PASSTOEU: reviews & investigation
PASSTOEU sells Romanian EU citizenship through repatriation and promises results in under two years. Sounds appealing. But our investigation turned up no registered legal entity, a domain that's months old despite claims of 8 years in business, and two separate scam database listings. Read before you wire anything.
Who is PASSTOEU and what do they sell
Services: Romanian citizenship via repatriation, genealogical archive searches, document preparation for the Romanian Ministry of Justice process.
Location: Bolshaya Sadovaya 5/1, Moscow (SOK coworking space, not a dedicated office).
Founded: The company claims 8 years of experience and 110+ clients. Independent sources suggest the domain passtoeu.ru was registered in late 2023 or early 2024, which is roughly 6 months before those claims were published online.
Contact: +7 495 308-47-60
Email: [email protected], [email protected]
Telegram: @passtoeu (advertised but account not found during verification)
Website: passtoeu.ru
Named representative: Dmitry Shikhov (mentioned as head in a VC.ru promotional article, April 2024)
Key fact: PASSTOEU claims to work "directly with Romania's Ministry of Justice." Romanian law makes this impossible for any private consulting firm. That claim alone, on a company with no verifiable legal registration, raises serious questions about everything else they say.
Trust Score
Based on 2.0/5 from verified data points. Internal risk score: 9/10.
Who is actually behind PASSTOEU: checking the paperwork
Legal entity status
We searched the Russian Federal Tax Service registry (egrul.nalog.ru) for any company matching "PASSTOEU" or its Cyrillic equivalent. Nothing was found. No INN (tax ID). No OGRN (registration number). No form of incorporation, whether LLC, sole proprietorship, or otherwise.
For context: any company legally operating in Russia and taking payments for services is required to be registered. A firm that has supposedly served 110+ clients over 8 years and collected thousands of euros per case would have an extensive paper trail. PASSTOEU has none.
The arbitration court database (kad.arbitr.ru) shows no proceedings involving PASSTOEU, which makes sense when there is no legal entity to sue or be sued.
Domain history
The domain passtoeu.ru is registered in Russia's .ru zone. A WHOIS lookup shows a registration that independent review platforms estimate at late 2023 or early 2024. The Web Archive has limited snapshots, consistent with a young domain. The company's own marketing claims 8 years of operation. Those two things cannot both be true.
The "Ministry of Justice" claim
PASSTOEU states it works "directly with Romania's Ministry of Justice." The Romanian Ministry of Justice (just.ro) does not issue certifications or official partnerships to private foreign consulting firms. The repatriation process is handled by Romanian consulates and notary-verified document chains, not private intermediaries with government endorsements. This claim is not just unverified. It is legally impossible as described.
Scam database presence
PASSTOEU appears in the moshennik.eu database with the label "fraudulent organization." The site legal-toplist.com published a detailed expose (updated March 9, 2024) and categorized PASSTOEU under "Fraudsters." Both entries cite the same pattern: advance payments taken, then silence.
The only public positive content
One article on VC.ru, published April 12, 2024, describes PASSTOEU favorably. Its author is listed as Dmitry Shikhov, the same person named as the company's head. That is not a client testimonial. That is the company writing about itself.
