✅ Case Study: Apostilling U.S. Documents for Dual Citizenship in Romania

Client Profile:

Name: Andrei M. (Full name withheld for privacy)
Location: Huntington Beach, California
Destination Country: Romania
Purpose: Acquire Romanian citizenship by descent
Documents Apostilled:
- U.S. birth certificate
- U.S. marriage certificate
- Naturalization certificate of parent
- Power of attorney

📝 Situation

Andrei, a California-born U.S. citizen, discovered that his father was born in Romania and had naturalized in the U.S. decades ago. Under Romanian Law 21/1991, individuals with at least one Romanian parent or grandparent can apply to restore Romanian citizenship.

Andrei needed to submit multiple personal and legal documents to the Romanian Consulate in Los Angeles, but all U.S.-issued documents had to be:

Certified/authenticated by the U.S. government
Translated into Romanian
Submitted with apostille certificates to be recognized as valid abroad

⚖️ Challenge

Andrei faced several issues:

His birth certificate and marriage certificate were issued in California, and he wasn’t sure how to get them apostilled.
He needed a certified copy of his father’s Certificate of Naturalization from USCIS and didn’t know whether it could be apostilled.
Romanian authorities required a power of attorney so that an immigration attorney in Bucharest could file the application on his behalf.
The Romanian consulate had strict guidelines on apostilles and certified translations.

✅ Solution by Orange County Apostille

Orange County Apostille offered a comprehensive solution:

🔹 1. Document Review & Checklist Creation

We reviewed Romania’s dual citizenship documentation list and created a custom checklist for Andrei’s situation, including the exact format and certification type required.

🔹 2. Birth & Marriage Certificate Apostille

We retrieved certified copies of his California birth and marriage certificates and submitted them to the California Secretary of State for apostille authentication.

📌 California Apostille Requirements

🔹 3. Certificate of Naturalization Handling

USCIS only provides certified true copies upon request via Form G-639 (FOIA). Once received, we submitted the copy to the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., for federal apostille.

📌 USCIS FOIA Request – Form G-639

📌 U.S. Department of State Authentication

🔹 4. Power of Attorney Notarization & Apostille

We helped Andrei create a special power of attorney in English and Romanian, notarized the English version in California, and obtained the apostille from the California Secretary of State.

🔹 5. Certified Romanian Translations

All documents were professionally translated into Romanian by a certified translator. Each translation included a signed Certificate of Accuracy, as required by the Romanian consulate.

🔹 6. Document Compilation & Return

We compiled:

Originals
Apostille certificates
Certified Romanian translations
Scanned digital copies and returned the complete package ready for submission to the Romanian Consulate General in Los Angeles.

📦 Final Deliverables

Apostilled California birth certificate
Apostilled California marriage certificate
Apostilled Certificate of Naturalization (federal level)
Apostilled power of attorney
Certified Romanian translations of all above documents
Application checklist and submission tips

🌍 Results

✅ Andrei successfully submitted his dual citizenship application through the Romanian Consulate General in Los Angeles.

✅ His attorney in Romania filed his POA and accompanying documents without delays or rejections.

✅ Within 6 months, Andrei received confirmation of his Romanian citizenship restoration approval, allowing him to apply for a Romanian passport and gain EU mobility rights.

📣 What This Means for You

If you’re applying for Romanian dual citizenship and need help apostilling documents, Orange County Apostille can:

Retrieve certified copies of U.S. documents
Obtain state and federal apostilles
Coordinate certified Romanian translations
Provide legal-format powers of attorney
Help you meet consulate and Romanian Ministry of Justice standards

📩 Start your request at https://orangecountyapostille.org

📍 Offices in Orange County and Washington, D.C. for expedited services.