Where you can travel visa-free with a Moldovan passport in 2026
120 destinations without a prior visa, including the whole Schengen area. We go through the regions, where a visa is still needed and how to get a Moldovan passport by descent.
In short
A Moldovan passport gives entry without a prior visa to 120 of 227 countries and territories: the whole Schengen area, Turkey, the UAE, the Balkans, the former Soviet Union, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru. The UK, the USA, Canada, China and Japan require a visa.
| Without a prior visa | 120 of 227: 86 visa-free, 27 on arrival, 7 with an electronic travel authorisation |
|---|---|
| Visa needed in advance | 106, of which 36 by e-visa |
| Schengen and the UK | Schengen area - visa-free, United Kingdom - e-visa |
| USA and Canada | USA - visa required, Canada - visa required |
| How to get it | recognition of citizenship by descent or naturalisation |
| Checked | October 2026 |
A Moldovan passport opens 120 of 227 destinations without a prior visa: 86 fully visa-free, 27 with a visa on arrival and 7 with an electronic travel authorisation. That is 6 more than the Russian passport, but the number is not the point. Since 28 April 2014 Moldovan citizens with a biometric passport have entered the Schengen area without a visa, while Russian citizens cannot.
For a family from Russia, a Moldovan passport matters as a document for travel to Europe without consulates and queues, and as a link to a country that has been an EU candidate since 2022 and has been negotiating membership since 2024. It is usually obtained by descent rather than for money: Moldova closed its citizenship by investment programme.
We will work out online when you can apply and what fees and documents will cost for your family.
Where you can go visa-free with a Moldovan passport
Entry regimes differ in how much preparation the trip needs. Visa-free means the passport is enough and the permitted stay is set at the border. A visa on arrival means a fee and a stamp at the airport or checkpoint. An electronic travel authorisation is a short online form and fee before departure. An e-visa is also online but involves a check and a consular decision. A regular visa means a form, documents, often a personal visit to the consulate and waiting for a decision.
| Region | Visa-free or with an electronic authorisation | Visa on arrival or e-visa | Visa needed in advance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | Schengen area, Cyprus, Russia, Belarus, Turkey, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, North Macedonia | United Kingdom | Ireland |
| Caucasus and Central Asia | Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan | - | - |
| Asia | Malaysia | Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Maldives | China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Philippines |
| Middle East and Africa | UAE, Israel (online authorisation), Oman, Kenya (online authorisation) | Egypt, Tanzania | Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco, South Africa |
| Americas | Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Panama | - | USA, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Paraguay, Uruguay |
| Oceania | - | - | Australia, New Zealand |
The Moldovan passport is strongest in Europe and the former Soviet Union: visa-free access covers the whole Schengen area, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, North Macedonia, plus Russia, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Turkey, the UAE, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru are visa-free, and Israel requires an electronic travel authorisation. Its weak spots are English-speaking countries and East Asia: the UK, Ireland, the USA, Canada, Australia, China, Japan and South Korea require a visa, as do Argentina, Mexico and Uruguay.
The table shows the main destinations for travel, living and business, not all 227 countries and territories. An electronic travel authorisation is issued online within minutes or days; an e-visa is also applied for online, but it is a separate consular decision. Entry rules change several times a year: check with an expert for your trip.
Schengen, the UK, the USA and Canada
Schengen. A Moldovan citizen with a biometric passport needs no visa and may stay in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180. Working and living there require a permit, and once the European travel authorisation system starts, a short online form will be needed before travel.
United Kingdom. A visitor visa is required; it is applied for online and confirmed with biometrics at a visa centre.
USA. A tourist or business visa with a consular interview is required. Moldova is not part of the Visa Waiver Program.
Canada. Also a visa: the electronic travel authorisation instead of a visa is not available to Moldovan citizens.
Asia. China, Japan and South Korea require a visa, India an e-visa. Malaysia is visa-free, the Maldives issue a visa on arrival, and Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand require a visa or an e-visa.
What else a Moldovan passport gives
Dual citizenship. Moldova has allowed dual citizenship since 2003, and with recognition of citizenship by descent the Russian passport is kept. The Russian Interior Ministry must be notified of the second citizenship within 60 days.
Life and business in Moldova. A citizen lives and works in the country without a residence permit and opens accounts and companies on general terms.
A path towards the EU. Moldova is an EU candidate, with membership talks opened in 2024. Many Moldovan citizens with roots in pre-war Romania also obtain a Romanian passport, and with it the right to live and work throughout the EU.
Taxes. The passport alone does not make you a Moldovan tax resident: residence starts after more than 183 days in the country in a year. Personal income tax for residents is 12%.
Children. A child of a Moldovan citizen is a Moldovan citizen by birth wherever they are born.
How to get a Moldovan passport
The main route for Russian citizens is recognition of citizenship by descent. It is open to people born in Moldova and to those whose parents, grandparents or great-grandparents were born on its territory, as well as descendants of residents of Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina and the Hertsa region before 28 June 1940. Applications are filed from age 18 through the Public Services Agency, and the applicant passes an exam in Romanian and the Constitution of Moldova.
The second route is naturalisation after many years of legal residence in Moldova, with a language and Constitution exam. Moldova closed its citizenship by investment programme, so the passport cannot be bought.
Requirements, timelines and documents are on the page Moldovan citizenship by descent.
A passport by descent rests on archives and an exam
The law does not forbid applying for Moldovan citizenship on your own. But mistakes cost more than the fees: a gap in the chain of documents between generations, an archive certificate in the wrong format, an uncertified translation, a language exam without preparation. We find documents in Moldovan and Russian archives, check the chain before filing, prepare you for the exam and see the application through to the passport.
The cost of support depends on the number of generations and archives; a manager will calculate it in the chat.
This topic in other countries
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- Visa-free countries with a Sierra Leonean passport in 2026
- Visa-free countries with a North Macedonian passport in 2026
- Visa-free countries with a US passport in 2026
- What an Argentine passport gives
- What a Vanuatu passport gives
More on this country:
- How much Moldovan citizenship costs
- Moldova and Russia dual citizenship
- Taxes in Moldova
- Chisinau city guide
- Moving to Moldova
Compare passports of different countries in our 2026 passport overview.
FAQ
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