858,913 Moldovans reacquire Romanian citizenship since 1991
Since 1991, a total of 858,913 citizens of the Republic of Moldova have reacquired Romanian citizenship.
Concurrently, Romania's National Citizenship Authority (ANC) in Bucharest is currently examining an additional 150,607 applications for the reacquisition of Romanian citizenship submitted by Bessarabians, according to data from the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA).
Between 1991 and 2002, approximately 85,500 citizens from the Republic of Moldova reacquired Romanian citizenship through a simplified procedure stipulated by the Romanian Citizenship Law, as stated by the MIA in Bucharest in response to an interpellation by Romanian MP Valeriu Munteanu.
After 2002, the citizenship reacquisition procedure was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice and the National Citizenship Authority. This decision led to a significant increase in the number of Bessarabian citizens whose rights were reinstated, after they had been deprived of Romanian citizenship following the 1940 Soviet occupation of Bessarabia.
Consequently, between 2002 and 2024, a total of 773,413 citizens of the Republic of Moldova received Romanian passports, with the highest numbers recorded in 2011 (81,987), 2012 (68,727), 2017 (68,622), and 2020 (66,164).
Year - Successful applications
2002 - 0
2003 - 7
2004 - 257
2005 - 1.537
2006 - 550
2007 - 419
2008 - 1.082
2009 - 1.330
2010 - 43.589
2011 - 81.987
2012 - 68.727
2013 - 63.717
2014 - 59.930
2015 - 45.506
2016 - 61.208
2017 - 68.622
2018 - 34.490
2019 - 31.601
2020 - 66.164
2021 - 36.972
2022 - 42.029
2023 - 27.317
2024 - 23.835
Total (2002-2024): 773,413 regained citizenship
As of early June this year, 150,607 citizenship reacquisition applications were being processed at the National Citizenship Authority, and the average processing time for applications is 3.28 years, the MIA in Bucharest also noted.
To streamline the process, the Romanian Ministry of Justice has launched a project for the complete digitalization of the Romanian citizenship granting process. As part of the project, an electronic application is set to be launched for submitting and managing applications, which will allow for better monitoring and reduced processing times, leading to quicker handling of applications submitted by applicants.
"Today, over 850,000 Bessarabians are once again Romanian citizens. In the next 2-3 years, if the authorities fulfill their duty, this number will reach 1,000,000. And this does not include the hundreds of thousands of children born to those who have reacquired citizenship – a new generation of Romanians born in Bessarabia, holding Romanian passports," commented Romanian MP Valeriu Munteanu.
It should be noted that after the Republic of Moldova proclaimed its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, citizens from the Republic of Moldova sought to reacquire Romanian citizenship, which they had lost following the USSR's annexation of Bessarabia in 1940. Traian Băsescu, who served as President of Romania from 2004 to 2014, played a significant role in accelerating the process of reacquiring Romanian citizenship for citizens of the Republic of Moldova. During his two terms, Băsescu supported simplifying the Romanian citizenship reacquisition procedure, making it more accessible for those who had "lost it unjustly or against their will, and their descendants."
Translation by Iurie Tataru
