG 105/1999), payment starts on 1 January 2027 after several delays, but you can already apply now.
What the application depends on
- Romanian citizenship: required for Decree-Law 118/1990; OG 105/1999 also covers former Romanian citizens
- official proof: archive certificates, refugee cards, evacuation lists, military documents
- a birth certificate from Bessarabia and a death certificate from Romania do not prove the flight on their own
- people who served fascist organizations or the communist repression apparatus, and their children, are excluded
Law 290/2003 no longer accepts new applications
Compensation for property left behind in Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina and the Hertsa region could be claimed until 1 May 2007, and compensation for Southern Dobruja (the Cadrilater, Law 9/1998) until 29 January 2008. These deadlines were never reopened, so any promise of a new claim under these laws has no legal basis.
Do you have an old claim at ANRP?
More than 4,500 claims filed up to 2007 were moved in 2023 to the National Authority for Property Restitution (ANRP), where a special commission must decide them by 31 December 2028. If the applicant has died, heirs with Romanian citizenship can continue the claim. They have 120 days to answer any request for documents, or they lose the right. In 2026, the commission awarded money in about one in ten claims it reviewed, so complete proof matters.
Documents
What counts as proof
Each law asks for proof of what happened, of the period and of the family link. The proof is usually spread across archives in Romania, Moldova and Ukraine.
Since November 2024, documents filed for OG 105/1999 applications no longer need an apostille or superlegalization. Documents in Ukrainian or Russian still need a translation into Romanian.
- The refugee card, the evacuation record or an archive certificate showing that the family was registered as refugees
- Documents about deportation, forced relocation or compulsory residence, from the National Archives or the Military Archives
- For old Law 290/2003 claims: contracts, dowry papers, land register extracts, farm registers, tax receipts
- Civil status documents linking the child or heir to the persecuted person
- The certificate of inheritance or the court judgment, for claims taken over by heirs
- Your identity document and proof of Romanian citizenship, where the law requires it
Steps
How the application works
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1
We find out which law fits
You tell us your family’s story: who left, from where, when and where they ended up. The lawyer tells you which law may apply and which proof needs to be found.
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2
We search for the proof
At the National Archives and their county offices, at the National Archives Agency in Chișinău and, through our partners in Ukraine, at the state archives in Chernivtsi and Odesa.
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3
We file the application
At the County Pension Office for OG 105/1999, or at the County Agency for Payments and Social Inspection for Decree-Law 118/1990. If you live abroad, you do not have to come to Romania.
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4
The decision
The commission decides within 30 days, and the right starts from the month after you apply.
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5
The appeal
If the application is rejected, you can challenge the decision at the tribunal within 30 days. For OG 105/1999 there is no court stamp duty.
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6
The payment
The allowance is paid monthly through the pension office. It is tax-free, and you can receive it on top of your pension.
What the lawyer does
What the lawyer does
Courts have rejected applications where the flight or the ethnic reason was not proven with official documents. That is why the lawyer’s work starts in the archives, before the application.
Searches for proof in three countries
Archives in Romania and the Republic of Moldova, and in Ukraine, through our partners, the state archives in Chernivtsi and Odesa.
Chooses the right law
The flight of 1940, the evacuation of 1944 and the deportation to the Bărăgan fall under different laws, with different conditions.
Keeps the 120-day deadline
In old ANRP claims, missing the deadline for requested documents means losing the right. We prepare the documents before the request arrives.
Takes over the claim for heirs
If the person who filed the claim has died, the heirs continue it at ANRP, based on the certificate of inheritance.
Challenges rejections
Decisions of the pension office, the payments agency or the ANRP commission can be challenged at the tribunal within 30 days.
Helps you with citizenship
Decree-Law 118/1990 requires Romanian citizenship. If you do not have it, you can first apply for it under Article 11.
No false promises
What we do not promise
Each application is decided by the commission of the pension office, the payments agency or ANRP, based on the proof. That is why we do not promise you an allowance, an amount or a date.
- We do not file new claims under Law 290/2003 or Law 9/1998, because their deadlines ran out in 2007 and 2008.
- Payment for the children of refugees has been postponed several times. The current date is 1 January 2027, but it may change again.
- Leaving Bessarabia or Bukovina does not by itself give a right to the allowance. You must prove the reason and the period the law requires.
Questions
My grandfather fled Bessarabia. Can I get anything?
Grandchildren have no right of their own to these allowances. If your parent was a refugee and has died, you, as their child, can apply under OG 105/1999, if the ethnic reason and the period are proven. The flight of June-July 1940 happened before 6 September 1940, so the evacuations of 1944 fit the period in the law more clearly.
Do I have to live in Romania?
No. Both laws also apply to people who live abroad. Decree-Law 118/1990, however, requires Romanian citizenship.
How much is the allowance?
The law sets a monthly amount for each year: 350 Romanian lei a month for each year as a refugee (OG 105/1999) and 700 lei a month for each year of deportation or forced relocation (DL 118/1990), at the 2020 level, raised by 13.8% in 2024 and frozen since then. The pension office confirms the exact amount.
My family filed under Law 290/2003 before 2007. Is the claim still open?
Yes, if it has not been decided. The special commission at ANRP must decide by 31 December 2028, and the money is then paid in 5 yearly installments. Heirs can take over the claim, as long as they meet the Romanian citizenship condition set by law.
How much does it cost?
Applications under Law 290/2003 and OG 105/1999 are exempt from fees. You get the lawyer’s fee in writing before you sign, once we see what proof exists.
Where are my family’s documents?
At the National Archives of Romania and their county offices, at the Military Archives, at the National Archives Agency in Chișinău and at the state archives in the Chernivtsi and Odesa regions.
Request
Tell us your family’s story
Write who left, from where, when and where they ended up, and attach the documents you have. The lawyer tells you which law fits and which proof needs to be found.
The lawyer who handles your file
Ioan-Dorin Tipa
Avocat (lawyer), member of the Suceava Bar since 2021
Check the registration in the National Register of LawyersWe have your request
Request code:
The lawyer reads what you sent and contacts you on the number you left, with the next steps and the fee. Keep the code so you can quote it when we talk.
Your documents are stored privately and only the lawyer sees them. Prefer to talk? Call +40758020129 or message us on WhatsApp.
Other situations
- Romanian citizenship
- Citizenship for Moldovans
- Citizenship for Ukrainians
- Citizenship for Russian citizens
- Citizenship by naturalization
- Delayed citizenship files
This page in other languages: Română · Українська · Русский
Legal basis: Government Ordinance (OG) no. 105/1999, approved by Law no. 189/2000, Decree-Law no. 118/1990, Law no. 290/2003, Law no. 9/1998, Law no. 164/2014 and Law no. 188/2023. This information is general and was checked on 19 October 2026. The law changes often, so the lawyer confirms it for your case.