How to Correct Incorrect Personal Data in Romania's National Persons Register

Where should you request correction of your personal data?

Use the official MAI personal-data rectification service if you are a Romanian citizen and your information in the National Register of Persons Records (RNEP) is incorrect, incomplete or needs updating.

The responsible authority is the General Directorate for Persons Records (DGEP), working with county and local Public Community Services for Persons Records (SPCEP).

The official service is named Serviciul pentru rectificarea datelor cu caracter personal. It is available through the MAI personal-data rectification service page.

There are three published submission routes: an online application through MAI HUB, an email request to DGEP, or a request submitted at a territorial persons records office.

Is your error in RNEP or in a civil-status document?

Before submitting a request, identify where the incorrect information originates. Romania distinguishes correction of data held in the national persons register from rectification of an original civil-status record.

For example, if your birth certificate contains the correct spelling of your name but your RNEP record contains a different spelling, the RNEP rectification service is the relevant starting point.

If the original birth record contains the error, correcting only a downstream database may not resolve the underlying problem. The official civil-status record rectification service explains that process.

Who is eligible to apply?

MAI identifies the beneficiaries of the RNEP rectification service as Romanian citizens. Its service description specifies no minimum age.

The procedure concerns individuals whose personal data is recorded in the National Register of Persons Records and who seek correction, completion or updating of that information.

For children or applicants acting through another person, the receiving authority may need to verify legal representation. The public service description does not establish one universal supporting-document checklist for every representative.

The RNEP service should not be confused with the broader right to rectify personal data under Article 16 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). That right may apply to other MAI processing activities, but the competent controller and submission procedure can differ.

How do you apply online?

The official MAI service instructions provide an online route through the Ministry of Internal Affairs service portal.

1. Open the MAI HUB account registration page if you do not already have an account.
2. Complete the required account registration process.
3. Validate your account using the official account validation instructions.
4. Sign in to the MAI HUB service portal.
5. Open the Identitate persoana section and select Rectificare date personale.
6. Complete the electronic request, identifying the information to be corrected.
7. Attach relevant civil-status documents that support the requested correction and help clarify the circumstances.
8. Submit the request and monitor the email address associated with the application for the institution's response.

MAI expressly describes electronic application submission and supporting-document attachment in its procedural steps.

The same public service description contains a separate generic field stating that electronic documents are not managed within the service. Because these statements are not fully consistent, applicants should follow the actual MAI HUB application interface and the institution's current submission instructions. The online route is officially advertised, but the availability of every document-handling function should not be assumed beyond what the portal permits.

Do you need a validated MAI HUB account?

Yes, for the published online route. MAI instructs applicants to create a user account and complete its validation process before accessing the personal-data rectification form.

Account registration alone should not be treated as completion of the correction request. After validation, you must open the appropriate service and submit the actual application.

Can you send the request by email?

Yes. The official DGEP service description permits requests for the modification, updating or completion of personal data in RNEP to be sent to dgep@mai.gov.ro.

Your request should identify the information that is inaccurate, explain the correction sought and provide enough supporting information for the authority to assess the issue.

Use the official service instructions to determine which supporting documents are appropriate. Avoid sending unrelated personal information or unnecessary sensitive documents.

The published procedure states that a response may be sent by email under the applicable legal conditions.

When communicating electronically, retain a copy of your submitted request and any acknowledgement or response received.

Can you submit the request in person?

Yes. MAI states that the request may be submitted at any county or local Public Community Service for Persons Records.

These institutions are commonly identified as SPCEP or by their county or local organisational designation.

Before attending, prepare a written explanation of the incorrect information and the relevant civil-status evidence. Confirm the office's current reception arrangements and any requirements for copies or presentation of original documents.

The official procedure allows the response to be collected from the structure where the application was submitted, either personally or through a representative holding a special power of attorney.

This is an alternative to online or email submission, not a requirement to use all three channels for the same request.

What supporting documents should you prepare?

MAI specifically identifies relevant civil-status documents as supporting evidence for clarifying the personal-data discrepancy.

The appropriate documents depend on the information that needs correction. Examples include:

• Birth certificate: where the discrepancy concerns information established by the birth record.
• Marriage certificate: where the correction concerns information supported by the marriage record.
• Other relevant civil-status evidence: where it establishes the accurate information or explains a legally recorded change.
• Applicant identification: information sufficient for the authority to locate the correct RNEP record and verify the applicant's identity.
• Representation evidence: where the request is submitted by an authorised representative and the receiving authority requires proof of that authority.

