On Monday, the Senate approved the government’s draft law amending Law 248/2005, according to which a simple temporary passport is issued only in emergency situations related to going abroad or continuing a trip, or regulating the stay/legal status of Romanian citizens abroad, who no longer have valid travel documents, reports Agerpres.

The normative act regulates the possibility that biometric data and data of Romanian citizens can be taken only once by consular staff in diplomatic missions and consular institutions of Romania, but can be used both for issuing a simple electronic passport and for issuing a travel document or electronic identity card according to the requests of Romanian citizens.

The draft law provides that the consecutive issuance of several simple electronic passports to minors can be carried out only if the court has directly established this aspect in the content of the court decision or presidential decree, which supplements the consent of one of the parents.

At the same time, exceptional situations in which Romanian citizens will be able to have a simple electronic passport and a temporarily valid simple passport, or two valid simple electronic passports, as well as their obligations, are being reviewed.

The law also provides for the computerized cancellation of passports previously issued to persons who have lost their Romanian citizenship, if they have not fulfilled the legal obligation to surrender their travel documents within 5 days from the date of their loss of citizenship.

The Main Directorate of Passports is the body that keeps records of Romanian citizens living abroad.

The draft law on amendments to Law 248/2005 on the regime of free movement of Romanian citizens abroad will be discussed by the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making body in this case.

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