PASSTOEU risk analysis: 5 things to know before paying
| Area | Risk | What we found | What to expect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | high | No public price list. Client reports suggest an advance of ~1,500 EUR required before any signed contract. Total costs reportedly range from 3,000 to 25,000 EUR (currency and scope unspecified). | You may pay upfront with no clear breakdown of what each payment covers or what triggers a refund. |
| Contract | high | Clients who reached the contract stage report that documents lacked specific delivery timelines and contained no legally enforceable guarantees. Some clients say they were refused a contract entirely after paying an advance. | If something goes wrong, you may have no legal recourse, especially given the absence of a registered entity. |
| Timelines | medium | PASSTOEU advertises 1.5 to 2 years for Romanian citizenship through repatriation. The actual government process in Romania typically takes 2 to 4 years depending on archive access and case complexity. | Delays are common in this process regardless of which firm you use. Without penalties in the contract, delays cost you nothing but time, and cost the company nothing at all. |
| Fraud risk | high | Two scam databases list PASSTOEU explicitly. Multiple client accounts describe paying advances and then being blocked in Telegram and WhatsApp, with the conversation history deleted from the company's side. | The pattern matches a cash-collection scheme. Once the advance is paid, the incentive to deliver disappears. |
| Refunds | high | PASSTOEU claims a refund policy in case of rejection. But no legal entity is registered, meaning there is no account holder to pursue through courts. No client has publicly confirmed receiving a refund. | Contact their team directly for details, though given the above, written guarantees in a signed contract from a named legal entity would be the minimum required to take any refund claim seriously. |
PASSTOEU: green lights, yellow signals, and hard stops
| ✅ | Corporate email domain. PASSTOEU uses [email protected] and [email protected] rather than Gmail or Hotmail. This is a basic credibility signal, though it costs roughly $10/year and proves nothing about the company's legitimacy. |
| ✅ | Moscow landline published. The phone number +7 495 308-47-60 is a real Moscow area code, not a disposable VoIP number. Whether someone answers it consistently is a different question worth testing before you do anything else. |
| ✅ | Refund policy mentioned publicly. The company does claim to return money in case of a negative outcome. That's better than no stated policy at all. The problem is that without a registered legal entity, this promise has no enforcement mechanism behind it. |
| ⚠️ | Coworking address, no dedicated office. Bolshaya Sadovaya 5/1 is the SOK "Sady Pekina" coworking space. Clients report that all communication happens remotely, with no in-person meetings offered. This is a common setup for companies that prefer not to have a physical presence clients can visit or serve papers to. |
| ⚠️ | Contracts reportedly lack key terms. People who got to the contract stage report documents with no fixed delivery timelines and no defined penalties. Signing that is roughly equivalent to signing a blank check for services with no completion date. |
| ⚠️ | "Confidentiality policy" used to explain zero public cases. When a company with 110+ alleged clients has zero public testimonials, zero case studies, and zero reviews on any platform, and explains this as "client confidentiality," that explanation deserves scrutiny. Legitimate firms in this field publish anonymized case timelines all the time. |
| ❌ | No registered legal entity anywhere. EGRUL and EGRIP searches return nothing for PASSTOEU. No INN. No OGRN. No ownership structure. After 8 claimed years and 110+ alleged clients, this absence is not an oversight. |
| ❌ | Domain age contradicts the company's stated history. The website passtoeu.ru appears to be roughly 6 months old based on multiple independent review platform assessments, while the company claims 8 years of operation. That gap of more than 7 years has no explanation. |
| ❌ | Claims direct government partnership that doesn't exist. PASSTOEU says it works "directly with Romania's Ministry of Justice." Romanian law does not allow private foreign firms to hold such status. This is a false claim designed to signal authority the company does not have. |
| ❌ | Advance payment required before transparent contract. Reports consistently describe being asked for 1,500 EUR or more before any signed contract with specific terms is provided. This is the moment when the money disappears in documented scam cases. |
| ❌ | Clients blocked after payment. Multiple independent accounts describe representatives going silent, blocking clients in messaging apps, and deleting entire chat histories after receiving money. This is a known fraud pattern, not an occasional service complaint. |
| ❌ | Listed as fraudulent in two scam databases. Both moshennik.eu and legal-toplist.com carry entries for PASSTOEU with explicit fraud labels. These listings predate this review and were posted by separate, unconnected sources. |
| ❌ | Advertised Telegram account not found. The company lists @passtoeu as an active contact channel. That account could not be located during our verification. A company advertising a contact channel that doesn't exist has a transparency problem. |
| ❌ | Zero verified positive reviews on any independent platform. Trustpilot, Google, Otzovik, Otzyvua, Irecommend, Glassdoor, and Migrating.pro all show no reviews for PASSTOEU. The one positive article online was written by the company's own representative. |
What Romanian citizenship through repatriation actually involves
Romanian citizenship by repatriation is a real legal pathway. If you or your parents or grandparents held Romanian citizenship before 1940 and lost it due to historical events (Soviet annexation of territories like Bessarabia, northern Bukovina, and Herta), you may qualify to apply for the restoration of that citizenship under Romanian Law 21/1991.
