Chisinau, Bucharest to organise consultations on Romanian visas

During January and February, Moldovan-Romanian consultations will take place at expert level concerning issues of visas for Romania and the process of implementing the Reciprocal Travelling Agreement, a press release from Moldova’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration (MAEIE) reports. This fact has been agreed upon on Friday, January 12, during a meeting between the deputy minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Valeriu Ostalep, and the ambassador of Romania to Chisinau, Filip Teodorescu. The main topic of the discussion was the modality of implementing the Reciprocal Travelling Agreement, by which, as from January 1, a visa regime was introduced for the Moldovan citizens willing to travel to Romania. Filip Teodorescu mentioned about the actions implemented by the Romanian Embassy in Moldova and the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs starting November 2006, and especially after January 1, aiming to facilitate procedures for obtaining visas for Moldovan citizens. In the context, Teodorescu referred to the fact that Moldovan citizens can submit applications for individual visas and additional documents via online direct registration on the embassy’s website, from Monday to Friday (9.00-15.00). Visa applications can also be examined without prior registration in urgency cases provided in the agreement and qualified as exceptional cases by the Consul. At the same time, collective visas are issued based on applications from tourist agencies and companies. The Ambassador promised that the Romanian diplomatic mission to Chisinau will work at its maximum capacity, and shortly the number of online registrations is to be extended from 30 to 100 per day, a fact which would contribute to solving difficulties that Moldovan citizens face. He also mentioned that that the applications for extending the residential permit for university and high school students studying in Romania are afforded prior attention. Concerning visa issuance for Moldovan road transporters, Teodorescu recommended that they apply for collective visas from the transporters’ associations, a fact which would allow issuing visas in speedier terms, without excluding though the possibility to solicit individual visas. MAEIE communiqué does not mention anything about the issue of opening consulates in Cahul and Balti, solicited by Romania’s MFA in early 2006. This request did not receive any official response from the authorities in Chisinau.