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From: Beth Long <>
Subject: [HUNGARY] Researching in Romanian Archives
Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2008 02:55:37 -0800 (PST)


Having researched in eleven different branches of the Romanian National Archives, I can say that things are no more difficult there than anywhere else.

True, before 2005 (I think it was) if you were not Romanian, you had to get permission from Bucharest and sometimes it took a few months. But I haven't heard of any requests for permission that were turned down.

Now, there is no such requirement; you can research on the spot. And far from being inhospitable to non-Romanians, they make a number of concessions for foreign researchers:

1. Romanian citizens have to request materials a day in advance; not so for those from out-of-town.

2. In Botosani, for example, they kept the archive open for me all five days (M-F), even though they are normally closed on Tuesday and Thursday.

In all archives, I was treated with great courtesy, and the staff was quite helpful.

So I'm not sure why Romanian Archives have such a bad rap. I do wish people would refrain from posting information which is second- or third-hand and possibly quite dated, as it discourages people from researching in Romania.

Since last November(?) you can even take your digital camera and photograph entire registers (up to your limit of five per day) for a fee of about $2 per day. This is a very liberal policy compared to many other national archives.

Beth Long


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