AGREEMENT  
between the European Union and the Republic of Moldova amending the Agreement between the 
European Community and the Republic of Moldova on the facilitation of the issuance of visas  
THE EUROPEAN UNION,  
and 
THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA,  
hereinafter referred to as ‘the Parties’,  
HAVING REGARD to the Agreement between the European Community and the Republic of Moldova on the facilitation 
of the issuance of visas which entered into force on 1 January 2008,  
DESIRING to further facilitate people-to-people contacts,  
RECOGNISING the importance of the introduction of a visa-free travel regime for the citizens of the Republic of Moldova 
in due course, provided that the conditions for well-managed and secure mobility are in place,  
TAKING INTO ACCOUNT the Protocol on the Schengen  acquis  integrated into the framework of the European Union and 
the Protocol on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland in respect of the area of freedom, security and justice, 
annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and confirming 
that the provisions of this Agreement do not apply to the United Kingdom and Ireland,  
TAKING INTO ACCOUNT the Protocol on the position of Denmark annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to 
the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and confirming that the provisions of this Agreement do not apply 
to Denmark,  
HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:  
Article 1  
The Agreement between the European Community and the 
Republic of Moldova on the facilitation of the issuance of 
visas, hereinafter referred to as the ‘Agreement’, shall be 
amended in accordance with the provisions of this Article:  
(1) In the title, the word ‘Community’ shall be replaced by the 
word ‘Union’.  
(2) In Article 2(1) and (2) and in Article 3 point (e), the word 
‘Community’ shall be replaced by the words ‘European 
Union’.  
(3) Article 4 paragraph 1 shall be amended as follows:  
(a) Point (d) shall be replaced by the following:  
‘(d) for drivers conducting international cargo and 
passenger transportation services to the territories 
of the Member States in vehicles registered in the 
Republic of Moldova:  
— a written request from the national association 
of carriers of the Republic of Moldova 
providing for international road transpor ­
tation, stating the purpose, itinerary, duration 
and frequency of the trips;’;  (b) Point (f) shall be replaced by the following:  
‘(f) for journalists and the technical crew accom ­
panying them in a professional capacity:  
— certificate or other document issued by a 
professional organisation or the applicant’s 
employer proving that the person concerned 
is a qualified journalist and stating that the 
purpose of the journey is to carry out jour ­
nalistic work or proving that the person is a 
member of the technical crew accompanying 
the journalist in a professional capacity;’;  
(c) Point (k) shall be replaced by the following:  
‘(k) for close relatives – spouse, children (including 
adopted children), parents (including custodians), 
grandparents and grandchildren – visiting citizens 
of the Republic of Moldova legally residing in the 
territory of the Member States, or citizens of the 
European Union residing in the territory of the 
Member State of which they are nationals:  
— a written request from the host person;’;  
(d) The following point shall be added:EN 20.6.2013 Official Journal of the European Union L 168/3
‘(p) for participants in official European Union cross- 
border cooperation programmes, such as under 
the European Neighbourhood and Partnership 
Instrument (ENPI):  
— a written request by the host organisation.’.  
(4) In Article 5, paragraphs 1 to 3 shall be replaced by the 
following:  
‘1. Diplomatic missions and consular posts of the 
Member States shall issue multiple-entry visas with a 
term of validity of five years to the following categories 
of persons:  
(a) members of national and regional Governments and 
Parliaments, of the Constitutional Court and Supreme 
Court if they are not exempted from the visa 
requirement by this Agreement, in the exercise of 
their duties;  
(b) permanent members of official delegations who, 
following an official invitation addressed to the 
Republic of Moldova, are to participate regularly in 
meetings, consultations, negotiations or exchange 
programs, as well as in events held in the territory 
of the Member States by intergovernmental organi ­
sations;  
(c) spouses and children (including adopted children), who 
are under the age of 21 or are dependent, and parents 
(including custodians) visiting citizens of the Republic 
of Moldova legally residing in the territory of the 
Member States or citizens of the European Union 
residing in the territory of the Member State of 
which they are nationals;  
(d) business people and representatives of business organi ­
sations who regularly travel to the Member States;  
(e) journalists and the technical crew accompanying them 
in a professional capacity.  
