The Republic of Moldova obtained a visa-free regime with the EU on April 28, 2014. Since then, over 982,000 Moldovans who possess biometric passports have left the country through crossing points situated at the border with Romania and through the Chisinau International Airport, IPN has learned from the Border Police.
Most of the Moldovans chose to cross the border through the Leuseni – Albita customs post, the border police registering over 383,000 people. This customs post is followed by the Chisinau International Airport through which over 176,000 holders of biometric passports flied to the EU.
Between April 28, 2014 and April 25, 2017, the Moldovans who crossed the border with Romania or travelled to and from the EU through the Chisinau International Airport totaled 13.774 million. Most of those who chose to travel to the EU are aged between 26 and 35.
According to the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union (FRONTEX), over 9,000 Moldovans have been banned from entering the EU since April 28, 2014. This is about 1% of the total number of persons who travelled visa-free in the EU. Among the main reasons were the non-meeting of entry conditions, insufficiency of financial resources and violation of the legal term of staying in the member states of the EU.
