Ukrainians in Romania ask to count years of temporary protection towards permanent residence and citizenship
After the start of a full-scale war, millions of Ukrainians found themselves in new countries, looking for safety, work and a chance to restore a normal life. Among them are tens of thousands of people who moved to Romania. They have been living here for over three years, work, pay taxes, integrate into communities. However, despite all this, they remain in the status of temporary protection. This status does not entitle you to apply for permanent residence or citizenship, as the years spent under temporary protection do not count toward the legal experience required for naturalization. This creates a paradox that Ukrainian refugees hope to correct. Their appeal became the basis of a petition addressed to the Romanian government. It can change the fate of thousands of people.
Content of the petition: the law must take into account reality
The petition, initiated by the Ukrainian lawyer Iryna Arapova, who lives in Bucharest, concerns the introduction of specific changes to two main legislative acts of Romania. We are talking, firstly, about Emergency Decree No. 194/2002, which regulates the stay of foreigners, and, secondly, about Law No. 21/1991, which determines the conditions for acquiring Romanian citizenship. The author and signatories of the petition demand that the period of stay of Ukrainians in the country under temporary protection (which has been officially extended until March 4, 2027) be recognized as equivalent to the period of legal residence for further legalization and naturalization.
Such demands are based not only on ethical or humanitarian arguments, but also on legal logic: the status of temporary protection was created by the European Union as a rapid response tool that was supposed to simplify procedures and avoid overloading the asylum systems. But in essence, this is also a form of forced displacement, which should not deprive people of the right to legalization after long-term residence.
The text of the petition states that Ukrainians who have been in Romania for more than three years are not a burden for the state. On the contrary, they actively participate in economic and social life: they open businesses, work legally, pay taxes, study, and integrate into local communities. All these are signs of full inclusion in the life of the country, which indicate that the temporary status has long ceased to be temporary in essence.
“Recognition of these years is a matter of justice, administrative coherence and national interest”, – says the appeal, which has already been supported by almost 2,600 people.
In addition, the petition touches on another important aspect: in conditions where the EU automatically extends temporary protection, Ukrainians are actually deprived of an alternative. Many did not apply for refugee status because they were convinced that temporary protection would be a sufficient legal form. However, it now turns out that this form does not open the way to permanent residence or citizenship – unlike refugee status.
“Or maybe a person wanted to flee, but he had no choice?” — asks Arapov’s rhetorical question in a comment for RFI, stressing that it was the EU states that decided to introduce a universal form of protection without individual consideration of cases.
Does this initiative have a chance of being implemented?
It is a positive signal that Iryna Arapova’s initiative is not the first successful attempt to protect the rights of Ukrainians in Romania. In 2023, she already initiated an appeal to the authorities, when Ukrainians began to have their bank accounts blocked en masse due to inaccuracies in the documents. At that time, 600 signatures were enough to achieve changes in the forms — the official address of residence was added to the temporary protection document, which opened access to financial and social services. This experience proves that the petition practice in Romania works.
Today’s appeal was also supported by international organizations — in particular, representatives of Caritas and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). This raises the level of attention to the problem and can influence the decisions of politicians.
This initiative has become especially relevant now that Romania has a new prime minister and is in the process of forming a government. The authors of the petition hope that the issue of the legal status of Ukrainians will be included in the new political agenda. It is expected that the official submission with signatures will be sent to the Romanian authorities in late summer 2025.
What is the importance of the petition for Ukrainians and why should we not delay
For tens of thousands of Ukrainians in Romania, this appeal is not just a legal document, but a hope for the future. Without changes in the law, they can spend five or more years in the country, but will not have the right to permanent residence or a passport. In the conditions of war in the homeland, it is a matter of personal stability, security and the right to live a full life.
The petition became the voice of the community, which does not want to remain in the gray area of the legislation. And even if changes will take time, the very fact of such an initiative is an important step towards justice. Ukrainians in Romania prove that they can and want to be part of the European community not only as temporary guests, but as equal citizens. And this requires the state to make decisions that correspond not only to the letter of the law, but also to the spirit of the times.
