In a significant policy shift this July, Romanian authorities implemented biometric data collection for individuals applying for Romanian citizenship. This new initiative marks the beginning of the transition from traditional paper citizenship certificates to electronic cards embedded with both biographic and biometric information.
These changes were introduced through an emergency ordinance, aiming to integrate biometric technology into the citizenship application process while enhancing the security of the procedure through advanced IT and security systems.
Government spokesperson Mihai Constantin announced that the ordinance also provides the National Authority for Citizenship with the legal framework necessary to procure biometric data acquisition equipment and other essential IT tools.
The Romanian government emphasized that these measures are part of its efforts to align with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and to expedite the country’s inclusion in the US Visa Waiver Program.
Last December, a study by the Canadian immigration agency CanadaCIS highlighted Romania as one of the ten easiest countries to acquire citizenship, based on data from Eurostat covering the years 2009 to 2021.