By way of derogation from the first subparagraph, where 
the need or the intention to travel frequently or regularly 
is manifestly limited to a shorter period, the term of 
validity of the multiple-entry visa shall be limited to that 
period, in particular where  
— in the case of the persons referred to in point (a), the 
term of office,  
— in the case of the persons referred to in point (b), the 
term of the validity of the status as a permanent 
member of an official delegation,  
— in the case of the persons referred to in point (c), the 
period of validity of the authorisation for legal 
residence of citizens of the Republic of Moldova 
legally residing in the European Union,  — in the case of the persons referred to in point (d), the 
term of validity of the status as a representative of the 
business organisation or the work contract, or  
— in the case of the persons referred to in point (e), the 
work contract  
is less than five years.  
2. Diplomatic missions and consular posts of the 
Member States shall issue multiple-entry visas with a 
term of validity of one year to the following categories 
of persons, provided that during the previous year they 
have obtained at least one visa, have made use of it in 
accordance with the laws on entry and stay of the visited 
State:  
(a) members of official delegations who, following an 
official invitation addressed to the Republic of 
Moldova, are to participate regularly in meetings, 
consultations, negotiations or exchange programs, as 
well as in events held in the territory of the Member 
States by intergovernmental organisations;  
(b) representatives of civil society organisations travelling 
regularly to Member States for the purposes of 
educational training, seminars or conferences, 
including in the framework of exchange programmes;  
(c) members of the professions participating in inter ­
national exhibitions, conferences, symposia, seminars 
or other similar events who regularly travel to the 
Member States;  
(d) drivers conducting international cargo and passenger 
transportation services to the territories of the 
Member States in vehicles registered in the Republic 
of Moldova;  
(e) members of train, refrigerator and locomotive crews in 
international trains travelling to the territories of the 
Member States;  
(f) persons participating in scientific, cultural and artistic 
activities, including university and other exchange 
programs, who regularly travel to the Member States;  
(g) students and post-graduate students who regularly 
travel for the purposes of study or educational 
training, including in the framework of exchange 
programmes;  
(h) participants in international sports events and persons 
accompanying them in a professional capacity;  
(i) participants in official exchange programmes organised 
by twin cities or other localities;EN L 168/4 Official Journal of the European Union 20.6.2013
(j) participants in official European Union cross-border 
cooperation programmes, such as under the 
European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument 
(ENPI).  
By way of derogation from the first subparagraph, where 
the need or the intention to travel frequently or regularly 
is manifestly limited to a shorter period, the term of 
validity of the multiple-entry visa shall be limited to that 
period.  
3. Diplomatic missions and consular posts of the 
Member States shall issue multiple-entry visas with a 
term of validity of a minimum of two years and a 
maximum of five years to the categories of persons 
referred to in paragraph 2, provided that during the 
previous two years they have made use of the one year 
multiple-entry visas in accordance with the laws on entry 
and stay of the visited State unless the need or the 
intention to travel frequently or regularly is manifestly 
limited to a shorter period, in which case the term of 
validity of the multiple-entry visa shall be limited to that 
period.’.  
(5) Article 6 shall be amended as follows:  
(a) In paragraph 2,  
(i) the introductory words shall be replaced by the 
following:  
‘2. Without prejudice to paragraph 4 fees for 
processing the visa application are waived for 
the following categories of persons:’;  
(ii) in point (a), the following words shall be added:  
‘or citizens of the European Union residing in the 
territory of the Member State of which they are 
nationals’;  
(iii) in point (j), the following words shall be added:  
‘and the technical crew accompanying them in a 
professional capacity’;  
(iv) the following points shall be added:  
‘(p) participants aged 25 years or less in seminars, 
conferences, sports, cultural or educational 
events, organised by non profit organisations;  
(q) representatives of civil society organisations 
undertaking trips for purposes of educational 
training, seminars, conferences, including in 
the framework of exchange programmes;  
(r) participants in official European Union cross- 
border cooperation programmes, such as under the European Neighbourhood and Part ­
nership Instrument (ENPI).’;  
(v) the following subparagraph shall be added:  
‘The first subparagraph shall apply also where the 
purpose of the journey is transit.’;  
(b) The following paragraph shall be added:  
‘4. If a Member State cooperates with an external 
service provider in view of issuing a visa the external 
service provider may charge a service fee. This fee shall 
be proportionate to the costs incurred by the external 
service provider while performing its tasks and shall 
not exceed EUR 30. The Member States shall maintain 
the possibility for all applicants to lodge their appli ­
cations directly at their consulates. The external service 
provider shall conduct its operations in accordance 
with the Visa Code and in full respect of Moldovan 
legislation.’.  
