Moldova immigration updates for EU nationals
Moldova launches new Law on the free movement and stay on the territory of the Republic of Moldova of citizens of the European Union and their family members. The Law introduces the simplified requirements to the issuance of residence cards to the EU nationals.
The LAW №200 of July 10, 2025 has been published on September 18, 2025 in Official Gazette No. 490-493, Article No. 639 and must be implemented into force on March 18, 2026 – 6 months after publishing.
The Law indicates the new requirements for the issuance of a Residence Card to Citizens of the European Union, who intend to stay on the territory of the Republic of Moldova for more than 90 calendar. It implies declaring, at their own risk, that they have health insurance, are employed/self-employed, have sufficient funds, or are accepted for study.
Applications are filed in person at the General Inspectorate for Migration within up to 90 days of arrival, no later than 30 days before the 90-day limit, and must include: valid travel document, self-declaration of no criminal record, civil registration documents (if married), and proof of housing rights/ownership.
If conditions are met, the residence card shall be issued within three working days
The residence card shall be issued by the General Inspectorate for Migration and shall grant the right to free movement throughout the territory of the Republic of Moldova.
The validity period of a resident card shall not exceed five years from the date of its issuance at the request of an EU citizen.
For a new card, applications must be submitted no later than 30 days before the current card expires, under the same conditions. The new card term is up to five years.
The law simplifies and accelerates the process for issuing EU residence cards, aligning Moldova’s regime more closely with EU-style mobility rules. Compared to the current process 2 major changes are of the most importance:
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it will be necessary to present less documents – instead of the work contract and employer’s documents / confirmation of acceptance to studies, police clearance certificate etc. it will be enough just to declare the information about the purpose / terms of stay and the absence of criminal records.
- the permit for stay (residence card) will be issued for a longer period: up to 5 years instead of current up to 3 years.