Over 850 thousand citizens of the Republic of Moldova have regained Romanian citizenship between 1991-2024. Currently, over 150 thousand applications are being processed by the National Authority for Citizenship in Romania. The data was published by the former minister Valeriu Munteanu, who clarifies that, as a deputy in the Romanian Parliament, he requested them from the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Internal Affairs across the Prut, reports IPN.

According to data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Romania, between the years 1991 and 2002, approximately 85,500 citizens from the Republic of Moldova regained their Romanian citizenship, through a simplified procedure. “It was a period of transition, of hope, but also of uncertainty, in which the Romanian state extended a hand to our brothers across the Prut. Without bureaucracy, without pointless interviews. Just a declaration of identity affiliation and a legal act of reparation”, noted Valeriu Munteanu.

After 2002, the procedure was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice and the National Authority for Citizenship. “What followed is impressive – over 770 thousand Moldovan citizens have been restored to their natural rights as Romanians”, he states.

At the beginning of June 2025, 150,607 files for the reacquisition of citizenship were being processed by the National Authority for Citizenship. According to Valeriu Munteanu, the average time to resolve the applications is 3.28 years for submitted requests. In his opinion, this is an excessive duration. “If Romania truly wants Bessarabia to return to its historical body, then the citizenship file should not stand in the way of a Romanian heart”, he asserts.

“Today, over 850 thousand Bessarabians are once again Romanian citizens. In the next 2-3 years, if the authorities do their duty, this number will reach one million”, Valeriu Munteanu further stated.