The Republic of Moldova marks 8 years of visa liberalisation regime

Republic of Moldova celebrates its eighth anniversary of a visa-free travel regime to the EU Member States and member countries of the Schengen area. From April 2014, Moldovan citizens with biometric passports benefit from the visa free travel regime to the EU and Schengen area.

In the last eight years, over 2.4 million citizens of the Republic of Moldova travelled 9 million times to the European Union. In this context, from 28 April to 8 May 2022, a dedicated information campaign was conducted, highlighting the advantages of visa-free regime for Moldovans in terms of facilitating people-to-people contacts and contributing to further strengthening of business, social and cultural ties between the Republic of Moldova and the Schengen countries.

“It is a very practical opportunity for people to visit relatives, to study, to bring new experiences back home. But I think it is also about changing the perception of themselves. I remember my first trips without the visa… when all of the sudden you are welcomed without additional conditions,” stated Jānis Mažeiks, Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova.

The Campaign presented facts and figures such as the annual number of beneficiaries who travelled to the Schengen area. Also, a series of 8 video testimonials were distributed via media and social media of ordinary people who enjoyed the benefits of visa-free regime.

In 2014, the visa-free travel agreement was reached between the Moldovan and the EU authorities offering the citizens of Moldova the opportunity of easier and simpler traveling, as well as getting closer to the EU and Member States values.
The videos developed for the campaign “8 years of visa liberalisation” are available on the EU Delegation YouTube channel