Romanian passport

Romanian passport
Romanian passport
	Contemporary Romanian biometric passport (since Jan. 2019)
Type	Passport
Issued by	Romania
First issued	1830 (first version); June 1994 (machine-readable passport); 31 December 2008 (first biometric version); 2011 (second biometric version); 2019 (current biometric version)
Eligibility	Romanian citizenship
Expiration	valid for 10 years for applicants aged 18 or over, 5 years for applicants between 12 and 18 years of age, and 3 years for applicants under the age of 12

Romanian passport is an international travel document issued to nationals of Romania, and may also serve as proof of Romanian citizenship. Besides enabling the bearer to travel internationally and serving as indication of Romanian citizenship, the passport facilitates the process of securing assistance from Romanian consular officials abroad or other European Union member states in case a Romanian consular is absent, if needed.

According to the 1 January 2020 Henley Visa Restrictions Index, Romanian citizens can visit 172 countries without a visa or with a visa granted on arrival. Romanian citizens can live and work in any country within the EU as a result of the right of free movement and residence granted in Article 21 of the EU Treaty.^[1]

According to the 2019 The Passport Index, Romanian passport is globally ranked 9th with a score of entering 160 countries without a visa or with a visa granted on arrival.^[2]

Every Romanian citizen is also a citizen of the European Union. The passport, along with the national identity card allows for free rights of movement and residence in any of the states of the European Union, European Economic Area, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

History

The term for passport – name still in use today, which describe the general document travel under which Romanian travellers can travel beyond the borders of the Danube and the Habsburg Empire – first appears regulated in the Organic Regulations, which came into force in 1830 in Moldavia and 1831 in Wallachia. According to historical data, travellers were required to show a passport at the border of Wallachia both the consulate, and ravaged by road. Foreigners arrived in the country had to have a visa Romanian consulate, which was present at Agie, where passports are then released which could move anywhere in the country.^[3]

A historic milestone in the evolution of Romanian passport was the promulgation, on 19 March 1912 by King Carol I, the first modern laws related to passports. Thus, the "Law on paspoartelor" Romanian state introduced the first general principles regarding passports and border crossing mandatory for authorities and citizens. The law was structured XI articles, passport thus becoming national legal instruments needed to be used when Romanians travelling abroad.

Liberate the Ministry of Interior and county prefects, "paspoartele" were issued in the name of King and had small portable card format "size 9 cm (4 in) 13 cm (5 in), is composed of 20 pages numbered." Each page had framed, a fund composed of national reasons, in light lilac colour, making apparent to stand above the coat of arms and having the word "Romania", and below the word "Pasport".^[3]

Evolution of the passports continued in the period before and during the Second World War, when new types of ordinary passports, service and diplomatic were introduced, some distinguished by a special technique of fastening (sticking, Stitching) tabs of covers, which create a fan effect.^[3]

Romanian People's Republic

Political and social changes occurring with the proclamation on 30 December 1947 of the Romanian People's Republic led authorities at the time to introduce into circulation passports with a new name of the state and a new heraldic.

Modern period

After the Romanian Revolution of 1989 and the collapse of the communist bloc Romanian authorities opened the country's borders, which led to an exodus of Romanian citizens wishing to travel abroad.^[3]

It was necessary that the organs with attributions issuing passports to circulate the Romanian travel documents to be aligned with international standards to be similar to those issued by other states. Thus, in accordance with Government Decision no. 757 of 30 December 1993, starting June 1994, was introduced into circulation a new model of Romanian passport simple first Romanian travel document issued in accordance with international standards.^[3]

On 21 January 2002, the Romanian government introduced a new type of passport in a decision taken due to exacerbation of migration and the need to ensure greater security of documents, as in use European and international level at the time.

Like most countries in Southeast Europe, Romania has committed itself in the process of accession to the EU, assuming certain responsibilities to comply, just as member countries, rules and requirements designed to compete in a safe lifestyle, this signifying and harmonisation of legislation and issuing travel documents to comply with international and European. The adoption on 20 July 2005, Law no. 248 on the free movement of Romanian citizens abroad held in conditions that Romanian citizens could exercise their right of free movement abroad and the limits of this right.

In 2019 a new design was introduced for the passport. The new design has the country's 3D amended coat of arms which now contains a crown at the top of the eagle.^[4] On page 16, the passport holder must complete the particular details of a relative or friend who can be contacted in case of accident: full name, address and telephone.^[5]

Types

The types of passports are:

Diplomatic
Business
Simple (biometric): valid for 10 years for applicants aged 18 or over, 5 years for applicants between 12 and 18 years of age, and 3 years for applicants under the age of 12;
Simple (temporary): valid for 12 months, issued as an emergency travel document.

Romania has begun issuing its biometric passport on 31 December 2008.observatordebacau.info

Application

The Ministry of Internal Affairs, through the Community Public Service of Issuance and Registration of Simple Passports (Template:Lang-ro), is responsible for the issuance and renewal of Romanian passports.

Description

Regular Romanian EU passports are burgundy red in colour, with the Romania Coat of Arms emblazoned in the centre of the front cover. The words "European Union", "Romania", and "passport" are inscribed above and below the coat of arms (in Romanian). The information page identifying the bearer and the issuing authority is on the first page, not numbered (the Romanian passport contains 32 pages, information written on the 32nd page of the passport). On the last page, the bearer fills in information regarding contact person (persons) in case of emergency. On the third cover (the inner back cover) there are instructions for the bearer how to use and how not to use the passport.

The carte de identitate can now be used to travel within the European Union.

Identity Information Page

The Romanian Passport includes the following data:

Photo of Passport Holder
Type (PE)
Country Code (ROU)
Passport No.
Personal No. (CNP)
Surname
Given Names
Nationality
Date of Birth
Sex
Place of Birth
Date of Issue
Date of Expiry
Authority
Holder's Signature

The information page ends with the Machine Readable Zone. The data page/information page is printed in Romanian, English and French.

Visa requirements

As of April 2019, Romanian citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 170 countries and territories, making the Romanian Passport 18th in terms of travel freedom.

Foreign travel statistics

According to the statistics these are the numbers of Romanian visitors to various countries per annum in 2014:

Foreign travel statistics
Destination	Number of visitors
Austria^[6]	264,704
Belgium^[7]	41,630
Bulgaria^[8]	1,439,853
Croatia^[9]	63,000
Cyprus^[10]	18,161
Greece^{[note 1]}^[11]	278,873
Hungary^{[note 2]}^[12]	230,436
North Macedonia^[13]	7,142
Moldova^[14]	22,624
Montenegro^[15]	16,112
New Zealand^[16]	1,188
Poland^[17]	38,112
Russia^[18]	30,886
Serbia^[19]	36,959
Seychelles^{[note 3]}^[20]	942
Slovakia^[21]	22,756
Slovenia^[22]	25,730
Turkey^[23]	426,585
Ukraine^[24]	584,774
United Kingdom^[25]	471,411
United States^{[note 1]}^[26]	63,051