This is a practical evidence guide, not a mandatory national checklist. MAI's service page does not publish an exhaustive document list covering every possible data correction.

Where the underlying record is disputed or itself inaccurate, the authority may need to direct the applicant to the separate civil-status rectification procedure.

Is the rectification service free?

Yes. The official MAI personal-data rectification service is free.

The service description explicitly lists the charge as Gratuit, meaning no application fee.

This does not establish that obtaining a separate replacement certificate or another document needed for a different procedure is always free. Such documents are governed by their own rules.

How long does the correction request take?

MAI publishes two service indicators for processing the request, analysing the information and communicating the response:

• Average processing time: 10 working days.
• Maximum published service period: 30 calendar days.

The average is not an individual guarantee. The published maximum concerns the described administrative service and should not be confused with a deadline for a separate civil-status record rectification.

For the latter procedure, MAI describes a mayoral decision issued within 30 days of receipt of the application, with communication to the applicant within 10 days of issuance.

Check the official RNEP service description for the published response indicators.

How does DGEP process your request?

The receiving authority examines the application and the supporting evidence to determine whether the recorded information should be corrected, completed or updated.

MAI's published online procedure states that the applicant receives the response by email. For alternative submission channels, the response may be sent electronically under the applicable legal conditions or collected from the receiving office.

If the evidence does not establish the requested correction, the institution may need clarification or may be unable to make the requested change on the basis of the submitted information.

Read the response carefully to determine whether the RNEP information was corrected or whether another administrative procedure is required.

Do not assume that correction of the register automatically replaces an already issued identity document. If the physical identity document also contains incorrect information, confirm the separate issuance requirements with the competent persons records office.

Does GDPR give you a separate right to correct personal data?

Yes. Article 16 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 provides a right to obtain rectification of inaccurate personal data without undue delay and to have incomplete personal data completed, taking account of the purposes of processing.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs explains this right in its official personal-data rights guide.

However, the dedicated RNEP correction service and the general GDPR right should not be treated as interchangeable procedures.

The RNEP service concerns the national persons register and is specifically described for Romanian citizens. A request involving a different MAI system must be directed to the authority responsible for that processing activity.

The legal rules governing some law-enforcement processing may also differ from the ordinary GDPR framework.

What can you do if the request is unsuccessful?

Start by reading the institution's response and identifying whether the problem concerns missing evidence, an incorrect underlying civil-status record or a disagreement about the requested correction.

If supporting documents are missing, contact the authority to clarify which evidence is needed. If the original civil-status record is incorrect, use the appropriate civil-status rectification procedure instead of repeatedly submitting the same RNEP request.

For personal-data processing governed by GDPR, MAI's official rights guide recognises the right to lodge a complaint with the national data protection supervisory authority, ANSPDCP, and the right to seek a judicial remedy under the applicable legal conditions.

These remedies concern the relevant data-protection rights and do not replace a specific administrative or judicial procedure for amending a civil-status record.

For a civil-status rectification decision, MAI states that the mayor's decision admitting or rejecting the request may be challenged before the competent court under the applicable law.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Using the RNEP service when the original birth or marriage record itself contains the error.
• Assuming the RNEP correction service covers every database operated by MAI.
• Creating an MAI HUB account but failing to validate it or submit the application.
• Requesting a correction without identifying the inaccurate information.
• Providing documents that do not establish the information being requested.
• Submitting the same request through multiple channels without checking whether it is already being processed.
• Assuming correction of a register automatically replaces a previously issued identity card.
• Sending unnecessary sensitive personal information to unofficial websites or email addresses.

Where can you get help?

The responsible institution for the dedicated RNEP service is the General Directorate for Persons Records (DGEP).

• Address: Strada Obcina Mare nr. 2, Sector 6, Bucharest, Romania.
• Email: dgep@mai.gov.ro.
• Telephone: 021 440 24 40, 021 413 54 42 or 021 440 27 70.

Use the official MAI service page to confirm the procedure before submitting your request.

If you already applied for a replacement electronic identity card and only need to follow its issuance progress, consult the separate Helpydo guide on checking an electronic identity card application status. That tracking procedure does not itself correct inaccurate RNEP data.