Citizens of Moldova might be able to enter the territory of the European Union by only presenting their IDs from 2025, the Moldovan Public Services Agency (ASP) has said.
Announcing the news, the director of ASP, Mircea Eșanu, revealed that the country will replace the current ID card version with a new, improved one that will fully meet the EU requirements, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
The issuing process of the new version of the ID cards is planned to be completed no later than March 2025, and the Moldovan authorities hope that the country’s citizens will be able to enter the territory of the EU on the basis of this document after everyone is equipped with the new document.
The great advantage of the new identity cards is that, with time, they will be sufficient to travel, including in the European Union.
Moldova 1 explains that Eșanu noted that in addition to the new version of the ID card meeting the EU requirements, the document would also have “an information carrier”.
Moldova has not updated its ID cards since 2015. However, some who obtained the document recently already hold the updated version.
Despite this and the announced update of all the other older documents, an agreement with the EU still needs to be signed for Moldovans to be able to enter the bloc on the basis of this document.
The entire process of issuing updated ID cards is expected to go smoothly as Moldova already delivers documents directly to the homes of applicants. Documents are also delivered outside the country.
Moldova’s plan to update the IDs is an attempt to make travel to the EU as convenient for its citizens as possible.
Moldovans Currently Need to Present Their Biometric Passport for Entry to EU
Moldovan citizens have been enjoying visa-free entry into the EU and Schengen countries, except Ireland, since April 2014.
Currently, Moldovans entering the bloc need to possess a biometric passport that must be valid for at least another three months after the scheduled return.
Moreover, they need to justify the purpose of their entry into the EU and have sufficient means of subsistence to support themselves during their stay.
In line with the visa-free agreement, Moldovans are permitted to stay in the EU only for 90 days within any 180-day period. Those who plan to stay more than this period are required to apply for a long-term visa.
