How to Apply for a Romanian Electronic Passport as an Adult

How do adults apply for a Romanian electronic passport?

Romanian citizens aged 18 or older with domicile in Romania can request a pasaport simplu electronic, the standard biometric Romanian passport, through the Directorate General for Passports (Directia Generala de Pasapoarte) and its public community passport services.

The application requires a valid Romanian identity document, proof of payment, the previous passport if one exists, and personal attendance for biometric identification. The official fee for applications submitted in Romania is 265 lei.

The first practical step is to check your identity document and reserve an appointment using the Ministry of Internal Affairs' HUB MAI ePasapoarte service. You may choose any public community passport service in Romania, regardless of your county of domicile.

What documents do you need?

The Directorate General for Passports publishes a specific checklist for adults whose domicile is in Romania.

• Valid identity card: the original carte de identitate, carte de identitate provizorie or older buletin de identitate, as applicable.
• Birth certificate: the original certificate when the applicant presents a provisional identity card.
• Payment confirmation: proof that the passport fee was paid for the applicant.
• Previous passport: the existing or expired passport, if available.

The payment confirmation must identify the transaction and the applicant, including their name, CNP and amount paid. It can be presented in an accepted electronic or printed form.

For an ordinary adult application, the official checklist does not require a separate passport photograph. The facial image is captured at the passport counter.

What if you have a provisional identity card?

A valid carte de identitate provizorie is accepted, but it must be accompanied by the applicant's original birth certificate.

Check both documents before booking. Bringing only the provisional identity card leaves the ordinary application file incomplete.

What if your name has changed?

The personal information used for the passport must match your current legal identity.

According to the Directorate General for Passports, a person whose name changed through marriage must present an identity document issued in the new name, the previous passport and proof of payment for the new passport.

Do not continue using a passport showing an outdated legal name. A change of domicile within Romania alone does not normally require replacing the passport, but a change between domicile in Romania and domicile abroad requires the appropriate passport status.

If your official population-register details are incorrect, consult the separate guide to correcting registered personal data before applying.

Who can apply?

The standard procedure covers Romanian citizens who are legally adults, have their domicile in Romania and are entitled to travel abroad under Romanian law.

The applicant must normally attend personally. This is necessary because the authority verifies identity, captures the facial image and fingerprints, and obtains the applicant's signature.

Where an adult has a legally established limitation affecting their capacity to act, the Directorate General for Passports describes exceptional procedures involving a legal representative or medical authority, supporting judicial documents and the applicant's mandatory presence.

Passport issuance can be temporarily refused where the person's right to travel abroad is legally suspended or a court has imposed a relevant prohibition on leaving Romania.

What if your official domicile is abroad?

Romanian citizens whose domicile is legally established abroad have a separate passport route involving the country of domicile, commonly called CRDS.

Do not use the ordinary Romanian-domicile checklist without checking your official status. The Romanian CRDS passport procedure explains the different supporting documents and conditions.

How do you book a passport appointment online?

The Ministry of Internal Affairs provides an official appointment portal called HUB MAI ePasapoarte.

1. Open the official ePasapoarte appointment service.
2. Select the county and passport office where you want to apply.
3. Choose an available appointment date and time.
4. Enter the information requested by the appointment system.
5. Complete the booking and retain its confirmation.
6. Attend the selected passport office with your original documents.

The MAI service states that appointments can be made up to three months before the application date.

You are not restricted to the passport office in your home county. Applications can be submitted at any public community passport service in Romania.

An online appointment is not an online passport application. The application itself is registered by the passport officer during your personal visit.

How much does a Romanian adult passport cost?

The official price for a standard electronic passport application submitted in Romania is 265 lei, including VAT.

This tariff took effect on 1 August 2025 and is confirmed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs' passport service information for 2026.

Accepted payment methods are:

• Online payment through the official Ghișeul.ro platform.
• Payment at a CEC Bank counter.
• Payment through designated SelfPay terminals at CEC Bank.

Keep the payment confirmation. The passport authority requires proof identifying the applicant and the transaction.

Payment documents issued before the August 2025 tariff change remain usable under the official transitional rules, without an additional payment solely because the tariff changed.

Can you pay extra for faster processing?

No. The Directorate General for Passports states that there is no separate urgent-processing fee for the standard electronic passport.

The temporary passport is a distinct document available only in qualifying circumstances. It is not a paid express version of the ordinary electronic passport.

What happens when you submit the application?

The passport officer checks your original documents and creates the application in the official computer system.

