On April 28, it will be 11 years since the citizens of the Republic of Moldova can travel without a visa to the European Union, only with a biometric passport. Over 2.5 million Moldovans have benefited from this regime, making a total of more than 16 million trips.
The visa liberalization came into force in 2014 and gives Moldovans the opportunity to travel visa-free for a period of up to 90 days, over 6 months, to most EU member states and four other Schengen countries: Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. Ireland remains an exception.
Freedom of movement is accompanied by a number of conditions. Citizens must have a valid biometric passport, be able to justify the purpose of the visit and have sufficient financial means for the duration of the trip. At the same time, the obligation to present the identity document remains valid during the entire stay, in case of a possible control within the Schengen area.
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In the first years of application, the visa-free regime saw a steady increase in the number of users. In 2014, about 158,000 Moldovans traveled, but by 2019 their number increased almost sixfold. However, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant decrease in travel. In 2020, the number of visits was almost three times lower than the previous year. After 2022, the situation began to return to normality and over 2.6 million trips were made in 2023.
Official data show that only a very small percentage of Moldovans faced refusal of entry or exceeded the legal duration of the stay. In 2023, refusal cases were below 0.3%.
In addition to facilitating mobility, the visa-free regime also means significant savings for citizens. According to estimates, Moldovans avoided spending more than €270 million – money that would have been needed to obtain visas.
The visa-free regime has contributed not only to facilitating visits for personal purposes, but also to strengthening cultural, educational and economic ties between the Republic of Moldova and European states.
The authorities assure that the country continues to fulfil the commitments made in the visa liberalization process and takes into account the recommendations made annually by the European Commission.
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