Amendment to the law on citizenship may reduce the mandatory residence period for refugees

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Romania amended the Law No 21/1991 on Romanian citizenship on 12 March 2025. The amendment provides for the possibility to reduce the mandatory residence period for beneficiaries of refugee protection, from 8 years to 3 years, if the person made special efforts to integrate into Romanian society, especially for remarkable achievements in school or professional training, in the professional career or special civic engagement. 

Furthermore, the amendment provides that Romanian citizenship may be granted to stateless person who, through activities carried out regularly for a period of at least 3 years prior to the date of the application, contributed particularly to the protection and promotion of Romanian culture, civilisation and spirituality. The amendment provides examples of such a contribution.

Source

  • Parliament of Romania | Parlamentul României (12 March, 2025), Lege nr. 14 din 12 martie 2025 pentru modificarea și completarea Legii cetățeniei române nr. 21/1991, precum și pentru modificarea și completarea altor acte normative [Law No 14 of 12 March 2025 for the amendment and completion of the Romanian Citizenship Law no. 21/1991, as well as for the amendment and completion of other normative acts],