Does Romania allow dual citizenship? (2026)

Does Romania allow dual citizenship?

Yes. Unlike some of its neighbours, Romania has permitted dual and multiple citizenship since Law no. 21/1991, the country's nationality law. There is no general requirement to renounce another nationality when you naturalise, and Romanian citizens who acquire a foreign passport do not lose their Romanian one automatically.

The catch to watch

Romania's own rules are permissive, but the other country's rules are what can trip you up. Romania warns that acquiring Romanian citizenship may cause you to lose another nationality if that country forbids dual citizenship — so check the law of your other passport, not just Romania's. Separately, when you regain citizenship through restoration under Article 10, the statute expressly lets you keep your foreign nationality where that foreign country permits it.

How dual citizenship arises

By descent (jus sanguinis) from a Romanian parent; by restoration for former Romanian citizens and their descendants who lost citizenship against their will; or by naturalisation after residence. Restoration is the route most people of Romanian or Moldovan ancestry use.

Descent and restoration

A child of a Romanian parent is Romanian by birth, regardless of where they are born. For people whose ancestors lost citizenship — often through the 20th-century border changes affecting Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina — restoration reopens the door. Article 10 covers former citizens and descendants to the second degree; Article 11 covers those who lost citizenship for reasons beyond their control and their descendants to the third degree. Both are handled by the National Authority for Citizenship (Autoritatea Naţională pentru Cetăţenie, ANC).

Naturalisation

Foreigners can naturalise after eight years of legal residence (reduced to four in some cases), or after five years of marriage to a Romanian citizen while resident. Applicants must be 18+, show knowledge of Romanian language and basic civics, and demonstrate lawful means of support. No renunciation of the prior nationality is generally required.

No golden visa or citizenship-by-investment

Romania does not run a citizenship-by-investment programme, and it has no residence-by-investment "golden visa." You cannot buy a Romanian passport. The realistic paths are descent, restoration, and long-form naturalisation.

At a glance

Where it fits in a borderless plan

An EU nationality is one flag of several — and Romania's flat personal income tax makes it interesting on the tax side too. Pair the passport with a deliberate Romanian tax residency and a self-custody plan for your Bitcoin. New to this? See which countries allow dual citizenship, or claim one through ancestry.