Romanian identity card

The Romanian identity card (Romanian: Carte de identitate, informally called Buletin) is an official identity document issued to every Romanian citizen residing in Romania. It is compulsory to obtain the identity card from 14 years of age. Although Romanian citizens residing abroad are exempt from obtaining the identity card, if they intend to establish a temporary residence in Romania, they may then apply for a provisional identity document (Romanian: Carte de identitate provizorie), which is valid for one year (renewable).

Romanian identity card Carte de identitate
The biometric model issued starting with 2025[1] (2021 in the city of Cluj-Napoca) [2]
Type	Identity card, optional replacement for passport in the listed countries
Issued by	Romania
First issued	1997 2 August 2021 (new design and format, only in one city) 2025 (new design and format, in the entire country-Planned)
Purpose	Identification, travel
Valid in	European Union  United Kingdom (EU Settlement Scheme) [3] Rest of Europe (except Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine)  Georgia  Montserrat (max. 14 days) Overseas France  Tunisia (organized tours)  Turkey
Eligibility	Romanian citizen over 14 years of age (mandatory), Proof of residence
Expiration	For ID-1 model issued starting in 2025: 10 years For ID-2 model: No expiry, but not possible to travel outside Romania after 3 August 2031 (age 55 or over) 10 years or until 3 August 2031 for ID cards issued after 2 August 2021 (age 25–54) 7 years (age 18–24) 4 years (age 14–17)
Size	ID-1 (new model) ID-2 (old model)

The identity cards are issued by the Directorate for Persons Record and Databases Management, subordinated to the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs.

History

The first identity documents were issued to Romanian citizens as a result of Decree No. 947 of 24.03.1921 which approved the Implementing Regulations of the Law nr.812 of 03.19.1915.

These documents were called bulletins registration office population and their contents match the information on your civil status, nickname, home address, occupation and semnalmentele holder (stature, hair, forehead, eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth, chin, face, complexion special marks).

Although the regulation has established a pattern of ballot enrollment in public office, because they were made for each county, they were different in size, colour and sometimes even content.

Since 1949, which marked the establishment register in Romania, identity cards issued to Romanian citizens were printed uniquely throughout the country and called Identity bulletin (Romanian: Buletin de identitate).

These included fewer than the previous data about the holder, the holder's photograph and they apply is issued valid for 10 years. In time, identity card content has undergone some changes in that, since 1980 it could be entered two shelf life, by applying a second photo on the first closing date. In this way, Romanian citizen may be the same ID card holder for 20 years. At first, the identity card was made 8 file their number is reduced to 4 in 1990.

Law No.105 of 1996 on the population register and ID card, as amended and supplemented, created the legislative framework for a new ID i.e. identity card.

As a result, in June 1997 work began issuing the new format of identity card. The new identity document was designed and released into the computerised system is intended to facilitate a number of advantages for both the state and the citizen. The identity card is the document issued to Romanian citizen and proving identity, home address and, where appropriate, address of residence of the proprietor. This document is issued from the age of 14 years. The structures empowered to issue identity documents are public community services for People subordinated to local and county councils and the General Council of the municipality (and the local councils of Bucharest Municipality sectors). The old identity bulletins issued without expiry date to senior citizens remained valid (for use in Romania).

In September 2024 it was announced that a new prototype of the electronic identity card, currently undergoing final tests at the Ministry of the Interior, will have an increased level of security compared to the one issued in the pilot project in Cluj. The cards will be issued nationwide in the end of November that year and that holders would access 11 electronic services through the new cards, one of which will be the transformation of the electronic identity card into a virtual card and its access from the phone.^[4] In January 2025 the government announced further delay in the implementation due to technical difficulties encountered during the testing phase of the new chip.^[5]

Information provided

• Series and number of the ID card (changes every time the bearer changes the ID card)
• CNP (Romanian: Cod Numeric Personal; English: Personal Numerical Code) the same for every ID card of the individual (see below)
• Surname(s)
• Given name(s)
• Sex
• Names of the parents (replaced with the nationality since 2009)
• Date of birth (not explicitly written on ID-2, but included in CNP)
• Address
• Issuing authority (mostly "SPCLEP <City>")
• Validity (issuing date (DD.MM.YY) and expiration date (DD.MM.YYYY))

Also it has two rows of optical readable information, like the passports.

Series of the ID card

The series of the ID card are formed of two letters, representing the abbreviation of the county (but not always) (the abbreviation is sometimes the same as the license plate indicative) or of the county's seat that issued the document.

