Romanian citizenship · citizens of Ukraine
Romanian citizenship for Ukrainians with roots in Bukovina and Bessarabia
If your parents, grandparents or great-grandparents were born in the Chernivtsi region or in the south of the Odesa region up to 1940, you can apply for Romanian citizenship and keep your Ukrainian citizenship. The office is in Suceava, close to the border with Ukraine, and our partners in Ukraine search the Ukrainian archives for the documents.
- Oath at a consulate in Ukraine
- Documents found in Ukrainian archives
- Office in Suceava, near the border
Who qualifies
Who qualifies
Between 1918 and 1940, Northern Bukovina, the Hertsa region and southern Bessarabia were part of Romania, and their people were Romanian citizens. Today these areas are in the Chernivtsi and Odesa regions.
Chernivtsi region
Northern Bukovina and the Hertsa region. The state archive in Chernivtsi keeps records from the Romanian period, 1918-1940, and our partners can request documents from there.
South of the Odesa region
The former Romanian counties of Ismail and Cetatea Albă, with towns such as Izmail, Reni, Kiliia and Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi. Here too, you prove the right with civil status documents for each generation.
Northern Maramureș (Transcarpathia)
This area was Romanian only between 1918 and 1921, and since 2012 the National Authority for Citizenship (ANC) has rejected many applications of this kind. We look at each case separately, including the court route.
Besides your roots, you also need to
- be at least 18 years old; minor children can be included in a parent’s application
- be of good conduct, with no criminal conviction that makes you unworthy of citizenship
- be loyal to the Romanian state and not have supported actions against it
- prove your Romanian with a B1 certificate or with 3 years of school in Romanian
You can do almost everything without crossing the border
The law lets you file the application and take the oath at the Romanian consulate in the country where you live (Art. 13 and Art. 20 of Law 21/1991). In Ukraine, there are consulates in Chernivtsi and Solotvyno, and the one in Odesa works reduced hours. Before you book an appointment, we check which services each consulate offers at that moment.
A Romanian passport does not change the rules in Ukraine
In Ukraine, a person who also holds Romanian citizenship is treated only as a Ukrainian citizen, with the same duties, including military ones. A Romanian passport does not give you the right to leave the country while martial law is in force. Since 16 January 2026, Law 4502-IX and the list approved by the Ukrainian government in 2026 mean that getting Romanian citizenship is no longer a reason to lose Ukrainian citizenship. For the effects under Ukrainian law, also ask a lawyer in Ukraine.
Documents
Documents required
The file has to show that your ancestor was a Romanian citizen and link each generation, from that person down to you.
In 2025, prosecutors uncovered a network that forged civil status documents from the Odesa region. Since then ANC has checked Ukrainian documents closely, so we check that each document exists in the original register before we file it.
- The ancestor’s birth certificate or a document from the Romanian period: a marriage record, an old identity card, a certificate from an archive
- Birth, marriage and, where relevant, death certificates for each generation, with apostille
- Your Ukrainian passport and identity document
- A criminal record certificate from Ukraine, with apostille
- The B1 Romanian language certificate or proof of 3 years of school in Romanian, if you are under 65
- Certified translations into Romanian, with names written exactly as in the passport
Steps
How the application works
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1
We check whether you qualify
You send us the documents you have and what you know about your family: names, village, year of birth. The lawyer tells you in writing what is missing and what the fee is.
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2
We search for documents in Ukraine
Our partners in Ukraine request the documents from civil registry offices and from the state archives in Chernivtsi or Odesa. Then we prepare the apostilles and translations.
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3
You file the application
At ANC, including its office in Suceava, or at a Romanian consulate in Ukraine. You need to be there in person for fingerprints and a photo.
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4
We follow the file
The commission has at most 2 years for its report, plus an extension of up to 6 months. We answer any request for more documents within the 4 months set by law.
