Practical Information for visiting Moldova

The currency is the Moldovan leu, MDL, of 100 bani, established on 29 November 1993. The economy is primarily cash-based, the Canadian advisory says, with cards increasingly accepted; the British advisory says card payment is now generally widespread but not always possible outside Chișinău. Euros are accepted, and US dollars and euros are the most exchangeable foreign currencies -- carry some euros in cash, in notes in perfect condition or they may be refused; pounds are hard to change. ATMs are available in Chișinău but only a few accept foreign cards, and card and ATM fraud occurs, so keep the card in sight. Cash of 10,000 euros or more must be declared at the border. Transnistria uses its own ruble, which cannot be bought or sold outside it; its ATMs refuse foreign cards and paying in anything else there is treated as illegal.

The UK advises against all travel to Transnistria, and Canada advises a high degree of caution throughout Moldova and against non-essential travel to Transnistria. The reason is the war across the border: military activity close to some Moldovan borders, projectiles through Moldovan airspace and debris on villages near Ukraine, explosions in Transnistria in 2022, and a security situation that could deteriorate rapidly. Transnistria is outside government control, its authorities can refuse entry, and consular help there is extremely limited.

Demonstrations have been regular in central Chișinău since autumn 2022, small and generally peaceful, but with organised attempts to use them as cover for disturbances: stay away. Crime is petty: street theft in Chișinău, pickpockets on buses and at stations, card and ATM fraud. Police can demand photo ID at any time.

Roads are the likeliest way to be hurt: unlit, unmaintained, shared with carts and livestock, driven aggressively and often drunk. Do not drive after dark, use marked taxis only, and fix the fare first.

Call 112 for an ambulance and expect staff who may speak only Russian or Romanian. The advisories name ticks and tick-borne encephalitis in the countryside, hepatitis A, and water that should be bottled or boiled. Insurance must cover local treatment and medical evacuation, which in practice means Bucharest or further. Pharmacies and healthcare standards are not summarised here because no authority page opened for this page spoke to them.

Carry photo ID at all times -- the passport or, the British advisory says, a copy of its photo page -- because police may ask for it and detention or fines follow if you cannot produce it. Photography of military installations, checkpoints, government buildings, airports and power stations is prohibited and can mean confiscation, detention or arrest. Drugs, including small quantities of cannabis, bring long jail sentences. Drink-driving above a third of England's limit brings fines and possible prison. Art and antiques need an export permit from the Department of Monuments or customs will seize them. Child surrogacy is prohibited. Cash of 10,000 euros or more must be declared.

In Transnistria, if you ignore the advisories: rubles only, migration card kept, no photographs of anything official. In churches and monasteries: shoulders and knees covered, women's heads covered in the stricter houses, no photographs of the monks.

Same-sex activity is legal but public attitudes are less tolerant than in western Europe, and the government does not recognise same-sex partners. Tipping and drone rules are not summarised here until they have been read on an authority's page.

Emergency number: 112 for police, ambulance and fire; ambulance staff may speak only Russian or Romanian.

Consular: there is no Canadian office in Moldova; the embassy in Bucharest is responsible. British consular support in Transnistria is described as extremely limited and will shrink further if the situation worsens.

Natural hazards: landslides in spring and autumn. Security: the war in Ukraine is across the border; follow the advisories' alerts, avoid demonstrations, and do not go to Transnistria against advice.