Romania: Whether a Romanian citizen in the United States could obtain a new Romanian passport by submitting two photographs, an application form, an expired passport and by granting power of attorney to a relative in Romania through a Romanian consulate located in the United States (June 2003)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Ottawa |
| Publication Date | 5 October 2005 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ROU100578.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Romania: Whether a Romanian citizen in the United States could obtain a new Romanian passport by submitting two photographs, an application form, an expired passport and by granting power of attorney to a relative in Romania through a Romanian consulate located in the United States (June 2003), 5 October 2005, ROU100578.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/440ed74d20.html [accessed 4 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Romanian government officials and Romanian government Websites consulted by the Research Directorate state that Romanian citizens located outside of Romania may obtain a Romanian passport through issuing power of attorney to someone who could then obtain the passport on their behalf in Romania (Romania 26 Sept. 2005; ibid. 25 Sept. 2005; ibid. n.d.a; ibid. n.d.b). However, this process is enacted only under "exceptional" circumstances as in the case of an individual who is working or studying abroad for a period of at least one year longer than the validity of their passport, an individual who is temporarily located at such a distance from Romania that they cannot afford to return to renew their passport, or an individual who can confirm that they are receiving medical treatment in another country (ibid.).
According to the Embassies of Romania in Ottawa and in Washington, in June 2003 only Romanian citizens with temporary resident status in the United States could have obtained a Romanian passport through issuing a power of attorney, which a Romanian diplomatic mission, consular office or Romanian notary public would have had to authenticate (ibid. 26 Sept. 2005; ibid. 25 Sept. 2005). The consul of the Embassy of Romania in Ottawa stated that in such cases, applicants would have had to submit the following documents: birth certificate, marriage or divorce certificate if applicable, death certificate in the case of widowed applicants, previous and/or expired passport, temporary resident visa, as well as three colour photographs on white paper measuring 3.5 centimetres by 4.5 centimetres, certified by a Romanian diplomatic mission, consular office or notary public (ibid.). Such applicants would have also had to pay a Romanian passport fee of US$80 and a power of attorney fee of US$45 (ibid. 26 Sept. 2005; 25 Sept. 2005). These fees were corroborated by those found on the Consulate General of Chicago Website as viewed on 15 September 2005 (ibid. n.d.a).
A consul at the Embassy of Romania in Washington explained that in order to have applied for a Romanian passport through issuing a power of attorney in June 2003, a Romanian citizen located in the United States would have had to submit application form No. 1, power of attorney form, document proving temporary residence (work permit, employment authorization, student visa, valid visa, valid re-entry permit, letter of confirmation from the United States Immigration and Naturalization Services or the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services), four colour "passport size" photographs, as well as an original Romanian identity document, birth certificate and marriage certificate, if applicable (ibid. 26 Sept. 2005). Should any documents have been missing, a consul could have issued a power of attorney to obtain copies of these documents from the Romanian authorities with the applicant's consent (ibid.). This information provided by a consul of Embassy of Romania in Washington was corroborated with the information found on the Consulate General of Romanian in Chicago Website as viewed on 15 September 2005 (ibid.). The consul at the Embassy of Romania in Washington also confirmed that the September 2005 procedure for a Romanian citizen located in the United States to apply for a Romanian passport through issuing a power of attorney was the same as the June 2003 procedure (ibid. 26 Sept. 2005).
The applicant is responsible for mailing the application and accompanying documents to the person in Romania mandated to obtain the passport on their behalf (ibid.). This designated person then transfers the new passport to the applicant directly by post or courier, rather than through a Romanian mission abroad (ibid.).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Romania. 26 September 2005. Embassy of Romania, Washington. Correspondence from consul. Additional Sources Consulted Internet sources, including: Consulate of Romania in Canada, Embassy of Romania in Australia, Embassy of Romania in United Kingdom, Embassy of Romania in United States of America, European Country of Origin Information Network (ECOI), Migration News, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania, Radio Free Europe, Transitions Online, UNHCR.
_____. 25 September 2005. Embassy of Romania, Ottawa. Correspondence from consul.
_____. N.d.a. Consulate General of Romania in Chicago. "Romanian Passport."
_____. N.d.b. Ministry of Tourism. "Romanian Passport."
