How to send money to Moldova in 2026: euros under European rules and lei

In 2026 a Moldovan bank accepts a bank transfer to an account: from countries paying in euros under European rules on the same or the next business day, from others usually in 1-3. Money is credited in euros, dollars or lei. From $10,000 you prepare a document on the source: a statement, an income certificate or a sale contract.

In detail

The route depends on where the money comes from and what it is for; the table was checked on 9 October 2026.

Ways to send money to Moldova on 8 October 2026: currency and timing

The simplest way to send money to Moldova in 2026 is a bank transfer in euros: since 6 October 2025 Moldova has been working in the single euro payments area, and such a transfer follows European Union rules. Inside the country a transfer in lei arrives in seconds through the instant payment system.

Lei and euros are converted into dollars at the rates of the National Bank of Moldova on 7 October 2026, 17.8236 lei per dollar, and of the European Central Bank, 1.1177 dollars per euro, rounded up. Table checked on 8 October 2026.

Where money to Moldova comes from: mostly euros from the European Union

According to the National Bank of Moldova, in January 2026 private persons in Moldova received $132.6 million from abroad: more than 70% came from European Union countries, and 80% arrived in euros.

For the sender this means a simple thing: Moldovan banks are set up above all for euros and transfers from Europe, while payments from other countries are checked longer and more closely. The closer your route is to the main flow, the fewer questions the recipient's bank has. If your bank needs another route to Moldova, there are working legal options: tell a manager where from and how much you need to send, and they will choose a route for your situation.

Euro transfers as inside the European Union: what the single payments area gave

On 6 March 2025 Moldova was admitted to the single euro payments area, and since 6 October 2025 it has been working in it in full. A euro transfer from any of the 41 countries of the area follows common European rules: by the international account number, usually no later than the next business day and with no chain of intermediary banks. According to the National Bank of Moldova, 8 of the country's 10 banks can process such payments, and in the first year people and companies saved more than $18,000,000 (16 million euros) on fees.

The Moldovan international account number has 24 characters: two letters of the country code, two check digits and 20 characters of the bank and account code. The recipient will find it, together with the holder's name, in the contract or in the bank's app. For a sender from Germany, Italy or Romania a transfer to Moldova now looks like an ordinary European payment: the payment order gives the account number and the recipient's name, and no separate international bank code is needed.

The single area does not cover transfers in dollars and other currencies: they follow the old rules, through intermediary banks, and take longer. So from countries of the area it pays to send euros right away and exchange them into lei at the Moldovan bank.

Inside the country the National Bank of Moldova instant payment system has worked since 12 March 2024: a transfer in lei between Moldovan banks arrives in seconds. In 2025, 15.1 million payments worth 13.3 billion lei ($750,000,000) went through it.

How to receive a transfer in Moldova: details, currency and purpose

A Moldovan account is identified by the 24-character international number: two letters of the country code, two check digits and 20 characters of the bank and account. A transfer needs this number, the holder's name exactly as recorded at the bank and, for a payment from outside the single area, the bank's international code.

It pays to open an account in two currencies at once. Euros from the European Union are better received on a euro account: the money loses nothing on exchange, and it is exchanged into lei as needed at the bank's rate, which follows the official rate of the National Bank of Moldova. For spending inside the country money goes to a lei account and is then paid out by instant payments in seconds.

The payment purpose is written specifically: help for a mother's treatment, tuition fees, a transfer of your own funds to your own account. A Moldovan bank matches such a purpose against the documents straight away, and the money is credited in the usual time. We will advise how best to send money from your country: get the transfer terms from a manager.

A transfer to a non-resident's Moldovan account

Moldova has 10 licensed banks, and they open accounts in lei, euros, dollars and other currencies. A resident with documents often gets an account on the day they apply, a non-resident within a few days to two or three weeks after the check. The bank will ask about the purpose of the account, the source of the money and tax residence, and it shares account information under international agreements.

For an account the bank usually asks for:

• a passport, and for residents an identity card or residence permit with a personal number;
• an address in Moldova or in the country of residence;
• the purpose of the account: salary, family expenses, savings, buying a home;
• the source of the money: an employment contract, statements, documents on a property sale;
• information on tax residence.

Deposits are guaranteed up to $12,000 (200,000 lei) per depositor at each bank. The bank withholds 6% tax on a resident's interest and 12% on a non-resident's. A transfer of your own money to your own account is not taxed. A person becomes a Moldovan tax resident after spending 183 days or more in the country in a year, and the income tax rate is 12%.

Money for buying a home in Chisinau

A foreigner buys a flat or a house in Moldova, while agricultural land and forest remain for Moldovan citizens. Since 1 April 2025 large payments under deals go through a bank, so the money for a home is transferred to an account and paid to the seller by bank transfer. The deal is handled by a notary, and the transfer statement becomes part of the pack for registering ownership.

A convenient order is this: first open an account at a Moldovan bank, transfer the money to it with documents on its origin, and only then sign the contract. From a country of the single euro payments area the money is credited within 1 business day, while from other countries the transfer is sent a week before the deal so that the bank has time to check the documents.

Transnistria and money on the left bank of the Dniester

Transnistria is not controlled by Moldova's constitutional authorities, and it has its own currency in circulation, which the National Bank of Moldova does not recognise as legal tender. Money for a resident of the region is sent to their account at a Moldovan bank on the right bank of the Dniester: many residents of Transnistria hold Moldovan documents and open accounts in Chisinau.

How many papers a transfer to Moldova needs: three thresholds

• Up to $10,000. A transfer to your own account or a relative's goes by the details and the purpose; no papers on the origin of the money are needed for such a sum.
• From $10,000 to $100,000. The bank will ask you to explain the source of the money: a statement, an income certificate, a sale contract. For money from selling a flat in another country you need the sale contract and a statement showing the money arriving on the seller's account; more in moving home sale proceeds abroad.
• From $100,000. A full pack on the origin is needed, especially if the money does not come from a country of the single euro payments area. The bank checks a home purchase in Chisinau against the contract and the sender's statement. Destinations for large sums are collected in the capital relocation section.

For a large sum or a home purchase, discuss the route with a manager: they will choose the transfer path and gather the papers in advance. The deal itself is covered in how to buy a flat in Moldova, the general rules in proof of source of funds, and large transfers in sending large sums abroad.

Onward from Moldova: to the European Union

Euros now leave Moldova for European Union countries under the rules of the single payments area, as fast as they arrive. A Moldovan bank checks a large outgoing transfer as strictly as an incoming one: with documents on the purpose and origin it goes through in the usual time.

• To Germany - euros in 10 seconds under European rules
• To Spain - the foreigner's number first
• To Portugal - the tax number before the account

Sending money to nearby countries

• Bulgaria - euros since 2026
• Poland - zloty or euros to your own account
• Serbia - an account in dinars and euros
• Ukraine - hryvnias and transfers to family
• Belarus - BYN to a card
• Italy - paying for a home through a notary

We support moving capital to and from Moldova as part of our capital relocation service.

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