(6) The following Article shall be inserted:  
‘Article 6a  
Lodging of an application without the presence of the 
applicant  
Member States consulates may waive the requirement to 
appear in person, when the applicant is known to them 
for his integrity and reliability, unless the applicant is 
required to appear in person for the collection of 
biometric identifiers.’.  
(7) Article 8 shall be replaced by the following:  
‘Article 8  
Departure in the case of lost or stolen documents  
Citizens of the European Union and citizens of the 
Republic of Moldova who have lost their identity docu ­
ments, or from whom those documents have been stolen 
while staying in the territory of the Republic of Moldova 
or of the Member States, may leave the territory of the 
Republic of Moldova or of the Member States on the basis 
of valid identity documents entitling them to cross the 
border issued by diplomatic missions or consular posts 
of the Member States or of the Republic of Moldova 
without any visa or other authorisation.’.  
(8) Article 10 shall be amended as follows:  
(a) The title shall be replaced by the following: 
‘Diplomatic and service passports’;  
(b) Paragraph 2 shall be replaced by the following:EN 20.6.2013 Official Journal of the European Union L 168/5
‘2. Citizens of the Republic of Moldova, holders of 
valid biometric service passports can enter, leave and 
transit through the territories of the Member States 
without visas.’;  
(c) The following paragraph shall be added:  
‘3. Persons mentioned in paragraphs 1 and 2 may 
stay in the territories of the Member States for a period 
not exceeding 90 days per period of 180 days.’.  
(9) Article 12(1) shall be amended as follows:  
(a) In the first sentence, the word ‘Community’ shall be 
replaced by the word ‘Union’;  
(b) In the second sentence, the word ‘Community’ shall be 
replaced by the words ‘European Union’ and the words 
‘Commission of the European Communities’ by the 
words ‘European Commission’.  
(10) Article 13 shall be amended as follows:  
(a) The existing paragraph shall be numbered as 
paragraph 1;  
(b) The following paragraph shall be added:  ‘2. The provisions of bilateral Agreements or 
arrangements between individual Member States and 
the Republic of Moldova concluded before the entry 
into force of this Agreement providing for the 
exemption of the holders of non-biometric service 
passports from the visa requirement shall continue to 
apply without prejudice to the right of the Member 
States concerned or the Republic of Moldova to 
denounce or suspend these bilateral agreements or 
arrangements.’.  
(11) In Article 14, the following first paragraph shall be 
inserted:  
‘The Republic of Moldova may only reintroduce the visa 
requirement for citizens or certain categories of citizens of 
all Member States and not for citizens or certain categories 
of citizens of individual Member States.’.  
Article 2  
This Agreement shall be ratified or approved by the Parties in 
accordance with their respective procedures and shall enter into 
force on the first day of the second month following the date 
on which the last Party notifies the other that the procedures 
referred to above have been completed.  
