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History

The term for passport – name still in use today, which describe the general document travel under which Romanian travellers can travel beyond the borders of the Danube and the Habsburg Empire – first appears regulated in the Organic Regulations, which came into force in 1830 in Moldavia and 1831 in Wallachia. According to historical data, travellers were required to show a passport at the border of Wallachia both the consulate, and ravaged by road. Foreigners arrived in the country had to have a visa Romanian consulate, which was present at Agie, where passports are then released which could move anywhere in the country.²³

A historic milestone in the evolution of Romanian passport was the promulgation, on 19 March 1912 by King Carol I, the first modern laws related to passports. Thus, the "Law on paspoartelor" Romanian state introduced the first general principles regarding passports and border crossing mandatory for authorities and citizens. The law was structured XI articles, passport thus becoming national legal instruments needed to be used when Romanians travelling abroad.

Issued by the Ministry of Interior and county prefects, "paspoartele" were issued in the name of King and had small portable card format "size 9 cm (4 in) 13 cm (5 in), is composed of 20 pages numbered." Each page had framed, a fund composed of national reasons, in light lilac colour, making apparent to stand above the coat of arms and having the word "Romania", and below the word "Pasport".⁴

Evolution of the passports continued in the period before and during the Second World War, when new types of ordinary passports, service and diplomatic were introduced, some distinguished by a special technique of fastening (sticking, Stitching) tabs of covers, which create a fan effect.⁵

Romanian People's Republic

Political and social changes occurring with the proclamation on 30 December 1947 of the Romanian People's Republic led authorities at the time to introduce into circulation passports with a new name of the state and a new heraldic.

Modern period

After the Romanian Revolution of 1989 and the collapse of the communist bloc Romanian authorities opened the country's borders, which led to an exodus of Romanian citizens wishing to travel abroad.⁶

It was necessary that the organs with attributions issuing passports to circulate the Romanian travel documents to be aligned with international standards to be similar to those issued by other states. Thus, in accordance with Government Decision no. 757 of 30 December 1993, starting June 1994, was introduced into circulation a new model of Romanian passport simple first Romanian travel document issued in accordance with international standards.⁷

On 21 January 2002, the Romanian government introduced a new type of passport in a decision taken due to exacerbation of migration and the need to ensure greater security of documents, as in use European and international level at the time.

Like most countries in Southeast Europe, Romania has committed itself in the process of accession to the EU, assuming certain responsibilities to comply, just as member countries, rules and requirements designed to compete in a safe lifestyle, this signifying and harmonisation of legislation and issuing travel documents to comply with international and European. The adoption on 20 July 2005, Law no. 248 on the free movement of Romanian citizens abroad held in conditions that Romanian citizens could exercise their right of free movement abroad and the limits of this right.

In 2019 a new design was introduced for the passport. The new design has the country's 3D amended coat of arms which now contains a crown at the top of the eagle.⁸ On page 16, the passport holder must complete the particular details of a relative or friend who can be contacted in case of accident: full name, address and telephone.⁹

On September 4, 2024, a new, fourth generation design was introduced into circulation.¹⁰ These documents are produced by the National Company "Imprimeria Națională" S.A. in collaboration with specialists from the General Directorate of Passports within the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This design has changes its chromaticity and combines shades of bluish-green with bright orange tints in the background design. In addition to the elements inspired by traditional Romanian motifs, the graphic theme of the passport integrates by embossing on the last outer cover Peony, the national flower of Romania.¹¹

Types

The types of passports are:

• Diplomatic
• Business
• Simple (biometric): valid for 10 years for applicants aged 18 or over, 5 years for applicants between 12 and 18 years of age, and 3 years for applicants under the age of 12;
• Simple (temporary): valid for 12 months, issued as an emergency travel document.

Romania has begun issuing its biometric passport on 31 December 2008.¹²

Application

The Ministry of Internal Affairs, through the Community Public Service of Issuance and Registration of Simple Passports (Romanian: Serviciul Public Comunitar pentru Eliberarea şi Evidenţa Paşapoartelor Simple), is responsible for the issuance and renewal of Romanian passports.

Description

Regular Romanian EU passports are burgundy red in colour, with the Romania Coat of Arms emblazoned in the centre of the front cover. The words "European Union", "Romania", and "passport" are inscribed above and below the coat of arms (in Romanian). The information page identifying the bearer and the issuing authority is on the first page, not numbered (the Romanian passport contains 32 pages, information written on the 32nd page of the passport). On the last page, the bearer fills in information regarding contact person (persons) in case of emergency. On the third cover (the inner back cover) there are instructions for the bearer how to use and how not to use the passport.

The Romanian identity card can now be used to travel within the European Union.

