Moldovan citizenship for Russians in 2026

The passport cannot be bought, but by descent it can be obtained without moving and while keeping the Russian passport. Who can apply, the Romanian exam, a fee of about $380 and what the passport gives.

In detail

A Russian citizen cannot buy a Moldovan passport in 2026: the citizenship by investment programme was closed in 2020. But the route by descent is open. If you, your parent, grandparent or great-grandparent were born on the territory of Moldova, citizenship is recognised without moving and without giving up the Russian passport. There is one condition, and a serious one: an exam in Romanian and the Constitution. The procedure is detailed on our Moldovan citizenship by descent page, and the story of the closed investment programme on the Moldovan citizenship page.

Which Russians can get Moldovan citizenship

People born in Transnistria also apply for recognition: Moldova regards the left bank of the Dniester as its territory. For most Russians with Moldovan ancestors the first route is the realistic one, while naturalization with renunciation of Russian citizenship and ten years in the country suits few.

How to get Moldovan citizenship by descent: step by step

1. Check the family tree and find the ancestor who gives you the ground - 1-2 weeks.
2. Collect the chain of documents from you to the ancestor: birth and marriage certificates in every generation, archive certificates, criminal record certificates - 1-4 months.
3. Pass the exam in Romanian and the Constitution: starting from zero usually takes 4-6 months of study.
4. File the application with the Public Services Agency in Moldova or at a Moldovan consulate. Russian-language documents are translated into Romanian and certified.
5. Wait for the decision - up to 12 months, which can be extended by another 6 for checks. Then the identity card and passport are issued.

The whole path usually takes 1-2 years, and archives and language are best handled in parallel. The bureaucracy is not hostile, just very attentive to letters: a great-grandfather's surname spelled one letter differently in 1938 can stall the case for a long time.

How much Moldovan citizenship costs

The state fee for recognition of citizenship is about $380 per adult. An archive certificate costs from $20 per request, a certified translation into Romanian with an apostille from $30 per document and a criminal record certificate up to $50. For one adult with a short line to the ancestor the minimum is about $590: the $380 fee, two archive certificates for $40, translation of four documents for $120 and a criminal record certificate for $50. This excludes the exam and language courses, trips to Chisinau and correcting errors in documents through the registry office or court. The full calculation is in how much Moldovan citizenship costs.

What a Moldovan passport gives a Russian citizen

• Visa-free Schengen - up to 90 days in any 180, and about 120 destinations without a prior visa in total.
• Not the EU. Moldova is a candidate for membership, so the passport does not yet give the right to live and work in EU countries.
• Two passports legally. Moldova has allowed dual citizenship since 2003; a Russian citizen notifies the Interior Ministry of the second passport within 60 days, more in Moldova and Russia dual citizenship.
• Taxes and the army. A passport alone does not make you a Moldovan tax resident, and after moving income tax is a flat 12%. Conscription remains for male Moldovan citizens.

If your ancestors lived in Bessarabia before 1940, you may have a ground for two countries at once. A Romanian passport gives the right to live and work across the EU, but the queue there is longer and the language is required at B1 level - the conditions are on the Romanian citizenship page.

Why applications are refused

• A gap in the chain of documents between you and the ancestor.
• Different spellings of the surname in documents from different years.
• An archive certificate that does not confirm the ancestor's place of birth or residence.
• No exam certificate, or a criminal record.

How we help

The law does not forbid applying for recognition of Moldovan citizenship on your own. But mistakes cost more than the fee: differences in ancestors' surnames, an archive certificate that does not confirm the place of birth, an exam taken without preparation. Murblz specialists check the family tree before filing, request certificates from archives in Moldova, Russia and Ukraine, correct discrepancies and support the application until the passport is issued. Our manager in the chat will calculate the cost of support.

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