Consulate General of Romania

Kind and very accommodating people. Always there when we need them. Thank you.

The Consulate and the staff at the Romanian Consulate were super helpful. Sans the Romanian bureaucracy that has one jumping thru hoops for any type of paperwork that starts with Romanian Legislature and not with the Consulate itself I can attest that things are pretty smooth and a major improvement compared with my previous experience, 20 years ago at the Romanian Consulate in Toronto. Sure, it would be easier if the Romanian Consulate would have the legal power to recognize documents notarized by Canadian Attorneys or Public Notaries, in order to process applications submitted by mail and save one a trip to Vancouver to present themselves in person. I'd gladly pay a local agency for the required fingerprinting service necessary for the supersafe electronic passports. Fingerprinting has been required for Canadian Immigration, police clearance or employment for decades with different agencies providing this service at local level but in typical Romanian fashion, this remains an in person service. But that's part of the bureaucracy kept in place by the legislators and nothing to do with the Consulate, they have guidelines to follow. More than 16 years ago, a Romanian clerk made a mistake on my son's birth certificate. Simple clerical error, he filled up my son's name and date of birth on someone else's CNP/Birth number. A very easy fix at any local registry if only the document would've been issued in Canada instead of Romania... But Romanian Offices(Serviciul de Evidenta) now requires a Power of Attorney(Procura) to be sent to Romania to a relative, who needs to get a new birth certificate issued with the correct info, and so forth. There's different avenues of fixing this, but the fastest remained obtaining a legalized power of attorney thru the Romanian Consulate at Vancouver. And, for their part, the staff at the Consulate were super accommodating. I talked to them on Tuesday morning, D-na Lilian Grecea scheduled an appointment for Wednesday at 10 AM, I jumped in my car and did the 12 hour drive expected of me by the Romanian Legislators that wrote this dumbness, (probably assuming everyone lives within walking distance from a Consulate) however, I had the required notarized documents in hand, within a few minutes after arriving at the Consulate. Impressive, considering the Covid19 pandemic. And, again the staff at the Romanian Consulate went out of their way, and on top of issuing the notarized document I so desperately needed, they also processed my passport application since I was there anyways and I had a pending application for a passport that has been approved. Another pleasant surprise, is the fact that now, the Romanian Consulate sends the Romanian Passports by mail, if you provide a self addressed, prepaid envelope. Its not a service included with the Passport Processing Fees like that of a Canadian Passport, but a major progress, considering that 20 years ago, 3 days after arriving in Calgary from the Romanian Consulate at Toronto, I got the phone call asking me to go back to pick it up in person Having to go in person was somewhat annoying, I know, the whole trip from Calgary to Vancouver and back took me 34 hours as I also needed to rest and eat, $200 on fuel, a $280 speeding ticket and probably a defensive driving course I'll have to take to erase the demerits, plus a cpl days of missed work.. But that's something Deputatii si Parlamentarii Romani probably didn't considered since they assumed I'd walk to Vancouver or go there with a horse pulled wagon. To recap, koodos for the staff and Mr. Consul Ovidiu Grecia at the Romanian Consulate for doing their absolute best, the rest of the personal ordeal dealing with a wrongly written birth certificate is a great way to remind and reinforce why I chose to leave Romania. Now, for the next 2 weeks I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the mailman in Romania won't open the mail hoping to find money then throw it away when he doesn't... or that he doesn't get drunk and loses the mail. It's probably why the Consulate gave me 3 copies :) Oh, parking is excellent!!

This is the 'romanian way' waiting in '"coada de asteptare" and than they hang up on you. Shame on you Romanian consulate from Vancouver for screwing up your Romanian citizens!

Always a pleasure to deal with this Consulate! Thank you

The General Consul - Dl. Ovidiu Grecea - and his Staff at the Romanian Consulate in Vancouver are professional, helpful and approachable. They listen, provide advice and then solve your problem. Thank you for all your help over the last few years.