Translation of Residence and Family Documents for Romania

The general inspectorate for immigration and the two-layer approval

Residence permits and family reunification in Romania are handled by the general inspectorate for immigration. In a reunification the party lawfully present in Romania applies first for approval of the reunification; once the approval has come through, the family member abroad obtains a visa from the mission. After entry into the country the residence permit application is made and the card is issued. This three-stage structure means the same documents have to be submitted again at different times, and how current they are is assessed afresh at each stage.

Where the application is made as the family member of a Romanian citizen, a different and lighter regime applies. Which regime you fall under governs how closely income and housing are examined. Settling that distinction before you apply spares you needless document preparation and the cost of attesting twice; the document lists of the two regimes are not interchangeable.

The authorised translator and the notary together

Two steps work together under Romania’s translation regime: the translation is made by a translator authorised by the Ministry of Justice, and the translator’s signature is then attested by a notary. Only one of the two is not regarded as sufficient in most procedures. That double step reduces the chance of a translation made in Türkiye being accepted directly in Romania; in many files the translation is required to be made again in Romania. Reckoning with the possibility from the outset is the most practical precaution in the whole process.

Stage	Counterpart	State of the documents
Reunification approval	Immigration inspectorate	Family tie, income, housing
Visa	The mission	Letter of approval and personal documents
Residence permit	Immigration inspectorate	Health insurance and address

The hitch met most often

The point at which applications in Romania most often stick is a chain of translation and attestation left incomplete. The second frequent problem is documents losing their currency within the three-stage structure: papers obtained for the reunification approval may have gone stale by the time the visa stage is reached. The third is the absence of a document showing that the housing is suitable, since the tenancy agreement is expected to be registered and the accommodation to be adequate for the size of the family. Health insurance covering the family members has to be shown separately as well.

The order of apostille and translation

The order runs like this: the document is obtained with a current date, the apostille is completed in Türkiye, and then come the translation by an authorised translator and the notarisation. Romania is among the countries that recognise multilingual international extracts, so obtaining a birth or marriage record in that form may reduce the need for translation in some procedures, though the authority’s acceptance has to be asked about beforehand. For detail document by document see our document guide, and to compare with countries that have a single-step translation regime see our country list.

Children, and the case of separation

Where children are being brought to Romania the birth certificate establishes parentage, but the examination concentrates on custody. A parent arriving alone is asked either for the other parent’s consent or for the court judgment settling custody; the judgment is translated in full, together with the note that it has become final, and put through notarisation. Because of the two-step attestation regime, preparing these documents takes longer than it does for other countries.

A permit resting on a family tie depends on that tie continuing. Where a marriage comes to an end, whether the permit is preserved is assessed by reference to the time spent in the country, employment status and the presence of children. The assessment is not made of its own accord; the immigration inspectorate has to be approached before the permit expires and the new basis evidenced.

School enrolment is a chain of its own. To decide which class the child will be placed in, the school administration asks for the previous education documents and the birth certificate, and a certified translation into Romanian is expected at this stage too. Enrolment periods open on set dates, so the documents have to be ready early.

Notifying the Turkish civil registry of children born in Romania and of a marriage contracted there is a separate obligation. At this step the Romanian document has to be translated into Turkish; the direction of translation is reversed, and where the notification is late the child’s Turkish identity formalities are held up as well. Where no notification is made at all, the person continues to appear in Turkish records under the former marital status, which throws up unexpected obstacles in title deed, inheritance and power of attorney matters. Completing this step within the first year is the most practical course.

Marrying in Romania

A Turkish citizen marrying in Romania is asked for a birth certificate, a document showing marital status and a document showing that there is no impediment to the marriage; some municipalities also ask for a medical report. The documents are submitted as apostilled originals with certified translations. After the ceremony the record is entered in the local register and becomes the basis of the residence file.

At card renewal it has to be shown once again that the family tie continues and the conditions are still met. At the long-term residence stage, knowledge of the language and unbroken residence are looked for. Where a fresh document is needed from Türkiye, the time to obtain it and the time to translate it have to be planned together; to see the cost per page look at our pricing page, and upload your documents to request a quotation.

The information on this page gives the general framework; the authority you apply to may ask for further documents or a different format. Confirming the current requirement before you apply saves time.