A foreign citizen can obtain family reunification only if they hold a valid temporary residence permit for one year, a Blue Card of the EU, an ICT permit (permit for an intra-corporate transferee), a long-term residence permit, or refugee status. 

In exceptional cases, if the foreign citizen holds an ICT permit, a Blue Card of the EU, or a residence permit for scientific research activities, approval for family reunification can be obtained even when the residence permit is valid for less than one year.

As a sponsor, a foreign citizen can request family reunification for the following individuals:

• Husband/wife;

• Minor or spouse’s children, including adopted children who are in the care of the foreign national or spouse;

• Relatives in the ascending line or of the spouse (when they cannot support themselves in the country of origin);

• Unmarried adult children or children of the spouse (when they cannot support themselves for medical reasons).

For family reunification in Romania, the foreign citizen must obtain approval issued by the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI). 

For this purpose, a series of documents must be submitted to the IGI, including the marriage certificate/birth certificate, as the case may be, or the proof of kinship, issued by the competent authorities, the document on the legal ownership of the living space for a dwelling declared normal for a similar family in Romania, etc., which can be proved with one of the following documents:

• sale-purchase contract;

• lease contract concluded between a legal or natural person (contracts concluded with a natural person must be registered with the competent financial administration);

• bailment contract;

• court decision;

• written declaration of the owner of the property, accompanied by the owner’s title deed (the declaration of taking in space can only be given before a notary public);

• a document issued by the local authorities showing that the applicant or host is listed in the Agricultural Register for rural areas.

To obtain IGI approval and issue the permit, the following conditions must be met:

a) there is no bigamy or polygamy;

b) the applicant has a living space considered normal for a similar family in Romania;

c) the applicant possesses means of support, in addition to those necessary for his/her own support according to the law, in an amount corresponding to the minimum gross basic salary per country guaranteed in payment for each family member;

d) the person for whom family reunification is requested must meet certain conditions, including the possession of a valid document for crossing the state border, which is accepted by the Romanian state.

The family reunification application is processed within 3 months from the date of submission of the documents.

The General Inspectorate for Immigration will issue a written response, and the foreign citizen is obligated to communicate it to family members, who will forward it to the diplomatic mission or consular office. 

The communication by the family members will be made within 60 days from the date of issuance, along with the application for obtaining a long-stay visa for family reunification.

Author: Atty. Felicia Cioflan