Done at Brussels on the twenty-seventh day of June in the year 
two thousand and twelve, in duplicate in the official languages 
of the Parties, each of these texts being equally authentic.EN L 168/6 Official Journal of the European Union 20.6.2013
За Европейския  съюз  
Por la Unión Europea  
Za Evropskou unii  
For Den Europæiske Union  
Für die Europäische Union  
Euroopa Liidu nimel  
Για την Ευρωπαϊκή  Ένωση  
For the European Union  
Pour l'Union européenne  
Per l'Unione europea  
Eiropas Savien ības v ārd ā – 
Europos S ąjungos vardu  
Az Európai Unió részér ől 
Għall-Unjoni Ewropea  
Voor de Europese Unie  
W imieniu Unii Europejskiej  
Pela União Europeia  
Pentru Uniunea European ă 
Za Európsku úniu  
Za Evropsko unijo  
Euroopan unionin puolesta  
För Europeiska unionen  
Pentru Uniunea European ă
 
3a Република  Молдова  
Por la República de Moldavia  
Za Moldavskou republiku  
For Republikken Moldova  
Für die Republik Moldau  
Moldova Vabariigi nimel  
Για τη Δημοκρατία  της Μολδαβίας  
For the Republic of Moldova  
Pour la République de Moldavie  
Per la Repubblica moldova  
Moldovas Republikas v ārd ā – 
Moldovos Respublikos vardu  
A Moldovai Köztársaság részér ől 
Għar-Repubblika tal-Moldova  
Voor de Republiek Moldavië  
W imieniu Republiki Mo łdawii  
Pela República da Moldova  
Pentru Republica Moldova  
Za Moldavskú republiku  
Za Republiko Moldavijo  
Moldovan tasavallan puolesta  
För Republiken Moldavien  
Pentru Republica Moldova
EN 20.6.2013 Official Journal of the European Union L 168/7
JOINT DECLARATION ON COOPERATION ON TRAVEL DOCUMENTS  
The Parties agree that the Joint Committee established pursuant to Article 12 of the Agreement, when 
monitoring the implementation of the Agreement, should evaluate the impact of the level of security of the 
respective travel documents on the functioning of the Agreement. To that end, the Parties agree to regularly 
inform each other about the measures taken for avoiding the proliferation of travel documents, developing 
the technical aspects of travel document security as well as regarding the personalisation process of the 
issuance of travel documents.  
EUROPEAN UNION DECLARATION ON DOCUMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED WHEN APPLYING FOR 
SHORT-STAY VISAS  
The European Union will establish a harmonised list of supporting documents, in accordance with Article 48 
paragraph 1 lit. a of the Visa Code, in order to ensure that applicants from the Republic of Moldova are 
required to submit, in principle, the same supporting documents. The European Union will inform the 
Republic of Moldova in the Committee, when such a list has been established. The European Union will also 
inform the citizens of the Republic of Moldova in accordance with Article 47 paragraph 1 lit. a of the Visa 
Code.  
EUROPEAN UNION DECLARATION ON COOPERATION WITH EXTERNAL SERVICE PROVIDERS  
The European Union commits itself to outsource the reception of visa applications only as a last resort, 
when there are particular circumstances or reasons relating to the local situation, such as where the high 
number of applicants does not allow the collection of applications and of data to be organised in a timely 
manner and in decent conditions; or it is not possible to ensure a good territorial coverage of the third 
country concerned in any other way; and where other forms of cooperation prove not to be appropriate for 
the Member State concerned.EN L 168/8 Official Journal of the European Union 20.6.2013
EUROPEAN UNION DECLARATION ON FACILITATIONS FOR FAMILY MEMBERS  
The European Union takes note of the suggestion of the Republic of Moldova to give a wider definition to 
the notion of family members that should benefit from visa facilitation as well as of the importance that the 
Republic of Moldova attaches to the simplification of movement of this category of persons.  
In order to ease the mobility of an extended number of persons which have family links (in particular sisters 
and brothers and their children) with citizens of the Republic of Moldova legally residing in the territories of 
Member States or with citizens of the European Union residing in the territory of the Member State of 
which they are nationals, the European Union invites the Member States’ consular offices to make full use of 
the existing possibilities in the Visa Code for facilitating the issuance of visas to this category of persons, 
including in particular, the simplification of documentary evidence requested for the applicants, exemptions 
from handling fees and, where appropriate, the issuing of multiple-entry visas.  
JOINT DECLARATION CONCERNING SWITZERLAND AND LIECHTENSTEIN  
The Parties take note of the close relationship between the Union and Switzerland and Liechtenstein, 
particularly by virtue of the Agreement of 26 October 2004 concerning the association of these 
countries with the implementation, application and development of the Schengen  acquis . 
In such circumstances, it is desirable that the authorities of Switzerland and Liechtenstein and the Republic 
of Moldova conclude, without delay, bilateral agreements on the facilitation of the issuance of short-stay 
visas in similar terms as the amended Agreement.EN 20.6.2013 Official Journal of the European Union L 168/9