Protecting children's rights: Dentons helps child obtain confirmation of Romanian citizenship

Bucharest-For most children, their nationality is inscribed on their birth certificate, confirmed by their passport, and accepted without question. But for one young girl, born in Serbia in 2019 to a Romanian Roma mother and a Pakistani father, nationality was a question with no answer. By early 2025, she faced imminent deportation to Pakistan, a country she had never seen and whose language and culture were entirely foreign to her. In Slovenia, where she lived, her asylum claim was denied. Officials presumed she was an EU citizen via her Romanian mother, but in the same breath, denied her the rights that should come with it.

The child had a Romanian birth certificate, and in a face-to-face meeting, the Romanian Embassy verbally acknowledged her citizenship but would not confirm it in writing.

Partner Tiberiu Csaki, Counsel Argentina Rafail and associate Bogdan Galatanu from our Bucharest office provided pro bono legal advice to help. Working hand-in-hand with the Peace Institute and Pilnet, Dentons engaged directly with Romanian authorities to obtain official written confirmation of the child's Romanian citizenship. This document changed everything - allowing her to enroll in school, access healthcare, and remain in the EU without the threat of deportation.

Tiberiu Csaki commented, "Providing pro bono legal assistance in this case meant more than applying the law - it was about helping a young Romanian girl regain her identity and her place in the world."

Argentina Rafail added, "Obtaining official written confirmation of Romanian citizenship not only restored her rights, but also her future. We are deeply grateful and humbled to have supported the girl's journey toward justice and to have helped her secure the rights and legal protection that all children deserve."

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