Identity Information Page

The Romanian Passport includes the following data:

• Photo of Passport Holder
• Type (PE)
• Country Code (ROU)
• Passport No.
• Personal No. (CNP)
• Surname
• Given Names
• Citizenship (Unlike most passports, the Romanian passport lists citizenship instead of nationality.)
• Date of Birth
• Sex
• Place of Birth
• Date of Issue
• Date of Expiry
• Authority
• Holder's Signature, if applicable

The information page ends with the Machine Readable Zone. The data page/information page is printed in Romanian, English and French.

Visa requirements

Main article: Visa requirements for Romanian citizens

As of January 2025, Romanian citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 178 countries and territories, making the Romanian Passport 12th in terms of travel freedom.

Foreign travel statistics

According to the statistics these are the numbers of Romanian visitors to various countries per annum in 2014:

Gallery of historic images

See also

• Visa requirements for Romanian citizens
• Visa policy of the Schengen Area
• Passports of the European Union
• Romanian identity card
• Romanian nationality law
• Moldovan passport (Transnistrian)

• Official site of the issuing authority Archived 6 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine
• Delta Air Lines – Visa & Passport Information
• Saint Lucia Tourist Site of Frequently Asked Questions: Do I need a Visa to Enter Saint Lucia?
• Visa Information For Foreigners – Republic of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs

External links

• Europa Travelling in Europe 2010
• Europa Summaries of EU Legislation

References

1. Treaty on the Function of the European Union (consolidated version) http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2008:115:0047:0199:EN:PDF ↩

2. "Istoric". www.pasapoarte-il1.eu. http://www.pasapoarte-il1.eu/istoric.html ↩

3. "Istoria pașaportului românesc, la 111 ani de la „naștere"". Express de Banat. Ildiko Szendrei. Retrieved 25 February 2025. https://expressdebanat.ro/istoria-pasaportului-romanesc-la-111-ani-de-la-nastere/ ↩

4. "Istoria pașaportului românesc, la 111 ani de la „naștere"". Express de Banat. Ildiko Szendrei. Retrieved 25 February 2025. https://expressdebanat.ro/istoria-pasaportului-romanesc-la-111-ani-de-la-nastere/ ↩

5. "Istoria pașaportului românesc, la 111 ani de la „naștere"". Express de Banat. Ildiko Szendrei. Retrieved 25 February 2025. https://expressdebanat.ro/istoria-pasaportului-romanesc-la-111-ani-de-la-nastere/ ↩

6. "Istoria pașaportului românesc, la 111 ani de la „naștere"". Express de Banat. Ildiko Szendrei. Retrieved 25 February 2025. https://expressdebanat.ro/istoria-pasaportului-romanesc-la-111-ani-de-la-nastere/ ↩

7. "Istoria pașaportului românesc, la 111 ani de la „naștere"". Express de Banat. Ildiko Szendrei. Retrieved 25 February 2025. https://expressdebanat.ro/istoria-pasaportului-romanesc-la-111-ani-de-la-nastere/ ↩

8. Romania Insider (10 January 2019). "Romania to change design, content of passports" (url). Retrieved 23 December 2019. https://www.romania-insider.com/romania-change-passports ↩

9. Romania Insider. "Pașapoartele se schimbă din nou. Cum va arăta noul document de călătorie". Pro TV. Retrieved 23 December 2019. https://stirileprotv.ro/stiri/actualitate/pasapoartele-se-schimba-din-nou-cum-va-arata-noul-document-de-calatorie.html ↩

10. "ROMÂNIA - comunicat-de-presa-nr.-31-din-05.09.2024-generatia-a4a-de-pasapoarte.pdf" (PDF). pasapoarte.mai.gov.ro. 5 September 2024. Retrieved 31 October 2024. https://pasapoarte.mai.gov.ro/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/comunicat-de-presa-nr.-31-din-05.09.2024-generatia-a4a-de-pasapoarte.pdf ↩

11. "Se eliberează noul pașaport electronic românesc" (in Romanian). observnews.ro. 13 September 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2025. https://www.observnews.ro/se-elibereaza-noul-pasaport-electronic-romanesc/ ↩

12. "Electronic passports for romanians as of 2009". Archived from the original on 23 January 2010. Retrieved 9 September 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20100123031830/http://news.observatordebacau.info/2009/01/01/electronic-passports-for-romanians-as-of-2009.html ↩

13. "Publicationsdetails". www.statistik.at. http://www.statistik.at/web_en/publications_services/Publicationsdetails/index.html?includePage=detailedView§ionName=Tourism&pubId=532 ↩

14. "Tourisme selon pays de provenance 2014". http://statbel.fgov.be/fr/binaries/Tourisme%20selon%20pays%20de%20provenance-2014_tcm326-274580.xls ↩

