The e-apostille is a successful program, officials said one year after the service’s launch. The service is accessible and transparent, Minister of Justice Oleg Efrim said in a news conference, quoted by IPN.

Deputy head of the e-Apostille Division of the Ministry of Justice Valeriu Frimu said that about 78,000 apostilles had been issued between October 1, 2013 and August 12 this year, 1,500 of which  online.

“The number of applications for e-apostilles is on the rise. Of the total number of e-apostilles, 1,093 (72.56%) were issued in July – August this year. The dynamic is good and shows that an increasing number of people find out about the possibility of obtaining apostilles online,” said Oleg Efrim.

When the e-apostille started to be used, the terms for providing the service and the tariffs were reduced. “The prices decreased essentially, in some cases even three times. Earlier, an apostille could be obtained in the shortest period of 6 hours and cost 400 lei. Now it is issued during an hour for 130 lei only,” said the minister. The tax for using the apostille during five days is 100 lei.

Diana Tacu, vice director of the Civil Status Service, said many people do not want to use this electronic service for fear of novelty or out of ignorance. “A number of terminals will be set up in the halls of the civil status offices all over Moldova. The screen will contain additional information about the documents and extracts that can be obtained,” she stated.

Victor Lutenco, head of the Bureau for Diaspora Relations, said the applications for apostilles come mainly from abroad. “Over 1,000 of the online applications are from abroad. We have positive feedback. We also facilitate certain transactions so that our citizens regain confidence in Moldova’s system,” he stated. Most of the apostilles were required for Italy (39,491), Israel (7,477), Bulgaria (6,025), and Spain (4,857).

The e-apostille service was launched on August 12, 2013. Moldova became thus the fifth country in the world and the second country in Europe providing such a service. The applications for apostilles can be filed to the Ministry of Justice, on www.apostila.gov.md, or at civil status offices and embassies.