Administrative court for Romanian citizenship: how to speed up a stalled case and challenge an ANC refusal
You submitted documents for Romanian citizenship, received a DOSAR number and are waiting for an answer from ANC.
A year goes by. Then a second. Then a third. Inquiries bring no concrete result, the case does not move, and your plans for life in Europe still depend on a decision that never comes.
Many applicants are familiar with this situation. But it is important to understand: the wait does not have to be endless. Romanian law sets deadlines for reviewing citizenship cases. If these deadlines are breached, the applicant has a lawful means of protection — filing with the administrative court.
What is the administrative court in Romanian citizenship cases? The administrative court is not a conflict with the state and not a last resort. It is a standard legal procedure provided for by Romanian law.
If a public authority, in this case ANC, breaches the deadlines for reviewing an application or issues an unlawful decision, the applicant has the right to go to court. The court examines the circumstances of the case and can order ANC to review the application within the set period or to reconsider the decision it has made.
When can you go to court? 1. The case has stalled after the DOSAR was registered If more than two years have passed since the application was registered and no decision has been made, this may be grounds for filing with the Tribunal București. In some cases the period may be extended by another six months if ANC needs to carry out an additional check of the documents. But if this period has also been exceeded, passive waiting is no longer the only option. 2. Delay after the order is issued Sometimes an applicant receives a citizenship order restoring citizenship, but the oath procedure drags on. In this situation, legal action to speed up the process is also possible. 3. An unjustified ANC refusal If ANC has issued a refusal, it can be challenged. Especially if the authority did not take documents into account, misjudged the line of kinship or applied a legal provision that does not apply to the specific case. Important: the deadline for appealing a refusal is limited. As a rule, it is 15 days from receipt of the decision.
How the work through the administrative court proceeds
Stage 1. Case assessment First, you need to understand the real status of the case: when the DOSAR was registered; at what stage the review is; whether there were requests for additional documents; whether replies were sent to ANC; whether there are grounds for going to court. Alliance requests and analyzes information on the case to determine whether there is a legal prospect.
Stage 2. Preparing and filing the claim After the assessment, a claim to the Tribunal București is prepared. The claim sets out the specific breaches, the legal provisions and evidence of ANC's inaction. Competent legal argumentation is critically important here. The court considers not the applicant's emotions but documents, deadlines and legal grounds.
Stage 3. Court hearing In such cases, the court assesses whether the statutory deadlines were breached and whether ANC is obliged to take specific actions. If the breach is confirmed, the court can order ANC to review the case within a set period.
Stage 4. Enforcement of the decision After the decision is issued, ANC is obliged to comply with it. Depending on the situation, this may lead to the case moving forward, a citizenship order being issued or a previous decision being reconsidered.
Family cases: why it is important not to confuse applications One common mistake is assuming that a family files one joint case. In practice, this is not so. If the husband has grounds for Romanian citizenship through his line of origin, he files a separate application and receives his own DOSAR. If the wife has grounds through her line, she files a separate application and receives her own DOSAR. These are two independent cases with different documents, deadlines and legal strategy. Minor children are usually included in the application of one of the parents — the one whose documentary basis is stronger and whose prospects are more reliable. If both spouses' cases have stalled, court work is conducted separately for each DOSAR. If there is a breach in only one case, the claim is filed only for that one.
Common mistakes when going to court on your own
Filing the claim too early If the statutory review period has not yet expired, the court may reject the claim. That is why before filing it is important to determine precisely the DOSAR registration date and the applicable deadlines. Filing with the wrong court Romanian citizenship cases are heard by the competent administrative court. A mistake about jurisdiction leads to lost time and additional costs. Weak legal reasoning Phrases like “ANC has not answered for a long time” are not enough. The court needs evidence, references to legal provisions and correctly formulated claims.
Missing the deadline for appealing a refusal If the applicant has received a refusal, they need to act quickly. A missed deadline can seriously complicate further protection.
What if you have already made a mistake? Even if the first attempt to go to court did not produce a result, this does not always mean the case is lost.
Alliance analyzes: what exactly was filed with the court; what claims were made; why the court rejected them; whether a repeat filing is possible;
whether there are grounds for a different legal strategy. In some cases a repeat filing, restoration of procedural deadlines or an appeal to a higher court is possible.
Why do clients turn to Alliance? Alliance handles Romanian citizenship cases comprehensively: from preparing documents to supporting stalled cases and court procedures. Our advantages: a physical presence in Romania; work with ANC and the Tribunal București; experience in supporting citizenship cases; an assessment before the court procedure begins; an honest evaluation of prospects; support until the result, not just until the documents are filed. We do not promise the impossible. If there are insufficient grounds for court, the client learns about it before the process begins. How to start If your case has been stalled for more than two years since the DOSAR was registered, prepare the basic information: the DOSAR number; the registration date; the article under which the application was filed; correspondence with ANC; copies of requests for additional documents, if there were any; information about family members, if cases were filed in parallel.
After that, contact Alliance on Telegram. We will carry out an assessment, determine the status of the case and propose a possible strategy: waiting for ANC's answer, pre-trial steps or filing with the administrative court.
The main point The administrative court for Romanian citizenship is a lawful means of protecting the applicant. If ANC breaches deadlines, the case does not move or you have received an unjustified refusal, the situation can and should be analyzed legally.
Alliance supports clients at every stage: from checking documents to court-driven acceleration and getting to the oath.
If your case has stalled or you have received a refusal, write to us on Telegram. We will review your situation and tell you what actions are possible in your particular case.