Good to know
- Who this is for: foreigners who plan to live in Moldova, not only to visit.
- Two questions decide most of it: how you enter (some travellers need a visa, and some also need an invitation) and why you stay (work, study, family and other reasons).
- Each procedure is a separate guide, with its own office, fee and waiting time.
- Not sure where to start? Ask us about your case.
Steps, in order
- You do this
Find out if you need a visa or an invitation
Full guide: Moldova visa: how to apply →checked 19 October 2026Full guide: Invitation for a foreigner to visit Moldova →checked 19 October 2026Some travellers need a visa to enter, and some also need an invitation first, issued on the request of a person or company in Moldova. Check this before you book your trip.
- You do this
Apply for the visa
Full guide: Moldova visa: how to apply →checked 19 October 2026Short-stay visas can be requested online. A long-stay visa (type D) is requested at a Moldovan embassy or consulate.
- You do this
Extend a short stay if you need more time
Full guide: Extend your Moldova short-stay visa →checked 19 October 2026If you are in Moldova on a short-stay visa, you can ask for an extension for the same purpose, at least 3 working days before the visa ends. The total stay cannot go over 90 days in any 180 days.
- You do this
Apply for a residence permit if you will stay longer
Full guide: Residence permit in Moldova (right of residence) →checked 19 October 2026A right of residence lets you live in Moldova for longer than a visa allows. You usually ask for it while you hold a long-stay visa issued for the same purpose. The reasons include work, study, family reunification and IT work.
- You do this
Get your residence permit card
Full guide: Residence permit card and other ID documents for foreigners →checked 19 October 2026The decision is one step. The card that shows your right of residence is another, with its own fee. It is valid only in Moldova.
- You do this
Register your address
Full guide: Register your home address (or deregister) in Moldova →checked 19 October 2026Register the address where you live. The online service is only for Moldovan citizens.
- You do this
Get a certificate of your status when someone asks for it
Full guide: Certificate of your status as a foreigner in Moldova →checked 19 October 2026Banks, schools, kindergartens and company registration can ask foreigners for it. It confirms your state ID number (IDNP), your ID document, your registered address and your family.
- Practical tip · not from an official source
Get a local SIM card and a bank account
Both make daily life easier. Compare a few mobile operators and banks, and ask each what it needs from a foreigner. Rules change, so ask at the counter.
- You do this
Arrange health insurance and a family doctor
Full guide: Compulsory health insurance in Moldova →checked 19 October 2026Full guide: Register with a family doctor in Moldova →checked 19 October 2026Find out whether you are covered by compulsory health insurance, and how to get covered if you are not. Then register with a family doctor.
- You do this
Check your driving licence if you want to drive
Full guide: Moldovan driving licence: issue, exchange or restore →checked 19 October 2026A foreign licence is exchanged by taking the driving exam, unless your country has an exchange agreement with Moldova.
- Not covered here
Your own reason for staying
Ask about your case →The documents and conditions differ by reason, such as work, study or business. This page does not go through each one.