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5
You take the oath at a consulate
You have one year from the order. If you live in Ukraine, you take the oath at the Romanian consulate, without crossing the border. You become a citizen on the day of the oath.
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6
You get your Romanian documents
The citizenship card, the transcription of your birth certificate and the passport for Romanian citizens living abroad.
What the lawyer does
What the lawyer does for your file
The office is in Suceava, a few dozen kilometers from the border with the Chernivtsi region. If you can come, we work face to face. If you cannot, the whole file can be done online.
Searches for documents in Ukraine
We work with partners in Ukraine who request documents from civil registry offices and from the state archives in Chernivtsi and Odesa, when your file needs them.
Checks every document
A document that does not exist in the original register leads to rejection and can lead to a criminal case. We check it before filing.
Keeps the deadlines
The B1 certificate by 15 March 2027, the 4 months for extra documents and the year for the oath. We remind you of each one in good time.
Goes to court
For applications that have waited more than 2 years, or for rejected applications, including those from Northern Maramureș.
Arranges the oath at a consulate
We check which consulate in Ukraine accepts oaths and help you with the appointment and the documents.
Works for the whole family
Parents, brothers, sisters and minor children can apply on the same line of documents, so one archive search serves several applications.
No false promises
What we do not promise
The ANC commission decides on each application, and the law gives no one an automatic right to citizenship. That is why we do not promise you a result or a date.
- There is no paid “fast track”. ANC handles applications in the order they were registered, and when the legal deadline passes, the only legal route is the court.
- Citizenship cannot be bought, and you can no longer get it through investment. Offers like that have already led to criminal cases.
- We do not help anyone leave Ukraine, and we do not promise that a Romanian passport changes your military duties. It does not change them.
Questions
Will I lose Ukrainian citizenship if I get Romanian citizenship?
Law 4502-IX came into force on 16 January 2026, and in 2026 the Ukrainian government put Romania on the list of states whose citizenship you can take voluntarily without losing Ukrainian citizenship. Even before, the loss was not automatic: it required a presidential decree. For your own situation, also ask a lawyer in Ukraine.
Do I need to know Romanian?
Yes, if you are under 65 when you file. You need a B1 certificate or proof that you studied in Romanian for at least 3 years, for example at a Romanian-language school in the Chernivtsi region. Certificates are issued by universities in Romania, the Romanian Language Institute and the Romanian Cultural Institute, and some universities hold the exam online.
Can I leave Ukraine with a Romanian passport?
No, if you are a man aged 23 to 60 and you do not have one of the reasons set out in Ukrainian law. On Ukrainian territory you are treated as a Ukrainian citizen, whatever your second citizenship.
I live in Romania under temporary protection. Can I apply?
Yes. You can file the application at ANC, including its office in Suceava, by appointment. We request the documents from Ukraine through our partners, and we decide where you take the oath based on where you live.
I have no documents from my grandparents. What can I do?
We start with what you know: names, village and year of birth. With these, our partners in Ukraine can request the documents from the archives. If the documents do not exist, we tell you openly that the application cannot be filed under Article 11.
How long does it take?
The law gives the commission at most 2 years for its report, plus an extension of up to 6 months, and then come the order and the oath. In practice, Article 11 applications have taken more than 3 years on average, so we cannot promise you a date.
Request
Send us what you know about your family
Write where and when your grandparents or great-grandparents were born and attach the documents you have. The lawyer tells you what can be searched for in the Ukrainian archives and what it costs.
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 Russian citizens
- Citizenship by naturalization
- Delayed citizenship files
- Refugees and deportees
This page in other languages: Română · Українська · Русский
Legal basis: Law no. 21/1991 on Romanian citizenship, as amended by Law no. 14/2025, Emergency Ordinance (OUG) no. 16/2026 and, for Ukraine, Law no. 4502-IX. This information is general and was checked on 19 October 2026. The law changes often, so the lawyer confirms it for your case.