City	County	ID series	License plate	CNP Code
București	-	DP, DR, DT, RD, RR, RT, RX, RK	B	40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46
Alba Iulia	Alba	AX	AB	01
Alexandria	Teleorman	TR	TR	34
Arad	Arad	AR, ZR	AR	02
Bacău	Bacău	XC, ZC	BC	04
Baia Mare	Maramureș	MM, XM	MM	24
Bistrița	Bistrița-Năsăud	XB	BN	06
Botoșani	Botoșani	XT, ZT	BT	07
Brașov	Brașov	BV, ZV	BV	08
Brăila	Brăila	XR	BR	09
Buftea	Ilfov	IF	IF	23
Buzău	Buzău	XZ, ZB	BZ	10
Călărași	Călărași	KL	CL	51
Cluj-Napoca	Cluj	KX, CJ	CJ	12
Constanța	Constanța	KT, KZ	CT	13
Craiova	Dolj	DX, DZ	DJ	16
Deva	Hunedoara	HD	HD	20
Drobeta Turnu Severin	Mehedinți	MH	MH	25
Focșani	Vrancea	VN	VN	39
Galați	Galați	GL, ZL	GL	17
Giurgiu	Giurgiu	GG	GR	52
Iași	Iași	MX, MZ, IZ	IS	22
Miercurea Ciuc	Harghita	HR	HR	19
Oradea	Bihor	XH, ZH	BH	05
Piatra Neamț	Neamț	NT, NZ	NT	27
Pitești	Argeș	AS, AZ	AG	03
Ploiești	Prahova	PH, PX, PK	PH	29
Reșița	Caraș-Severin	KS	CS	11
Râmnicu Vâlcea	Vâlcea	VX	VL	38
Satu Mare	Satu Mare	SM	SM	30
Sfântu Gheorghe	Covasna	KV	CV	14
Sibiu	Sibiu	SB, SR	SB	32
Slatina	Olt	OT , SL	OT	28
Slobozia	Ialomița	SZ	IL	21
Suceava	Suceava	SV, XV	SV	33
Timișoara	Timiș	TM,TZ	TM	35
Târgoviște	Dâmbovița	DD	DB	15
Târgu Jiu	Gorj	GZ	GJ	18
Târgu Mureș	Mureș	MS, ZS	MS	26
Tulcea	Tulcea	TC	TL	36
Vaslui	Vaslui	VS	VS	37
Zalău	Sălaj	SX	SJ	31

CNP

The card contains the individual's Cod Numeric Personal (CNP), or Personal Numeric Code, a unique identifying number. The CNP is unique for each person which is used for taxation and other purposes

The CNP consist of 13 digits as follows:

• 1 digit for the sex of the Person. 1=Male & 2=Female born before 1999, 3 & 4 before 1899, 5 & 6 before 2099, 7 & 8 for foreign residents^[6]
• 6 digits for Date of birth
• 2 digits represents the place of birth (County)
• next 3 digits is a number between 001 and 999. Each number is allocated only once per person per day
• last digit is a control digit calculated from all the other 12 digits in the code as follows:

(n1*2+n2*7+n3*9+n4*1+n5*4+n6*6+n7*3+n8*5+n9*8+n10*2+n11*7+n12*9)%11 if the result is 10 then the digit is 1, otherwise is the result.

The CNP was established in 1978, through a decree signed by Nicolae Ceaușescu.^[7]

Future

Since 2011, the Romanian Government tried implementing the more secure Electronic (Biometric) Identity Cards in line with the requirements of European Commission for general use, but the project fell short for a variety of reasons including privacy, religious freedom, cost and implementation strategy. In October 2019, the government rolled out an initiative for citizens to opt-in for an Electronic ID card with the aim of country-wide adoption by 2021. The first pilot programme was initiated in Cluj with the rest of the country to follow after. Cards from the non-electronic current model will continue to be valid until their designated expiry date.^[8]

Citizens who live abroad

Romanian citizens living abroad can apply for issuing first ID documents provided by law with diplomatic missions or consular offices in that State. The identity card shall be issued as follows:

• a) first identity card is issued to the age of 14;
• b) for people aged 14–18 years the term of validity of the card is 4 years;
• c) for people aged 18–25 years the term of validity of the card is 7 years;
• d) the cards issued after the age of 25 years are valid for 10 years.

After age 55, the identity card is issued permanently valid (by making the validity date in excess of 40 years).

Travel

The validity of the Romanian identity card for travel extends to all member states of the European Union, the Schengen Area, as well as the other European microstates such as San Marino, Vatican City, Monaco and Andorra.

Entry is also possible in the Western Balkan states of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina (up to 90 days within 180 days), Kosovo, North Macedonia (up to 90 days within 180 days), Montenegro (up to 90 days within 180 days, valid for 30 days), and Serbia (up to 90 days within 180 days).

Furthermore, the identity card serves as a recognized travel document in several other regions, including the Faroe Islands, French overseas territories, Georgia, Gibraltar, Republic of Moldova, Northern Cyprus (up to 90 days), Turkey (up to 90 days within 180 days), and Tunisia (on organized tours).

Limitations and exceptions

Most other countries require a passport and, in some cases, a travel visa. The United Kingdom (including all dependent territories except Gibraltar), Greenland, and the non-European parts of the Netherlands do not accept the Romanian identity card for entry.

When flying to French overseas territories, passengers may need to avoid transitional points in countries that do not recognize the ID card.

In the United Kingdom, when crossing the UK border and visiting the country, there is an exception until at least 31 December 2025 for accepting identity cards only from individuals who have settled or pre-settled status in the UK under the EU Settlement Scheme.

Gallery

• 
  The Romanian identity card. This is the old model, when the country code was ROM and not ROU as in present.
• 
  The Romanian identity card. This is the new model, with the country code ROU.
• 
  The model issued starting with 2009, that specifies the Romanian citizenship.
• 
  The Romanian identity card. Issued in 2018, this model shows Romania's new coat of arms with the crown on the eagle's head.

See also

• National identity cards in the European Union
• Romanian nationality law
• Romanian passport
• Visa policy of Romania
• Visa requirements for Romanian citizens