Snapshot of Statelessness in Romania 14. It is difficult to portray an accurate picture of statelessness in Romania due to the lack of reliable qualitative and quantitative data. Some data on the stateless population in Romania is available in the national data collection system, which has a specific ‘stateless’ category based on the census. The General Inspectorate for Immigration also records figures for the number of stateless people holding residence permits, as well as some potentially overlapping categories, including ‘unknown nationality’. However, statelessness has not been mapped in Romania, data on stateless people held in immigration detention is collected but not published, there is no official data on the population at risk of statelessness or on the number of stateless persons who do not have a residence permit, including the number of Roma people who are undocumented. 15. The lack of a statelessness determination procedure results in confusion about who is recorded as stateless and on what grounds, and there are reported issues with people being attributed a nationality in official records which may result in hidden statelessness. Statelessness may be identified during asylum procedures, returns, or border procedures, but this will offer little or no protection. 16. The last census in 2021 recorded 54 stateless people with permanent or temporary residence in the country. Based on figures provided by the General Inspectorate for Immigration, UNHCR estimated there were 316 stateless persons in Romania at the end of 2021.15 At the end of April 2021, the General Inspectorate for Immigration and UNHCR reported 287 stateless persons officially registered in Romania, disaggregated by State of former residence/birth: Romania (83), Syria (74), Greece (32), Lebanon (19), Kuwait (14), Palestine (13), Israel (10), Jordan (4), Saudi Arabia (4), EAU (4). Of the total number recorded, there were 113 women and 174 men; 127 had permanent residence, 94 a form of international protection, 12 were family members, 7 held a permit for study, 1 held a work visa, and 35 held a permit for other purposes.16 However, these numbers do not provide an accurate statistical overview of Romania's stateless population and estimates are likely an underrepresentation because stateless persons living without residence status in Romania are mainly invisible in the data. 17. Data relating to the number of stateless persons in detention in Romania are recorded but not published. Sometimes detainees are attributed the nationality of a country of destination for the purposes of removal. There were reports that 2 stateless persons were held in detention in 2021.17 The legal and policy framework in Romania has some positive aspects and some significant gaps. Romania is party to most relevant international and regional instruments, including three of the four core statelessness conventions (although, as noted, with some important reservations to the 1954 Convention). However, Romania does not have a dedicated statelessness determination procedure and there is no 15 UNHCR, Refugee Data Finder: https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/download/?url=XmG0oh. National Institute of Statistics, 2021 National Census: http://www.recensamantromania.ro/noutati/volumul/ (RO); 2002 National Census: https://insse.ro/cms/files/RPL2002INS/vol1/tabele/t39.pdf (RO). UNHCR, Global Trends in Forced Displacement 2020, Annex Table 5 Persons under UNHCR’s statelessness mandate, 2020: https://www.unhcr.org/refugeestatistics/download/?url=MZy2ku. Detailed official statistics provided by the General Inspectorate for Immigration upon request to relevant national stakeholders. 17 Detailed official statistics provided by the General Inspectorate for Immigration upon request to relevant national stakeholders. 16 4