Life in Moldova

Right of residence (residence permit)

Information checked on 4 October 2026. The official page was last updated on 10 July 2026. Rules change: confirm with the responsible institution before you act.

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Right of residence – the right to establish one's residence or home address on the territory of the Republic of Moldova, granted to a foreign national, under the conditions of this law, by the authority competent for foreign nationals.

Decision to grant a temporary or permanent right of residence – an official document issued by the authority competent for foreign nationals, under the conditions of this law, which confirms the temporary or permanent right of residence on the territory of the Republic of Moldova.

A foreign national may request the granting of a temporary right of residence in the Republic of Moldova on the basis of a long-stay visa, for the purpose for which it was issued, except in the following cases: for partners or shareholders of legal entities with foreign investment registered in the Republic of Moldova; for victims of human trafficking; for victims of domestic violence; for migrant workers.

The temporary right of residence can be granted:

At a glance

Fee details

To obtain a right of residence, the foreign national applies at the IGM counters at least 30 calendar days before the expiry of the period for which the right of residence was granted.
Fees for granting/extending the right of residence for work:

Granting: within 15 days – 3600 lei (state fee);
– 90 lei (IGM fee).
Extension: within 15 days – 1800 lei (state fee);
– 90 lei (IGM fee).
Fees for granting/extending the right of residence for family reunification, studies, investments as a partner, investments as a shareholder, volunteering activities, humanitarian activities, religious activities and other justified cases:

Granting: within 10 days – 180 lei (state fee);
– 169 lei (IGM fee).
Granting: within 30 days – 180 lei (state fee);
– 90 lei (IGM fee).

Extension: within 10 days – 180 lei (state fee);
– 178 lei (IGM fee).
Extension: within 30 days – 180 lei (state fee);
– 90 lei (IGM fee).

Fees for granting the permanent right of residence:
Within 1 month – 1000 lei (state fee);
– 400 lei (IGM fee).
Within 2 months – 1000 lei (state fee);
– 200 lei (IGM fee).
Within 3 months – 1000 lei (state fee);
– 100 lei (IGM fee).

How to apply

  1. Submitting the application

    A foreign national who requests the granting or extension of a right of residence, the right to repatriation or authorisation of emigration submits an application in person, accompanied by the documents in original and copy, at the territorial subdivisions of the IGM of the MAI (here) in whose area the applicant/individual has their home address/residence, or the registered office/office in the case of legal entities.

    In the case of an application for the granting/extension of the right of residence for family reunification, the application is signed by the applicant and by the family member established with residence or home address in the Republic of Moldova, for whom the reunification is requested. When submitting the application for the granting/extension of the right of residence for family reunification, the presence of the family member established with residence or home address in the Republic of Moldova is required. The request of the legal entity is signed by the administrator of the enterprise/head of the institution/organisation, and the wet stamp is applied to the request.

  2. Paying for the service

    The service can be paid:

    • through the government electronic payment service MPay;
    • at the offices of Poșta Moldovei;
    • at bank branches/subsidiaries.
  3. Processing the application

    The GUDS official views the file and the documents attached by the applicant in order to assess the completeness and correctness of the file in accordance with the existing regulatory framework;

    Checks that the application form/request has been completed correctly;

    The GUDS official helps with the correct and complete filling in of the fields provided in the application/request form;

    Checks that the appropriate documents exist, and checks whether the foreign national's travel document is recognised or accepted by the Republic of Moldova, as well as its validity;

    The GUDS official has the right to return the file to the applicant, stating the reason for the return, so that the irregularities found can be completed and/or removed before the file is submitted again;

    When the file is submitted with all the necessary documents attached, the GUDS employee checks whether the foreign national named in the application appears in the Register of Foreign Nationals in SsIGM and consults their history;

    The GUDS official will enter the foreign national's data into SsIIGM;

    In order to ensure the decision on the case, the executor (official) checks the information available/necessary to the IGM on the foreign national and on the applicant, through the various databases managed by the IGM.

  4. Examining the application

    The files are examined by the official of the Section for the residence of foreign nationals and repatriation. The decision issued is signed by the Director of the IGM, with the stamp of the institution applied (the date of issue of the decision is entered in the database of the Automated Information Subsystem of the IGM).

  5. Issuing the decision to grant or to refuse

    The decision to grant is issued at the IGM counter. Information about the decision to refuse is communicated to the applicant by letter within 3 working days from the date of its approval

Required documents

Family reunification

Victim protection

Foreign investment

Work

Projects

Foreign national from an EU member state

Studies

Other cases

Humanitarian, volunteering or religious activities

Long-term treatment

Information technology (IT)

Legal basis

Have a question about your situation?

Ask on the site: the answer comes from official documents, with quotes and links to the sources.

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Source. The information comes from the official page “Drept de ședere”, provided by General Inspectorate for Migration, on the government portal evo.gov.md.

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