During the period of eight years since the visa requirements were abolished for short trips made by Moldovan citizens possessing biometric passports in the EU member states and in non-EU member states that form part of the Schengen Area, 2.4 million Moldovans befitted from the visa-free regime, IPN reports.

The Border Police registered 2 435 082 Moldovan citizens at exit frontier posts on the border with Romania and at the Chisinau International Airport who were heading for the Schengen Area.

As many as 592 659 of the travelers to the EU were people aged between 26 and 35, 546 022 were older than 46, while 451 108 were aged between 36 and 45.

The Leușeni–Albița customs post and the Chisinau International Airport were the most popular checkpoints.

The decision on the abolition of visa requirements for Moldovans was published in the Official Gazette of the EU on April 8, 2014 and took effect on April 28, 2014.

The visa regime was liberalized in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) 539/2001 listing the third countries whose nationals must be in possession of visas when crossing the external borders and those whose nationals are exempt from that requirement.