Timișoara mayor Dominic Fritz submits application for Romanian citizenship
<p><strong>Dominic Fritz</strong>, re-elected on June 9 as the mayor of Timișoara, a major city in western Romania, announced that he submitted his application for Romanian citizenship on Thursday, July 4. </p>
<p>The mayor is a German citizen by birth and first arrived in Romania in 2003 after finishing high school. He worked for a year as a volunteer at a children's home in the Freidorf neighborhood, where he also learned Romanian. He returned a few years later, getting involved in a series of social projects. In 2020, he was elected mayor of Timișoara.</p>
<p>“This is the smile of a Romanian in the making. Today I submitted my application to obtain Romanian citizenship,” he wrote in a social media post accompanied by a selfie.</p>
<p>“The truth is that I have felt like one of you for a long time. Having a Romanian passport will be the official confirmation of a simple fact: for better or worse, I believe in Romania and its potential. I love this country and want to shape its future together with all of you,” continued Fritz.</p>
<p>Born in 1983, Dominic Fritz got a BA in Political Science from the University of University of Konstanz and continued his studies at Paris’ Sciences Po. He was then chief of staff to former German president Horst Köhler for 4 years.</p>
<p>Back in 2019, he sat down with Romania Insider for an <a href="https://www.romania-insider.com/dominic-samuel-fritz-interview-2019">interview</a> during which he said “Timișoara is the only city in the world where I really feel part of a community - a creative, welcoming and lively community.” </p>
<p>Dominic Fritz was elected mayor of Timișoara in 2020 and re-elected in 2024. According to European Union regulations, a European citizen living in another EU country has the right to vote and run in municipal and European elections in that country. </p>
<p>“Thank you, Romania, for this extraordinary journey you invited me on when I first set foot on your soil at 19. And thank you, Europe, for letting me be a Timișoara resident from the Black Forest, a German Romanian, and, above all, a free person among free people,” Dominic Fritz said.</p>
<p>“After it is thoroughly reviewed by the National Authority for Citizenship, I will be invited for an interview. If I give satisfactory answers, I will be called to take my citizenship oath. The whole process will take a few months,” he added in a comment.</p>
<p><em><a href="mailto:radu@romania-insider.com">radu@romania-insider.com</a></em></p>
<p><em>(Photo source: Dominic Fritz on Facebook)</em></p>