15. "Arrivals of visitors from abroad to Bulgaria by months and by country of origin | National statistical institute". www.nsi.bg. https://www.nsi.bg/en/content/7058/arrivals-visitors-abroad-bulgaria-months-and-country-origin ↩

16. "Business HTZ". htz.hr. https://htz.hr/en-GB ↩

17. "Statistical Service - Services - Tourism - Key Figures". www.mof.gov.cy. https://www.mof.gov.cy/mof/cystat/statistics.nsf/services_71main_en/services_71main_en?OpenForm&sub=1&sel=2 ↩

18. Data for 2013 ↩

19. "Arrivals of non-residents from abroad by country of residence and means of transport: January-December 2013" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 July 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150724071412/http://sete.gr:80/_fileuploads/entries/Statistics/Greece/International%20Tourist%20Arrivals%20(Non-Residents)/catID51/EN/140425_Arrivals%20of%20non-residents%20from%20abroad_Jan-Dec%202013-2012.pdf ↩

20. Counting only visitors staying overnight in official accommodation. ↩

21. "Tourism in Hungary 2014". Archived from the original on 27 August 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20170827154401/http://itthon.hu/documents/28123/8118959/StatElo_2014_EN_oldalankent.pdf/ae2bd624-0bab-4d16-b37b-8c3bd15a0e8c ↩

22. "Statistical review: Transport, tourism and other services" (PDF). http://www.stat.gov.mk/Publikacii/8.4.15.01.pdf ↩

23. http://statbank.statistica.md/pxweb/Dialog/Saveshow.asp [permanent dead link‍] http://statbank.statistica.md/pxweb/Dialog/Saveshow.asp ↩

24. "Table 4. Foreign tourist arrivals and overnight stays by countries, 2014" (PDF). http://monstat.org/userfiles/file/turizam/dolasci%20i%20nocenja%202014/godisnja/Tourism%20in%20Montenegro%20-%202014.pdf ↩

25. Immigration New Zealand statistics – A1b – Arrivals by month http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/general/generalinformation/statistics/ ↩

26. Overnight stays in accommodation establishments in 2014 (PDF file, direct download 8.75 MB), Główny Urząd Statystyczny (Central Statistical Office), pp. 174–177 / 254. Warsaw 2015. http://stat.gov.pl/download/gfx/portalinformacyjny/pl/defaultaktualnosci/5494/1/12/1/kts_turystyka_w_2014.pdf ↩

27. "Страны, лидирующие по количеству прибытий на территорию Российской Федерации - Ростуризм". Archived from the original on 14 January 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20170114133211/http://www.russiatourism.ru/contents/statistika/statisticheskie-pokazateli-vzaimnykh-poezdok-grazhdan-rossiyskoy-federatsii-i-grazhdan-inostrannykh-gosudarstv/strany-lidiruyushchie-po-kolichestvu-pribytiy-na-territoriyu-rossiyskoy-federatsii/ ↩

28. "Statistical Yearbook of the Republic of Serbia – Tourism, 2015" (PDF). http://webrzs.stat.gov.rs/WebSite/repository/documents/00/01/88/89/16_TOURISM_AND_CATERING_TRADE.pdf ↩

29. Data for 2015 ↩

30. "Visitor arrivals by country of residence and mode of transport 2000". Archived from the original on 14 January 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20160114224049/http://www.nsb.gov.sc/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/VISITOR-ARRIVALS-2000-2015.xlsx ↩

31. "Ubytovacia štatistika cr na slovensku - TOP 15 krajín AZCR" [Accommodation statistics CR in Slovakia - TOP 15 countries AZCR] (in Slovak). Archived from the original on 14 February 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160214163442/http://www.sacr.sk/sacr/statistiky/?no_cache=1&cid=1163&did=9148&sechash=549d6572 ↩

32. "Slovenian Tourism in Numbers 2014" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 January 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160114224049/http://www.slovenia.info/pictures/TB_board/atachments_2/2015/STO_tvs_2014_ANG_20514.pdf ↩

33. "Border Statistics 2014". http://www.kultur.gov.tr/Eklenti/41141,border-statistics-2014.rar?0 ↩

34. "Foreign citizens who visited Ukraine in 2014 year, by countries". www.ukrstat.gov.ua. http://www.ukrstat.gov.ua/operativ/operativ2013/tyr/tyr_e/vig2014_e.htm ↩

35. "Inbound nation, region & county data". VisitBritain. 25 June 2019. Archived from the original on 9 February 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20170209150038/https://www.visitbritain.org/nation-region-county-data ↩

36. Data for 2013 ↩

37. "2013 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics" (PDF). www.dhs.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 January 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20150120232747/http://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/ois_yb_2013.pdf ↩