The applicant's facial image and fingerprints are captured for the electronic passport. Adults are normally required to provide fingerprints unless an applicable physical or medical exemption is established.

The application is printed so that you can check the personal details and sign it.

The Directorate General for Passports confirms that the standard application is generated at the counter. You do not need to prepare a separate handwritten passport application form in advance.

How long does it take to receive the passport?

For an electronic passport application submitted in Romania and collected in Romania, the official service currently reports an average delivery time of approximately 2.5 working days.

The Directorate General for Passports generally indicates issuance within five working days, although heavy demand may extend practical processing to 10 working days.

The applicable statutory maximum for applications submitted in Romania is 15 working days.

These are different measures: the published average describes recent service performance, the shorter period is operational guidance, and the statutory maximum is the legal limit.

What if you request collection abroad?

Different processing periods apply if the applicant submits the request in Romania but chooses collection at a Romanian diplomatic mission or consular office abroad.

The MAI service specifies a maximum of 45 working days for collection through Romanian missions in EU member states and 60 working days for collection through missions in non-EU countries.

Choose the collection location carefully if you have an upcoming trip.

How long is the electronic passport valid?

The standard Romanian electronic passport issued to a person over 18 has a validity of 10 years.

The validity period cannot be extended and additional visa pages cannot be added. A new passport must be requested when replacement is necessary.

Romanian law also provides circumstances in which a passport ceases to be valid before its printed expiry date, including relevant damage or unauthorized alterations.

Before travelling, check the destination country's entry rules. Some countries require a passport to remain valid for a specified period beyond the intended stay.

How do you receive the completed passport?

Applicants may choose collection at an eligible public community passport service or request delivery through a courier service to an address in Romania.

According to the Directorate General for Passports, courier delivery within Romania is free.

You can request courier delivery when submitting the application. The authority also provides a procedure for subsequently requesting delivery by emailing the passport service where the application was submitted and supplying the identification and delivery details required by that service.

For personal collection, present your valid original identity document. The official MAI service also recognizes collection by an authorized third person under a notarized power of attorney.

How do you know when your passport is ready?

Use the official Status pașaport function in HUB MAI ePasapoarte to check the progress of your application.

The date initially communicated by the office is not necessarily the earliest date on which the passport can be collected. Check its status before making an unnecessary trip.

Can you renew a passport before it expires?

Yes. Romanian citizens can request a new electronic passport even when the previous passport remains valid.

Romanian passports are not extended by adding years to an existing document. The replacement procedure produces a new passport.

The previous passport must be presented if it exists. Under the official rules, it is cancelled and may be returned to the holder, including where it contains visas that the holder needs to retain for reference.

Confirm the destination country's rules before attempting to travel with a visa in an old, cancelled passport.

Should you apply for an electronic or temporary passport?

For ordinary international travel, the standard electronic passport is the appropriate document.

The Romanian authorities explicitly state that temporary passports are not issued solely for tourism. Qualifying urgent circumstances must be supported by relevant documents.

If your circumstances involve a genuine urgent need, consult the separate guide to applying for a temporary Romanian passport.

What mistakes should you avoid?

• Expired identity document: check validity before attending the appointment.
• Missing birth certificate: bring it if you are using a provisional identity card.
• Incorrect payment details: make sure the confirmation identifies the correct passport applicant.
• Missing previous passport: bring it whenever one exists.
• Incorrect personal information: resolve changes of name or other identity discrepancies before submitting the application.
• Assuming online completion: an ePasapoarte booking does not replace the required biometric appointment.
• Choosing an unsuitable collection location: collection abroad may take considerably longer than collection in Romania.
• Relying on a temporary passport for tourism: the temporary document is subject to specific legal eligibility conditions.

What happens if your application cannot be accepted?

The passport authority verifies the documents and whether the applicant satisfies the legal conditions for issuance.

If a document is missing or incorrect, resolve the deficiency and follow the passport service's instructions for presenting the correct evidence.

Where issuance is refused because of a legal restriction on travel abroad, obtaining another appointment or paying again does not remove that restriction.

Ask the issuing authority for the formal reason and any available remedy. Review the relevant decision and applicable legal procedure rather than assuming that a new application is equivalent to challenging a refusal.

Related procedures

The adult Romanian-domicile procedure differs from the passport application for a minor. If you are arranging travel documents for a child, see the guide to Romanian child passport applications and parental consent.

For official booking, payment, current service instructions and passport status checks, use the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Directorate General for Passports resources listed in the sources section.