Moldova is expanding its capacity to identify cross-border security risks before travelers reach the country’s borders, using passenger information analysis and international cooperation to detect potential threats at an early stage.
The Passenger Information Unit, established within the Border Police, has become a key part of this preventive mechanism. The authorities say the system is designed to help identify risks linked to organized crime, human trafficking, illegal migration and terrorism before passengers arrive at a border crossing.
“Organized crime, human trafficking, illegal migration or terrorist threats do not stop at the borders of a state. Criminal networks use technology, rapidly change routes, exploit connections between different forms of transport and constantly adapt the way they operate. In this context, border security begins long before a person reaches the state border crossing point,” Interior Minister Daniella Misail-Nichitin said.
Moldova is also taking on a broader role in the international community of countries using goTravel, a UN-supported platform designed to process and analyze passenger information. Chisinau currently holds the presidency of the International User Community on goTravel.
“For us, there is a result that says a lot about the path we have taken: within a short period after the Passenger Information Unit became operational, the Republic of Moldova took over the presidency of the International User Community on goTravel. In a very short time, we moved from being a beneficiary and user of an international tool to becoming a state that contributes to the community developing it,” Misail-Nichitin said.
The system is already being used on a significant scale by Moldova’s Border Police.
“The Passenger Information Unit became operational within a very short period of time, and today it monitors approximately 31 airlines and processes information on millions of passengers and tens of thousands of flights. More specifically, in the first half of 2026, through the Passenger Information Unit, we monitored more than three million passengers and more than 20,000 flights,” said Ruslan Galușca, head of Moldova’s General Inspectorate of Border Police.
According to Galușca, the system allows authorities to move from checks conducted exclusively at the border to identifying potential risks in advance.
“Passenger Information Unit analyses have enabled the preventive identification of certain high-risk individuals before boarding and have provided concrete support to investigations carried out by the competent authorities. The analysis of itineraries, booking data and risk indicators has also helped us identify connections between individuals, organizers and transnational networks, and support the documentation of complex cases,” he said.
The development of Moldova’s passenger information system is also linked to the country’s European integration process. Border management, migration and the fight against terrorism are covered by Chapter 24 of Moldova’s EU accession negotiations.
“On behalf of the European Union Delegation, allow me to convey sincere congratulations to the Republic of Moldova for the progress achieved in the areas of borders, migration and the fight against terrorism. The European Union appreciates your efforts to align national legislation and practices with the EU acquis on a daily basis under Chapter 24, paying particular attention to the commitment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the context of the official opening of accession negotiations,” said Sophie Dagand, Programme Manager for Security and Migration at the EU Delegation to Moldova.
The goTravel platform is intended to facilitate cooperation between countries while operating within data-protection and human-rights requirements.
“The Republic of Moldova is chairing the international community of countries using this software. We are here in Chisinau for the next two days to discuss how we can use technology to improve our work at the borders,” said Maurizio Gazzola, Technology Director within the UN Global Programme on Terrorist Travel.
“We see statistics and figures concerning passengers entering countries and being analyzed through the software, of course with respect for human rights and the rules on protecting passengers’ personal data. We are seeing a significant increase in countries’ ability to identify risks and detect suspicious cases,” Gazzola added.
Moldova’s experience is also being used as a reference by countries developing their own passenger information systems.
“Currently, in Switzerland we are creating this unit, the PIU – Passenger Information Unit. I came here also to learn from the experience of other countries that have had such a unit for several years, including the Republic of Moldova and other states. We are here to take from their experience and discuss with our colleagues who are now helping us establish our own unit in Switzerland,” said Raffaello Consigli, a Swiss security expert and head of the Passenger Information Unit.
“Currently, the exchange of experience is taking place around the platform created by the United Nations, called goTravel. It is the platform that collects passenger data and then analyzes this data together with police systems to check whether among the people arriving there are wanted individuals or other similar cases,” Consigli added.
Officials say the next step will be to expand passenger information analysis beyond air travel.
“In the coming months, we will establish an inter-institutional working group to implement a passenger information collection system not only for air transport, but also for land transport. Here we are talking about buses, trains and other means of transportation,” said Sergiu Lisnic, head of the Risk Analysis and Information Management Directorate of Moldova’s General Inspectorate of Border Police.
Moldovan authorities say expanding the system to different forms of transport would allow risks to be identified earlier, regardless of the route used to enter or transit the country.
Through its presidency of the goTravel international user community, Moldova is seeking to strengthen its role in international cooperation on border security, while using passenger information analysis as an additional tool for preventing cross-border threats.