When Can You Finally Sue ANC Over Romanian Citizenship in 2026
In 2026, one of the most frequent questions from applicants always sounds the same:
"When can I finally sue ANC?"
People receive a dosar number and wait a year, two, three, four, and sometimes much longer.
Against this background, a huge amount of fear appears:
- "court is dangerous"
- "it is a conflict with the state"
- "after the court there will be a refusal"
- "it is better just to wait"
- "if you sue, ANC will get angry"
It is these fears that today prevent thousands of people from making rational decisions.
But it is important to understand the main point.
An administrative court case against ANC is not a scandal and not an extreme measure.
It is a standard legal procedure for protecting the applicant's right when an administrative process is excessively delayed.
That is exactly how Romanian legal practice sees it.
WHAT AN ADMINISTRATIVE COURT CASE AGAINST ANC IS
When people say "sue ANC," they usually mean contencios administrativ — administrative proceedings against a state authority.
The legal basis rests primarily on:
- Law 554/2004
- the principle of reasonable time
- the obligations of the administrative authority
- the applicant's right to have the case reviewed
It is very important to understand: the court does not grant citizenship in place of ANC.
The court examines a different question: whether the reasonable time for reviewing the file has been breached.
That is why the administrative court is a normal mechanism of administrative oversight, not a "war with the state."
WHY THE COURT TOPIC BECAME MAINSTREAM IN 2026
The main reason is ANC's timelines.
According to current analysis and market practice, the cases that increasingly get into active review and reach the citizenship order are those about 5 years old from the date the dosar number was issued.
This does not mean that all cases automatically come out exactly after 5 years.
But it shows the scale of the queue and the workload.
For a person this means a simple thing: if the case was filed long ago and there is no movement, the wait may go on for a very long time yet.
That is why the administrative court has become a mass tool for applicants who do not want to stay in limbo indefinitely.
WHEN THE WAIT CAN BE CONSIDERED EXCESSIVE
This is one of the most important questions.
Because the main mistake is to file a claim on emotion.
For example: "I am tired of waiting, so I am going to court."
But a professional approach looks different.
You need to analyze:
- the filing date
- the dosar number
- the current waiting time
- the stage of the file
- whether ANC sent any requests
- whether there are weak points in the documents
- whether there are archival difficulties
- how strong the chain of evidence is
- whether the case is in line with 2026 practice
That is why it is impossible to name one universal date for all cases.
Each file needs to be analyzed separately.
WHY YOU SHOULD NOT BE AFRAID OF COURT
Very many Ukrainians perceive court as something extreme.
But contencios administrativ in Romania is ordinary legal practice.
The person is not doing anything illegal.
They are using a mechanism provided by law to protect the right to a review within a reasonable time.
This is especially important to understand now, when many cases have already been waiting 4–5 years.
That is why the administrative court should not be seen as "aggression."
It is a standard tool of administrative law.
CAN YOU WIN A COURT CASE AGAINST ANC
According to current practice, a significant share of administrative claims against ANC have positive prospects when the legal position is strong.
As a rough guide, one can speak of about 70% positive prospects with a competently prepared file and a properly built strategy.
But this is not a guarantee.
Because the court assesses:
- whether the time is reasonable
- the quality of the position
- the state of the file
- any problems in the documents
- the archival base
- the chain of evidence
- risks of fraud and fals
- the overall legal structure
That is why strong preparation is critically important.
CAN YOU REACH THE CITIZENSHIP ORDER AFTER COURT
This is another very important question.
In practice, with a positive court outcome and strong preparation, many applicants get their case moving and can reach the citizenship order within about one year of the start of the court proceedings.
But here it is important to be legally honest.
The court does not guarantee the order automatically.
The court does not turn a weak file into a strong one.
If a person has:
- problems with the archives
- a weak chain of evidence
- surname errors
- outdated documents
- poor translations
- no B1
- a weak legal basis
then the court case itself does not solve these problems.
That is why the case needs to be strengthened first.
WHY ALLIANCE / ARMONIE DOES NOT TAKE PEOPLE TO COURT "AUTOMATICALLY"
This is one of the main principles of our work.
Alliance / Armonie does not work on the model of "we will file a claim and everything will be resolved."
A strategic assessment of the file is carried out first.
We check:
- the dosar number
- waiting times
- documents
- the archival base
- surnames
- translations
- apostilles
- B1
- the chain of evidence
- weak points
- court prospects
If we see that the documents are weak or something is missing, the file itself is strengthened first.
If needed, the documents are completed.
If there are problems with the archives, an archival strategy is built.
If there are surname errors, the logic of proof is prepared.
If B1 is weak, we explain how to build the language into the route.
And only after that is the administrative court considered.
This approach is fundamentally important.
Because the court should strengthen an already prepared position, not cover up a weak case.
WHAT MISTAKES MOST OFTEN DESTROY A COURT POSITION
The most dangerous mistakes:
- going to court too early
- filing a weak file
- ignoring B1
- not checking the archival base
- not analyzing surnames
- using outdated documents
- getting weak translations
- believing promises of a "100% order"
Especially dangerous is the strategy of "the main thing is to file a claim."
In 2026, the court requires a strong legal structure.
WHY A STRATEGY IS WHAT IS NEEDED IN 2026
The Romanian citizenship market has changed a lot.
Today it is no longer enough to:
- "submit the documents"
- "wait for the order"
- "then go to court"
ANC analyzes cases much more deeply.
That is why a strong route must include:
- analysis of the dosar
- timelines
- archival prospects
- the chain of evidence
- B1
- translations
- apostilles
- strengthening the file
- analysis of court prospects
Only this approach creates a strong position