The amendments passed by Parliament to the Nationality Law in the final reading ban the submission of an application for Moldovan nationality by proxy. Until now the application for obtaining or regaining Moldovan nationality was addressed to the President of Moldova and was submitted in person or by proxy, authenticated by notary, at the local branch of the ICT Ministry.

According to the Ministry, which drafted the amendments, after the liberalization of the visa regime with the Schengen member states for Moldovans and the events witnessed in Ukraine, the Moldovan nationality became more attractive. Consequently, a considerable increase is seen in the number of applicants for nationality and in the attempts to obtain this illegally, based on false documents.

The authenticity of the proxies issued abroad cannot be verified and this reduces the efficiency of the process of checking the presented documents.

Under the adopted changes, the child born on the territory of Moldova to parents who benefit from international protection will be recognized as Moldovan citizen. The certificate showing the previous nationality was renounced or withdrawn was removed from the list of documents required for obtaining or regaining Moldovan nationality.

A number of 53 MPs voted to amend the Nationality Law.