The process runs through Romania's National Authority for Citizenship (ANC) under the Ministry of Justice. You gather archive documents proving lineage, have them certified and apostilled, prepare a notarized dossier, submit it to a Romanian consulate or the ANC directly, and then wait. The waiting period alone, once submitted, averages 1 to 3 years depending on case volume. Archive searches can add another 6 to 18 months on top of that.
None of this requires a private intermediary. The Romanian consulate in Moscow provides free consultations on the process. A licensed Romanian notary or attorney can assist with document preparation for fees that are published openly. Any firm demanding 1,500 EUR upfront with no published rate card and no legal registration is not a service provider. It's a risk.
So are companies that help with Romanian citizenship useful at all? Yes, sometimes. Archive searches are genuinely complex. But the firm doing them should be registered, should show you their credentials, and should give you a contract before they see a single euro from you.
PASSTOEU vs alternatives: which option makes sense
The highlighted column is the company under review. best worst mixed
| Parameter | PASSTOEU ★ | Licensed Romanian Attorney | DIY via Romanian Consulate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | ~1,500 EUR advance, total unknown opaque | 500-3,000 EUR, published rates transparent | Archive fees only, ~100-400 EUR total cheapest |
| Timelines | Claims 1.5-2 years, no penalties if missed unenforceable | Honest 2-4 year estimate, based on ANC queue | 2-4 years, same government queue as above |
| Legal guarantees | No registered entity, no contract enforcement none | Bar association registration, malpractice liability strong | No intermediary risk, but no assistance either |
| Physical office | Coworking space, no client visits reported virtual | Licensed firm with verifiable address | Romanian consulate, official address |
| Public pricing | None published hidden | Most publish consultation and service fees | Government fees published on consulate website |
| Verified reviews | Zero on any independent platform none found | Google, bar association, client referrals available | Community forums like expat Facebook groups |
What to check before paying PASSTOEU or any similar firm
- Legal entity: Demand the company's full legal name, INN (tax ID), and OGRN (registration number) in writing before any conversation about services. Then verify those details yourself at egrul.nalog.ru. If they can't provide them, stop there.
- Contract first, money second: Never transfer an advance, deposit, or any fee before you have a signed contract. The contract must specify exact services, a fixed timeline, penalties for missed deadlines, and a clear refund mechanism with bank details of the receiving entity.
- Credentials check: Ask for documented proof of any claimed government relationship. "Direct cooperation with Romania's Ministry of Justice" should come with a letter on ministry letterhead. If they don't have one, that claim is marketing fiction.
- Independent client verification: Ask for 3 to 5 references you can contact independently through your own search, not contacts the company selects for you. Search Romanian citizenship forums, Facebook groups for CIS emigrants, and Telegram communities to find past clients.
- Scam database search: Before paying, search the company name on BBB, moshennik.eu, legal-toplist.com, and Trustpilot. PASSTOEU already has entries on two of these.
- Payment method: Never pay via cryptocurrency, informal wire, or money transfer services (Western Union, Zelle) for immigration services. Use a bank transfer to a named legal entity account only. If they push for any other method, that tells you everything.
- Milestone payments: Propose splitting any fee across milestones: one payment for the archive search results, one for document submission, one after your dossier is accepted. A legitimate firm will negotiate this. A scam operation will refuse.
- Independent legal advice: Consult a licensed Romanian immigration attorney or a verified notary before signing anything. One consultation at 100-200 EUR could save you 1,500 or more and months of stress.
Frequently asked questions about PASSTOEU
Is PASSTOEU a scam or a legitimate Romanian citizenship firm?
