Romanian passport for a child: what do you need, and who has to come?

A child under 14: who applies and what to bring

The lists on this page are the official ones for children whose domicile is in Romania.

For a child who has not turned 14, the passport is only issued at the request of:

• Both parents
• The parent to whom the child was entrusted by a final and irrevocable court ruling
• The surviving parent
• The child's legal representative
• The parent who exercises parental authority alone, under a court ruling that is final and irrevocable (for cases begun from 15 February 2013, final) or under a presidential ordinance (ordonanță președințială, an interim court order) that expressly says the parent has the right to apply for the passport
• The parent in whose favour a court has given a ruling that is final and irrevocable (for cases begun from 15 February 2013, final), or a presidential ordinance, that stands in for the other parent's consent
• A person given a special power of attorney by any of the above
• One parent given a special power of attorney by the other parent, or holding the other parent's written consent

What to bring:

• The child's birth certificate, the original
• The parents' identity documents (or that of the one parent, the legal representative or the person holding the power of attorney), valid, the originals
• Proof that the passport was paid for: the document has to show the transaction number and the details of the person in whose name the passport is requested, that is, the child (surname, first name and personal numeric code, CNP), as well as the amount paid
• The child's previous passport, if there is one

The child must be present when the documents are filed. Children under 12 do not have their fingerprints taken.

If the application is made by one parent alone, by the legal representative or by a person holding a power of attorney, you also need the documents in the section “If only one parent applies or gives consent”, below.

A child aged 14 to 18: what to bring

• The child's ID card (or provisional ID card), valid, the original
• The child's birth certificate, the original
• The parents' consent: statements given, as the case may be, by both parents, by one parent, by the surviving parent or by the legal representative. For minors who are married under the law, these statements are not needed
• The marriage certificate of a minor who is married under the law, the original
• Proof that the passport was paid for: the document has to show the transaction number and the details of the person in whose name the passport is requested, that is, the child (surname, first name and personal numeric code, CNP), as well as the amount paid
• The previous passport, if there is one

The child files the documents in person and must be present at the counter.

The consent is given in front of the clerk who takes the application; in that case the parents (or the one parent, or the legal representative) show their own valid identity documents, the originals. The official list also includes authenticated statements: the original or, for those authenticated and issued from 1 January 2013 onwards, a duplicate.

If the consent is given by one parent alone, by the surviving parent or by the legal representative, you also need the documents in the next section.

If only one parent applies or gives consent

A child under 14. When the application is made by one parent alone, by the legal representative or by a person holding a power of attorney, it must also come, as the case may be, with:

• The special power of attorney by which one parent empowers the other, or the other parent's statement of consent, the original (for those authenticated and issued from 1 January 2013 onwards, a duplicate is also accepted)
• The special power of attorney, when the application is made by the person it empowers, the original (for those authenticated and issued from 1 January 2013 onwards, a duplicate is also accepted)
• The court ruling entrusting the child, final and irrevocable, or the ruling under which the parent exercises parental authority alone, final and irrevocable (for cases begun from 15 February 2013, final), or the presidential ordinance that expressly says the parent or legal representative has the right to apply for the passport
• The court ruling, final and irrevocable (for cases begun from 15 February 2013, final), or the presidential ordinance by which the court stood in for the other parent's consent
• The act appointing the legal representative, only for applications made by the representative, in the case of children who, on the date they were placed under interdiction, are not in the care of their parents
• The parent's death certificate, the original, when the application is made by the surviving parent or by a person the surviving parent has empowered

A child aged 14 to 18. When the consent is given by one parent alone, by the surviving parent or by the legal representative, the application must also come, as the case may be, with:

• The court ruling entrusting the child, final and irrevocable, or the ruling under which the parent exercises parental authority alone, final and irrevocable (for cases begun from 15 February 2013, final), or the presidential ordinance that expressly says the parent has the right to give consent alone
• The court ruling, final and irrevocable (for cases begun from 15 February 2013, final), or the presidential ordinance by which the court stood in for the other parent's consent
• The other parent's death certificate, the original
• The act appointing the legal representative

Court rulings must bear the court's stamp, in the original. Rulings given abroad must meet the legal conditions for recognition and enforcement, and are brought together with a legalised translation.

The statement of consent and the special power of attorney must be authenticated: in Romania by a notary public, abroad by a Romanian diplomatic mission or consular office. If they were drawn up before the competent foreign authorities, they need an apostille (in states that signed the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961) or legalisation (supralegalizare); those from states with which Romania has a judicial assistance treaty are exempt. Either way, they must come with a legalised translation.

One statement or one power of attorney can be used for a single passport, for one child.

How long a child's passport is valid, and how long it takes

• Children under 12: 3 years
• Aged 12 to 18: 5 years

At present, for applications filed in Romania and collected in Romania, the passport is issued within 5 working days; in very busy periods, within 10 working days. The legal maximum, for applications filed in Romania, is 15 working days.

Where to apply and how to book

• In Romania you can apply at any passport office (serviciu public comunitar de pașapoarte); abroad, at Romanian diplomatic missions and consular offices.
• Applications are filed, for the most part, by online appointment, on hub.mai.gov.ro/epasapoarte. Appointments are open for a period of 90 calendar days.
• If the child has no personal numeric code (CNP) yet, the appointment can be made with one parent's details. At the counter, though, you need the child's birth certificate with the CNP on it, issued by the Romanian authorities.
• There is nothing to fill in at home: the application form is generated by the system at the counter, once all the documents are filed, and you are given it to check and sign.
• The passport is paid for at CEC Bank counters, at CEC Bank's Selfpay payment stations or online, only on Ghiseul.ro. The amount is on the official page.

• Book a passport appointment: Hub MAI — General Directorate of Passports

If the parents disagree, or one of them cannot give consent

When the parents disagree about giving consent, or when one of them is unable to express their will, the passport is only issued after a court has settled the matter. The rule is the same for children under 14 and for those aged 14 to 18.

Does a child need a passport within the European Union?

Not necessarily. A child who is a Romanian citizen can travel to the member states of the European Union on a passport (electronic or temporary) or, as the case may be, on an ID card or an electronic ID card.

What you need

• PassportRomanian passport renewal: what you need
• ID card (buletin)Romanian ID card (buletin) renewal: what you need

See also

• How long are Romanian ID cards, passports and driving licences valid?
• Driving abroad from Romania: which documents do you need?
• The first Romanian ID card at 14: what do you need, and by when?
• How do you renew a Romanian passport or ID card from abroad?