April 28, 2025, Chișinău – Today marks the 11th anniversary of the abolition of the visa regime for short-term travel of citizens of the Republic of Moldova to the Schengen Area. During this period, 2,668,615 Moldovans have benefited from the visa-free regime, traveling to the European Union 18,279,446 times. The total number of border crossings between the Republic of Moldova and the European Union amounted to 36,290,266, with 18,279,446 exits and 18,010,820 entries.
From 2014 to 2019, each year under the visa-free regime showed an upward trend, with the annual number of beneficiaries increasing from 157,816 people traveling to the Schengen Area in 2014 to 890,974 in 2019. At the same time, according to the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders (Frontex), only about 0.3–0.4% of cases involved refusals of entry, and 0.5–0.7% concerned illegal stays among the total number of trips.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and travel restrictions imposed by European Union member states, free movement was significantly affected. In 2020, the number of beneficiaries of the visa-free regime decreased 2.4 times compared to 2019 (from 890,974 to 366,254), and the number of trips decreased 2.9 times (from 2,322,787 to 793,243).
In 2021, there was a gradual improvement, but the number of visa-free regime beneficiaries remained 1.5 times lower than in 2019 (614,873 compared to 890,974), and the number of trips was 1.8 times lower (1,297,528 compared to 2,322,787). At the same time, the rates of refusals of entry and illegal stays disproportionately increased, reaching 1.1% (8,668 cases) and 2.6% (20,425 cases) respectively in 2020. In 2021, the refusal rate decreased significantly to 0.6% (7,798 cases), while the rate of illegal stays increased to 2.8% (36,177 cases).
Between 2022 and 2024, usage of the visa-free regime returned to pre-pandemic levels. In 2022, 991,514 Moldovan citizens traveled to the Schengen Area 2,361,945 times. In 2023, the figures were 1,045,329 citizens and 2,606,042 trips respectively. In 2024, there were 2,480,622 visits by 1,001,987 Moldovans to the Schengen Area. At the same time, the refusal rate returned to pre-pandemic comparable values but with a moderate increasing trend (2022 – 0.2% (4,821 cases), 2023 – 0.3% (7,719 cases), 2024 – 0.43% (10,706 cases)). Meanwhile, the illegal stay rate showed a gradual decrease (2022 – 1.6% (38,502 cases), 2023 – 1.36% (35,495 cases), 2024 – 1.02% (25,196 cases)).
Therefore, Moldovan citizens have shown and continue to show a responsible attitude towards the freedom of movement within the Schengen Area, successfully overcoming the abnormal situation caused by travel restrictions during the pandemic.
The large number of travelers to the European Union compared to the total population of the Republic of Moldova clearly illustrates the positive impact of the visa-free regime in facilitating interpersonal contacts and further strengthening business, social, and cultural ties between the Republic of Moldova and the countries of the Schengen Area.
At the same time, national authorities continue to ensure the implementation of the conditions that formed the basis for visa liberalization, as well as consider the recommendations from the annual reports of the European Commission concerning the European Union mechanism for the suspension of the visa-free regime.
Note: The Schengen Area includes a) 26 out of 27 EU member states, with Ireland being the only exception, as well as b) Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.
