Good morning all, I hoped to ask if my study plan is feasible to pass the citizenship interview.
My grandparents were born in Bessarabia but due to a couple of reasons they had to migrate from there then in 91’ my mother migrated again to Turkey. Despite always being the “foreigner” here in Istanbul, I’ve actually never learned Romanian because my parents never taught me.
Anyways, in order to get citizenship I will probably get the termin for the interview in 2028(applied in 2024) and since I’ll be over 18 by then I need to give it myself.
I currently can speak German, English and Turkish fluently. I heard online that you need at max B1 to pass it comfortably, is this true?
I’ve always had a knack for languages, and had an interest in Romance ones specifically. I’m thinking of getting one-on-one lessons or private tutoring, since that’s how I learned German. I’ll have a gap year after hs graduation in 2027, I’ll start then. That gives me about a year.
What do you people think? I value your input.
As someone who learned Romanian in his mid-30's, I wouldn't wait until 2027 if you are to have an exam for citizenship in 2028. Start now. Expose yourself to Romanian, listen to Romanian radio and music, take classes and find somebody to talk to in real life situations. Go to Romania and stay there for 3-4 weeks per year trying not to use English at all.
Superficially it looks like an easy language but if you need to get to a level to get citinzenship it is not. I started learning it in 2014 and only now I can confidently have a full-on conversation in Romanian for my work.
(I am Greek, never lived in Romania and learned the language because I fell in love with a Romanian girl, the country, the culture and the language itself).
Huh, that’s nice! Congrats! I personally just do not have the time right now(studying for university exam) so earliest I can do is 2027 sadly.
However, I know a lot of people from Moldova who passed the exam with much less time and barely A2~, because the questions are mostly “What’s the name of your grandparents?/Your mother/you father/etc.” and “Name 2 rivers in Romania/ Who’s the president?” etc. so you can memorize them. I’d rather much go the legit route and pass it comfortably, though.
Could be. Few years back I went to a consulate of Romania in Greece for my wife's (the Romanian girl I fell in love with 😂) passport and a guy working there was getting quite upset at a Moldovan who came to renew his passport and did not speak a single word of Romanian. You have a legit reason to learn the language and it will open a whole new universe for you. Best of luck!
Haha, thanks! That guy you mentioned was probably Gagaūz or something. Small world.
those are the b1 questions? I've looked at sample exams and they seem much harder
You sure you’re not confusing the naturalization process with the reclaiming process through descent? Because naturalization is quite harder, but the exam required for article 11 is much easier, sometimes only 5 minutes(from what I heard of my Moldovan relatives who did the exam last year in Bucharest)
reclaiming through descent but I assumed it was the same exam - they tell you you have to do a b1 certification through the romanian language institute. I would be overjoyed if the exam was easier than expected
that’s only if you applied after September 2024, since I applied earlier I don’t need a B1 certificate, only need to do the interview + Juramantul
Bună ziua! I applied at the same time but I've heard that if your interview is after March 2026 you need a B1 certificate. I think that checking the ANC website will help.
P.S. I've been learning Romanian for 10 months (2 hours per week). With Russian (n) and English (b1-b2) it's like a game: sometimes fun, but full of interesting and deep parallels.
Hm, I think the law might have passed in 2025, but takes effect in 2026. Doesn’t matter, it doesn’t affect us.
Have you heard of anyone in 2023/24 getting a Termin yet? My relatives in MD told me it’s minimum 3 years +
You can monitor the current status on the ANC website. Just switch to another year (I think it's still 2022 now) and scroll to the empty lines (applications without date of termin)
hmm I thought the law took effect immediately and for that reason I didnt submit yet
I think you'll need to submit an actual B1 exam when you apply. They changed the law last year. I'd say, start now, little by little. Romanian is not an easy language and the B1 exam tests all areas of comprehension (reading, writing, speaking, listening - all with good grammar). You will learn faster since you're young and exposed to so many diverse languages, however it'll still take around 350 hours of actual study (which is a bit less than an hour a day for an entire year), so better get started honestly. Ps: Romanian language teacher for foreigners here.
I just did mine with a basic lawyer. I nodded my head and pretended to understand the entire speech the interviewer was giving me. I got out my old passport when I heard the word "passaport" and she seemed satisfied. I also needed to hand-write an entire statement in Romanian in front of her, but I'd been prepped by the lawyer and had the whole thing memorized.
If they're changing the law, better to do it sooner rather than later if you can.
I think that’s the old process, it’s much harder now, you need to give the interview yourself. Which year did you do this?
Literally about a month ago. I'm a spouse so it might be a different process.
Yeah, that’s naturalization I’m pretty sure.
Hello, would you like a language partner? I speak native Romanian and would like to learn german. If you are up to teaching each other let me know
Merhaba :) I took the interview in Bucharest one year ago (January 2025) so this is probably old information, but you would need a solid-ish Romanian foundation when doing the interview. The officer asked basic conversational questions — this is how it went:
Officer: What’s your name? (Kedi-kot)
Where are you from? (Ukraine)
Who in your family was Romanian? (My great-grandma)
Where did she live? (Near Suceava)
Why do you want Romanian citizenship? (Answer)
Do you have other citizenships? (Yes, American)
Why do you need Romanian citizenship when you have American citizenship?? 👁️👄👁️
(This tripped me up lmao, all I could answer was “de ce nu?” / why not?)
He laughed and told me to recite the oath, and it was over 😅
If I were in your shoes, I would start learning Romanian little by little (yavaş yavaş :)) so you can get a head start.
It’s better to learn it comfortably and at your own pace instead of rushing and cramming everything at the last moment (like me 🥲 I got to ~A2 in under 2 months by studying every day). Feel free to PM me if you have any questions :)
Haha, you’re right! Sadly I can’t learn it “yavaş yavaş” because I’m too busy preparing for the nightmare that is the uni exam here. I’ll have a gap year after that, so I can theoretically just study Romanian 24/7 for 6-7 months which I believe would prepare me well, I got to C1 in German in like 1.5 years…
I’ll ask any other questions if I think of em. Thanks!