Immigration law in Moldova

Moldova's immigration system is based mainly on Law 200/2010 on the regime of foreigners, Law 270/2008 on asylum, Law 274/2011 on the integration of foreigners, Law 200/2025 on European Union free movement and residence, and Law 253/2025 on citizenship, effective from 24 December 2025. National rules apply throughout Moldova; no substantive city-specific differences are evidenced, although IGM and service points operate in Chisinau, Bălți, Comrat and Cahul. Entry normally requires a valid recognized travel document, a visa or residence permit when required, proof of the purpose of travel, sufficient means of support, and evidence of return or onward travel when applicable. An entry ban, an inadmissibility ground, or a threat to national security, public order or public health can prevent entry. Short stays generally follow the 90-days-in-180-days rule. A long-stay D visa can be issued for up to 12 months, with the permitted stay subject to the applicable visa conditions. European Union citizens may enter Moldova without a visa for stays of up to 90 days, subject to the applicable rules. Legal grounds for longer or specialized stays include employment, study, family reunification, investment, management or specialist work, information technology work, digital-nomad activity, humanitarian, religious or volunteer activity, medical treatment, protection as a victim of trafficking or domestic violence, and projects of national interest. Temporary exemptions can apply to contractual services, self-employment, seasonal agriculture, cross-border work and certain information technology activities. The exact document, visa category and residence procedure depend on the selected legal ground. A foreign national who plans to stay for more than 90 days generally needs a provisional residence permit. The usual basis is a long-stay D visa, although exceptions apply to some investors and shareholders, migrant workers, and victims of trafficking or domestic violence. A residence card identifies the holder, legal status, purpose and period of validity. Applications are generally filed in person with originals and copies. Selected employment and investment applications can use IGM's e-Filing system. Employment normally requires an individual employment contract, a residence decision or another accepted legal basis, a passport, housing evidence, a photograph and a criminal-record certificate that is apostilled or legalized and translated into Romanian. D/AM is the usual long-stay visa category for employment when a visa is required. The authorization remains tied to the approved purpose and status. Moldova also provides specific procedures for migrant workers, posted workers, priority workers, highly qualified workers, teaching, culture, health and sport workers, information technology managers and specialists, free economic zone workers and digital nomads. Study normally requires admission or approval from an accredited public or private educational institution. D/AS is the relevant long-stay visa category when a visa is required. The file generally includes a passport, housing evidence, health insurance, proof of funds or a scholarship, and a translated and legalized criminal-record certificate. A study-based residence permit generally covers the duration of the studies, but the holder must continue to follow the approved purpose. Family reunification normally uses D/VF when a visa is required. Eligible family members generally include a spouse, minor children, parents and guardians. A Moldovan citizen may also reunite with a partner who has common minor children. The sponsor must usually be a Moldovan citizen or a temporary or permanent resident. The file can require approval or notification, marriage or birth records, housing, health insurance and support of at least one average monthly salary for each family member. Minors can be exempt from the usual health-insurance requirement. Both family members generally appear at filing, and the application deadline is usually 30 days, or 15 days for European Union cases. Changes to a passport, address or citizenship must generally be reported to IGM within 15 days. Residence extensions usually must be filed at least 30 days before expiry; the period is generally 15 days for European Union citizens, employment cases and investor cases. Late filing can result in an administrative fine of 18 to 30 conventional units. A holder must respect the purpose of the authorization, leave when the legal stay expires and keep identity and residence information current. Protection procedures are separate from ordinary migration procedures. A person may request asylum only inside Moldova, personally before IGM, the Border Police, the police or prison authorities. A request can be oral or written, including at the border, but no collective application is allowed. A late request is not refused solely because it was late, and illegal entry or stay is not sanctioned while the person is an asylum-seeker. Protection includes confidentiality and the prohibition on returning a person to serious danger. Forms of protection include refugee status, humanitarian protection, temporary protection and political asylum. Ordinary asylum examination usually takes one to six months and can be extended by up to three months; accelerated examination can take 15 days, but cases involving special needs are not accelerated. Protected persons can work, study and participate in social insurance. Free legal advice and translation are available, including for administrative and court proceedings. Permanent residence generally requires three years of temporary residence for the family-reunification category and five years for most other categories. European Union citizens and their family members generally need five years of continuous legal residence and can receive indefinite status. Periods based on study, selected information technology work, posted work, national-interest projects, free economic zones, and religious, humanitarian or volunteer activity may be excluded. Requirements can include a valid provisional permit or recognition basis, suitable housing, satisfactory Romanian-language knowledge, no criminal record during the previous three years, health insurance and sufficient funds or contributions for the relevant category. The application should generally be filed at least 90 days before the existing status expires. Examination normally takes 90 days and can be extended by up to 60 days. Integration support under Law 274/2011 is provided by IGM and Centres for Foreigners through information, legal counselling and socio-professional support. Moldova does not impose a general Romanian-language test for every temporary residence permit, but Romanian-language knowledge is relevant to permanent residence and citizenship. The citizenship examination covers Romanian and the Constitution. Citizenship may be acquired by birth, adoption, recognition, naturalization or restoration. Naturalization generally requires age 18 or more, permanent legal residence, knowledge of Romanian and the Constitution, legal income and the absence of a refusal ground under Article 19. Continuous-residence periods can be 10 years, eight years for stateless persons or persons with international protection or political asylum, five years for a person who has lived in Moldova since before age 18, three years of marriage to a Moldovan citizen, or three years of residence with a Moldovan parent or child. Recognition can apply to people born in Moldova, people with a parent, grandparent or great-grandparent born in Moldova, people connected to historical Moldovan territories, and descendants of deported or refugee persons. Applications are filed personally, without a proxy or intermediary. Recognition examination can take up to one year and may receive an extension of up to six months. The Public Services Agency handles citizenship matters. Visas are handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and diplomatic missions. The standard fee for a D visa is EUR 40, and travel health insurance must generally provide at least EUR 30,000 in coverage. IGM work-permit or residence services can involve fees such as MDL 90 plus MDL 3,600 for a work grant within 15 working days, MDL 90 plus MDL 1,800 for a work extension, and other grant or extension tariffs based on the selected processing period. An European Union residence card can cost MDL 350 plus MDL 150, with processing of three working days for an European Union citizen and 30 working days for a family member. Citizenship recognition in Moldova can cost MDL 6,650 plus MDL 180. Tariffs can change under the current schedule. A refusal of an invitation, visa, residence card or residence application should be given in the applicable written form and can be challenged through an administrative complaint or court proceedings. An asylum decision states the appeal procedure and includes free translation and ex officio judicial representation where applicable. A fast-track asylum rejection can be appealed to the Court of Appeal within five working days, with a court decision target of 30 days. Return proceedings can follow illegal entry or stay, visa or residence revocation, refusal of an extension, loss of permanent residence or the end of protection. Voluntary return can precede escorted removal, and an entry ban may be imposed. Public custody requires a court order. Assisted voluntary return is available, but no return measure may breach the prohibition on returning a person to serious danger.