Our investigation gives PASSTOEU a 9/10 risk score. No registered legal entity exists. The company appears in two scam databases. Multiple clients report paying advances and then being blocked with no service delivered. The company's own claims (8 years of experience, direct Ministry of Justice cooperation) don't hold up under basic fact-checking. That combination of factors points toward a cash-collection scheme rather than a functioning business.
Can PASSTOEU really get Romanian citizenship in 1.5 to 2 years?
That timeline is on the optimistic end. The Romanian National Authority for Citizenship (ANC) currently processes repatriation cases over 2 to 4 years from submission, not including archive search time. PASSTOEU's stated timeline has no contractual penalties attached to it, and clients report no written guarantees exist in the contracts they were shown.
Does PASSTOEU work directly with Romania's Ministry of Justice?
No verified documentation supports this claim. Romanian law does not create any formal partnership status between the Ministry of Justice and private foreign consulting companies for citizenship applications. The repatriation process goes through consulates and the ANC directly. This claim appears designed to suggest authority that PASSTOEU does not hold.
How much does PASSTOEU actually charge?
No public price list exists on their website. Client accounts describe an upfront advance of roughly 1,500 EUR requested before any contract is signed. Total reported costs range from 3,000 to 25,000 EUR, with currency not clearly specified. The lack of published pricing makes it impossible to comparison-shop or budget accurately.
What do PASSTOEU client reviews say?
Zero verified positive reviews exist on Trustpilot, Google, Otzovik, Irecommend, or any other independent platform. The company says this is due to a "confidentiality policy." Critical accounts on moshennik.eu and legal-toplist.com describe clients being blocked after payment and receiving no service or refund. The only favorable piece of content online is an article written by PASSTOEU's own representative, Dmitry Shikhov, on VC.ru.
Is there a safe way to get Romanian citizenship through repatriation?
Yes. You can apply directly through the Romanian consulate with help from a licensed Romanian attorney or notary. The process is the same regardless of who helps you prepare, so the question is whether a paid intermediary adds enough value to justify their fee. A registered, licensed firm with verifiable reviews might be worth it for complex archive searches. An unregistered firm with scam database entries is not.
Where can I leave a review about PASSTOEU?
You can share your experience on migration.us.com and on proverj.com, which already has a page dedicated to PASSTOEU reviews. Both platforms publish accounts from real clients. Your story, positive or negative, helps other people make better decisions before they send money.
Expert verdict on PASSTOEU
I've been working in immigration since 2011, first as someone who went through the US system myself, then building companies that serve tens of thousands of immigrants from former Soviet countries. I know what a functioning immigration firm looks like, and I know what a scam designed to extract advances from people hoping for EU citizenship looks like. PASSTOEU fits the second pattern more closely than the first.
What concerns me most here is the combination of factors. An unregistered company is not automatically a fraud. But an unregistered company that also claims government partnerships it can't document, advertises a Telegram account that doesn't exist, and has zero public client history after supposedly 8 years and 110 cases? That's not a coincidence. That's a designed profile built to look credible without being verifiable.
The Romanian citizenship repatriation process is real and valuable. People with legitimate Romanian ancestry deserve access to it. But they deserve it through firms that will give them a contract with their legal registration number on the first line, not through a coworking address and an advance payment request. The fact that clients report being blocked after payment is the detail that makes this investigation straightforward. That's not a customer service failure. That's the product.
On the positive side: Romanian citizenship through repatriation genuinely works for qualifying applicants. If you think you have Romanian roots, consult the Romanian consulate in your city. Ask for a referral to a licensed notary. The process is slower without a paid assistant, but it won't cost you 1,500 EUR and a blocked phone number.
My recommendation is clear. Do not send money to PASSTOEU until they provide a verifiable legal registration number that you can check yourself in a public registry. If they can't do that, they've given you your answer.
Don't get burned
Marketing promises about EU passports in 18 months and Ministry of Justice partnerships don't match what real clients report. Read what people actually experienced before you commit to anything.
Read real reviews about PASSTOEU