Romania's National Archives (Arhivele Naționale ale României) form one of the largest archival networks in Central and Eastern Europe. Understanding their structure — and knowing which county branch holds which type of record — is the practical foundation of any Romanian genealogical project.

The Structure of Romania's National Archives

The central directorate is based in Bucharest at Bulevardul Regina Elisabeta 49. It coordinates 41 county-level branches (direcții județene), each responsible for the historical records of its territory. Bucharest itself has its own dedicated municipal branch (DJAN Ilfov-Municipiul București).

Each county branch holds records generated within its current administrative territory, which means the coverage spans different historical jurisdictions depending on the period. Transylvanian records, for example, overlap with collections now held in Hungary and Austria.

What Records Are Available

The types of documents most relevant to genealogical research fall into three main categories:

  • Civil registration registers (registre de stare civilă): Births, marriages, and deaths recorded from 1865 onward at local mayoral offices, now transferred to county archives for older volumes.
  • Church registers (registre parohiale / metrice): Orthodox, Greek-Catholic, Roman Catholic, Reformed, and Lutheran parishes maintained separate registers. The oldest surviving series in Wallachia and Moldova date from the mid-17th century; in Transylvania, Greek-Catholic registers often begin from the 1730s.
  • Cadastral and fiscal records: Ottoman-era tax registers (condici de venituri), Habsburg military and census surveys (conscripții), and later Romanian cadastral maps and property records can help trace a family to a specific village even when civil registers are missing.

Accessing Records Remotely

The National Archives of Romania does not maintain a centralized online database equivalent to Ancestry or FamilySearch. However, several digitization partnerships have produced freely accessible collections:

  • FamilySearch Romania Collection — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has microfilmed and digitized large volumes of Romanian civil and church registers. Access is free.
  • Arhivele Naționale ale României — The official portal lists collection inventories by county and provides contact information for each branch.
  • Individual county archives sometimes maintain their own digital finding aids; the level of online access varies considerably from one județ to another.

Making a Research Request

For records not yet digitized, the standard procedure is to submit a written request (cerere) to the relevant county archive. The request should include:

  1. The full name of the ancestor being researched
  2. Approximate birth year and locality (sat / comună)
  3. The type of record sought (birth, marriage, death, property)
  4. The requester's contact details and the purpose of research

Requests from abroad can be submitted in Romanian or English. Response times vary from two weeks to several months depending on the archive's workload. Certified copies of civil registry documents carry a fee set by the Ministry of Internal Affairs; research-only photocopies for non-certified use are generally cheaper.

The Challenge of Pre-1865 Records

Before 1865, genealogical research relies almost entirely on church registers, which were kept by parishes rather than state institutions. The survival rate varies significantly by region. Wars, fires, and the deliberate destruction of records during border changes have left gaps — particularly for Bessarabia (now the Republic of Moldova) and northern Transylvania.

For these periods, Ottoman tahrir defters (census surveys), Habsburg conscription lists from the 1760s–1780s, and land grants (urice, hrisoave) preserved in monastic archives offer supplementary data. The National Museum of Romanian History in Bucharest holds a significant collection of original medieval documents.

Working with Transylvanian Records

Transylvania was part of the Habsburg Empire until 1918, which means its older records were generated in Latin, German, or Hungarian and are held partly in Romania and partly in Hungary and Austria. The Hungarian National Archives (Magyar Nemzeti Levéltár) in Budapest holds the bulk of administrative documentation for Transylvania up to 1918. A formal research agreement between the two countries allows cross-border access for genealogical purposes.

Historical family photograph taken in Constanța, Romania
Historical family portrait taken in Constanța, Romania. Family photographs from the late 19th and early 20th centuries often contain inscriptions on the reverse side that help establish generational timelines. Source: Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain.

Practical Starting Points

If you are beginning research without a known village of origin, the most efficient starting points are:

  • Oral history interviews with the oldest living family members — birth year and village name are the minimum data needed to locate a county archive
  • Romanian birth certificates and passports issued before 1990, which often carry the localitate de naștere field with the village of birth
  • The Carte de identitate or buletin (Romanian ID card), which historically recorded birthplace and parents' names
  • FamilySearch's indexed Romanian civil registers, searchable by surname and approximate year

Once you have a village name, identifying the correct county archive is straightforward using the administrative division list of Romania. Each village (sat) belongs to a commune (comună), which belongs to a county (județ). The county determines which archive branch to contact.

Last reviewed and updated: 4 May 2026. Archive access procedures and digitization status change periodically; verify current details with the relevant institution before submitting a request.