How do I get permanent residence in Romania, and does it lead to citizenship?

Romania's settled status is the EU long-term resident permit, available after five years of continuous legal residence. It grants near-equal rights with Romanian citizens. You generally need stable and regular resources, social health insurance, no removal order, and a Romanian criminal record certificate and civil-status documents, and IGI decides within about six months. Importantly, periods spent on a study permit or as an asylum seeker do not count towards the five years.

Long-term residence does set the stage for citizenship, but they are separate steps. Citizenship by naturalisation generally requires several years of continuous lawful residence (shorter for spouses of Romanian citizens), a clean criminal record, and proof of integration, and under 2025 reforms it now requires Romanian language proficiency at B1 level, with some exemptions. Naturalisation is handled by the National Authority for Citizenship (ANC).

Romania also offers citizenship by restoration for descendants of former citizens, which does not require residence at all. ACME can help you check whether your years qualify and prepare the documentation at each stage, and we recommend confirming the current rules on the official sites.