When the foreign spouse comes from a country not part of the Hague Apostille Convention, the procedure for obtaining and using documents in Romania is more complex. Since these countries do not issue apostilles, the documents must be legalized through diplomatic channels.
Key Concepts to Understand
To clarify this process, here are some essential points:
- Translation and Legalization: Every document in a language other than Romanian must be translated into Romanian by an authorized translator and certified by a Romanian notary to be accepted by local institutions.
- Diplomatic Route: Countries without reciprocal treaties “communicate” exclusively through their embassies/consulates and the Ministries of Foreign Affairs.
- Multi-Step Legalization (Supralegalizare): Any document destined for Romania must follow this sequence (and vice-versa):
- Legalization by the local Chamber of Public Notaries (Camera Notarilor Publici) – required since the Ministry cannot vouch for every individual notary office in the country.
- Legalization by the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE – Ministerul Afacerilor Externe) – required since the Ministry can only vouch for Notary Organizations (Camere Notarilor Publici) of every single Romanian province (Judet).
- Legalization by the embassy or consulate of the foreign country in Romania – because the foreign embassy only dialog with the Romanian Ministry of External Affairs.
Only after these steps will the document be able to travel from and to Romania.
Typical Documents Required in Original
- Birth certificate
- Certificate of no marriage (or single status)
- Divorce or death certificates/decisions (if previously married)
1. Drafting and Signing the Special Power of Attorney in Romania
- The Special Power of Attorney (SPA) must state clearly what powers you give (e.g., to obtain a copy of your birth certificate, certificate of single status, etc.).
- You sign the SPA in front of a Romanian Notary Public, who verifies your identity and authenticates the document (please read my previous Important Note).
👉 Important note: be aware of the following pitfalls:
– A Romanian notary can prepare an SPA, but by default, it will only be effective within Romanian territory.
– This happens because Romanian notaries keep the signed original in their archives and only release a duplicate (Duplicat) certifying that you signed.
– Foreign authorities usually do not recognize a Romanian notary’s certification directly, so such SPAs are often refused abroad.
This leads many people to waste hundreds of euros on SPAs that cannot be used outside Romania.
A Practical Solution:
After several unsuccessful attempts, that costed me important amounts of money and time, I had an excellent collaboration with the Public Notary Office of Janina Gabriela Ratiu in Bucharest. Thanks to their professional team and in-house translator, and with the support of external specialists, they managed to prepare an SPA valid for use in the foreign country.
Instead of certifying the full text of the SPA, they authenticated only the signature, which made the document acceptable for the foreign authorities. This approach finally worked and saved me from further losses of time and money.
2. Translation and Legalization in Romania
- The SPA must be translated into the official language of your country of origin.
- The translation is done by a sworn translator and authenticated by the Romanian notary. It is much easier if your notary has an in-house translator and is able to prepare a bilingual document.
- Since the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs recognizes only since the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs recognizes only public notary organizations and not individual notaries, you need to first a supra legalization from “Camera Notarilor Publici” of the city or district in which you live.
- Since your country is not part of the Hague Convention, the next step is consular legalization.
3. Legalization by the Romanian Authorities and the Foreign Consulate
- After notarial authentication, the SPA must be legalized by both:
- The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Direcția Consulară).
- The Embassy or Consulate of your country in Romania, which places a final legalization stamp.
- Only with these legalizations, your representative can use the SPA in your home country.
4. Sending the Document Abroad
- Once fully legalized, the SPA and its translation are sent by courier (DHL or another reliable service) to your trusted representative in your home country.
5. Your Representative’s Role in the Home Country
- With the legalized SPA, your representative can request the necessary certificates at the civil registry in your country.
- Since your country is not part of the Hague system, those certificates must also go through a legalization process before they can be used in Romania. This usually means:
- Legalization by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in your home country, and
- Legalization by the Romanian Embassy or Consulate in that country.
6. Returning the Documents to Romania
- Once the documents are issued and legalized abroad, they are sent back to you in Romania and will be valid after going the following additional chain
- Legalization by the embassy or consulate of the issuing country in Romania (so Romania can recognize the origin).
- Translation into Romanian by a sworn translator that will also provide a first legalization (a notary, with a fiduciary relation with the translator, certifies the translator’s signature — Never try to translate in a place and legalize in another).
- Supralegalization by the Chamber of Public Notaries (Camera Notarilor Publici) — this confirms that the Romanian notary is recognized.
- Legalization by the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE – Ministerul Afacerilor Externe) — this is the final step that makes the document valid for use with Romanian authorities.
👉 Important note: With the only exception of the Special Power of Attorney (SPA) — which you issue, legalize, and send once at the beginning of the process — every other document you request from abroad must go through the same legalization steps.
⚠️ Be careful: even a wrongly issued document will cost you money, because each stage of the process involves fees. Consider asking a specialist for guidance. Typical costs are:
– Issuing a bilingual SPA: ~200–300 RON + VAT
– Sworn translation and notarization: ~100 RON per page
– Chamber of Notaries (supralegalization): ~125–150 RON per document
– Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE): currently no fee
– International delivery and pick-up (including EU countries): ~400 RON
Legal Disclaimer
This article is not intended as legal advice. I am simply sharing my personal experience, supported by the best information available at the time — including explanations generated with the help of AI tools like ChatGPT.
Please be aware that immigration laws and procedures may change over time, and mistakes can happen. I strongly recommend verifying any legal or administrative detail directly with the Romanian authorities or a qualified immigration lawyer.
I am committed to keeping my articles up to date and accurate. If you spot an error or have constructive feedback, your comments are not only welcome — they are appreciated.