Recently, more and more people are choosing to live abroad and even get married in another country. It’s also very common to see couples formed by a Romanian with a foreign citizen, who choose to marry abroad.

But what steps should they follow once they return to Romania?

What effects does a foreign marriage have in Romania?

Unfortunately, a foreign marriage has no legal effects in Romania if it is not recognized officially. This applies both for EU and non-EU marriages.

In other words, you will not be considered husband and wife by the Romanian state if you don’t follow an administrative procedure, mentioned below.

What is the transcription of a marriage certificate?

“Transcription” represents legal recognition, it is an official term used for any foreign document which should be recognized in Romania. The transcription is used not only for marriages, but also for birth certificates and death certificates.

After the transcription is done, you will get a second marriage certificate from the Romanian authorities, which will reflect the content of the original marriage certificate. You will essentially have two certificates: the foreign one and the Romanian one.

What happens if I don’t recognize my foreign marriage?  

Without this recognition, you won’t have any of the legal benefits offered by the Romanian state for married couples, such as: obtaining visa or residency permit for family members, common patrimony, a simplified procedure for foreign citizens when traveling abroad.

Where can I request this recognition?

You can address the town hall where the spouses have a common domicile or only one of them is domiciled, according to their Romanian ID.

What does a transcription request contain?

It should contain a series of documents, such as: the marriage certificate, birth certificates of both spouses (apostilled/legalized), identity cards.

Is it mandatory for the spouses to make the transcription request themselves?

No, they can empower a lawyer or another trustworthy person to transcribe their certificate. The power-of-attorney must be notarized, a simple handwritten document is not enough.

How long does it take to receive the Romanian marriage certificate?

The transcription of the foreign certificate is done in 30 days, a term that may differ slightly from one town hall to another.

Finally, after all this procedure, you can enjoy the recognition of your foreign marriage.

And they lived happily ever after!

 

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If you would like to address more questions or if you need a legal consultation, you can contact us at office@rrpb.ro or by accessing our site www.rrpb.ro for more information.

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