What are the conditions and restrictions for tourists from Ukraine to enter the Republic of Moldova, and what procedures and documents are required to extend the validity of a passport or obtain an identity card for returning to Ukraine in case of loss or expiration of a passport?

Ukrainians can enter the Republic of Moldova without a visa as tourists with a valid foreign passport, or as refugees with any Ukrainian document that allows to identify person (passport, travel document, driver's license, student ID, pension certificate, birth certificate, etc.).

Children can cross the border with a birth certificate. Crossing the state border of Moldova by children under 18 years of age is only allowed when they are accompanied by parents or a representative, whose authority is confirmed by a notarized consent statement or power of attorney from the parents for the accompanying a child.

Moreover, Moldova is a unique country for those who returns to Ukraine without biometric documents: you can fly here with a regular foreign passport from any country and proceed directly to Ukraine.

As tourists, Ukrainians can stay in Moldova for up to 90 days within a 180-day period. Entering Moldova is not considered as an entry into the Schengen area, so it does not affect the number of permissible days of stay within that zone.

Important! If your foreign passport is about to expire while you are in Moldova, you can apply for its renewal. For this purpose, you need to contact the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Moldova or the respective consulate. You can submit your documents for passport renewal no earlier than 2 months before the expiration date. The application for passport renewal should be submitted in person by the passport holder aged 18 or older. For renewing a minor's foreign passport, the application should be submitted by their parents, legal guardian or representative based on a power of attorney, as required by law. For renewing foreign passport of a person aged 16 to 18, the application could be submitted either by the person in whose name the passport is issued or its legal guardian. For more information on the documents required for passport renewal, please refer to the following link.

Please note that if a person has lost his/her foreign passport or if its validity has already expired, he/she can also obtain a certificate for returning to Ukraine (also known as the "white passport"). For more details on the procedure for obtaining it and the cases in which such issuance is possible, please refer to the following link.