Data shows roughly 850,000 Moldovans received Romanian citizenship so far

Over 850,000 citizens from the Republic of Moldova had gained Romanian citizenship by 2024, according to official data cited by Radio Chișinău.

The numbers are even more impressive considering that the Republic of Moldova has a population of around 2.4 million.

Numerous Moldovans, including president Maia Sandu, have Romanian citizenship. Once united, the two countries now have a special relationship, benefiting from a rich common culture, history, and language.

Between 1991–2002, 85,500 people benefited from a simplified procedure, and between 2002 and 2024, over 773,413 people were reinstated in their identity rights. The data was provided by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Justice in Bucharest.

Records show Romania’s National Citizenship Authority began ramping up its efforts to provide resolutions to citizenship application cases submitted by Moldovan citizens. If in 2003, the Authority solved 7 such cases, in 2011 the numbers ramped up to over 81,000, maintaining a similar rhythm since.

Overall, between 2002 and 2024, 773,413 citizenships were regained. At present, more than 150,000 applications for citizenship are pending, with an average waiting time of approximately 3 years.

Romanian authorities are working on modernizing the process through digitalization to respond to applications more quickly and improve file management efficiency. In this regard, the Ministry of Justice in Bucharest has launched a digitalization project for the procedure, funded through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), with an investment of RON 8.89 million (EUR 1.75 million).

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