How to Get a Category CE Driving Licence in Moldova

Moldova sets a flat minimum age of 21 for category CE, with no shortcut for young drivers who take a professional qualification, and it expects most drivers arriving with a foreign licence to sit an examination before they can swap it. Both rules follow from the same fact: the Republic of Moldova is outside the European Union and the European Economic Area, so the EU arrangements that shape heavy-vehicle licensing across much of the continent do not reach it. The entitlement itself, dreptul de a conduce vehicule din categoria CE, appears on a Moldovan licence (permis de conducere categoria CE) issued by the state’s Public Services Agency after a computer theory test and a practical drive in ordinary traffic.

A second point matters before anyone pays for training. The National Road Transport Agency lists three years of work experience as a driver among its requirements for the professional driver certificate, so a newly qualified CE holder without that history may not obtain the certificate straight away.

Moldovan law, not EU law, decides.

Moldovan licence categories look familiar because government documents describe national rules as aligned with the EU Driving Licence Directive as part of thecountry’ss European path. Alignment is a policy choice, not a legal obligation, and it does not import EU law. Mutual recognition of licences between member states, the EU Driver CPC with its code 95 entry, and the reforms in the new EU Driving Licence Directive do not apply in Moldova. That directive binds only EU member states; any Moldovan equivalent would require Moldova’s own legislation.

The rules that do apply come from three places. The Law on Road Traffic Safety sets the framework. A Government Regulation on the examination procedure for obtaining the right to drive, and on the issue and validity of driving licences, provides the details: ages, prerequisites, document tests, and validity. The Public Services Agency (ASP) publishes the text of that Regulation on the examination procedure and the issue and validity of driving licences as a PDF. The Road Transport Code governs the professional side, including drivers’ certificates and working time.

Draft amendments to the Regulation appear regularly on the government’s consultation portal, some touching things drivers care about, such as proof of practical training or automatic-gearbox restrictions. A draft only takes effect once adopted and published, so what follows reflects the rules as ASP currently publishes them.

One agency examines and issues, schools train, ANTA handles professional work.

Licensing is national: the same Regulation and agency apply throughout the territory controlled byMoldova’ss constitutional authorities. The one geographic complication, licences from the left bank of the Dniester, is an exchange question covered further down.

Agenția Servicii Publice (ASP), the Public Services Agency, does most of the work a driver will encounter. Its territorial subdivisions run both parts of the state examination, keep the State Register of vehicle drivers, and issue national licences and international driving permits. Its driver services are collected on one ASP driver services page.

ASP does not train anyone. Authorised or accredited training units (unități de instruire, usually called școli auto) deliver training, and their programmes sit within the vocational training system overseen by the Ministry of Education and Research. That ministry also approved, by order no. 949, the examination methodology ASP uses, so the same department shapes both what schools teach and how examiners score.

Medical institutions issue the drivers’ medical certificate. Agenția Națională Transport Auto (ANTA), the National Road Transport Agency, operates separately from licensing. It handles the certificate of professional competence for drivers, ADR certificates for dangerous goods, and digital tachograph cards. A driver heading for commercial work deals with both agencies.

What CE covers, and why it is not a weight allowance

Point 6 of the Regulation defines category C as a motor vehicle, other than one in category D or subcategory D1, with a maximum authorised mass above 3,500 kg. Category CE is a combination made up of a category C towing vehicle and a trailer whose maximum authorised mass exceeds 750 kg. Subcategory C1E is the lighter relation: a C1 towing vehicle with a trailer over 750 kg, as long as the maximum authorised mass of the whole combination does not exceed 12,000 kg.

In practice, CE is the entitlement for a rigid lorry pulling a heavy drawbar trailer and for a tractor unit with a semi-trailer, the typical vehicles of long-distance freight. The CE definition has no upper limit on the combination’s maximum authorised mass. That refers to the licence, not the road. Rules on vehicle mass, axle loads, and dimensions; the vehicle’s registration documents; and any special permit for an oversized or overweight load determine how heavy a particular combination may legally be. Moldova’s specific limits were outside the scope of our research, so we do not quote them.

Twenty-one, with category C already held

Point 19 of the Regulation sets the minimum age at 18 for subcategories C1 and C1E and at 21 for categories C and CE. The Regulation does not link a lower age to vocational training or a professional qualification. Several European countries let younger drivers onto heavy categories once they hold a full professional qualification, but Moldova does not use that system and its Regulation contains no equivalent. Nothing on ASP’s pages suggests a different age.

Age is only half the condition. Under point 43, C1 and C can be obtained only by someone who already holds category B, and each trailer category can be obtained only by someone who already holds the matching towing category. For CE, the sequence is therefore B, then C, then CE. A 21-year-old with only a car licence cannot go straight to CE, although many people take C and CE close together.

Ministry guidance on training programmes adds two details. The CE curriculum also applies to subcategory C1E, so completing CE training also covers the lighter trailer combination. And drivers who already hold certain other categories, such as D, D1 or C1, may follow a reduced programme for category C. A bus driver moving into freight may therefore have less to repeat than someone coming from a car licence.

Who ASP will examine

Neither the Regulation nor the ASP service pages set out a residence test like the one used in the EU, where a driver’s normal residence determines which country may issue the licence. What ASP’s national driving licence page does say is who can apply: citizens of Moldova, foreign citizens and stateless persons documented in the national population register, and members of diplomatic missions. For a foreign national, being documented in that register in practice points to Moldovan identity documentation, such as a residence permit and a personal identification number. Confirm eligibility with ASP before paying a school, because the course is worthless without admission to the state examination.

Licence eligibility is separate from the right to live or work in Moldova. A CE entitlement gives no residence permit, work permit or job; other authorities handle those.

Before the exam: a medical certificate and a registered course

Every candidate needs the medical certificate for drivers and driving licence candidates, Form 083/e. Medical institutions issue it under the national norms on medical examination of drivers, which ASP’s pages identify as Government Decision no. 12. Medical findings can lead to restrictions or adaptations, and these are recorded for each category individually on the licence, so a condition that makes no difference to a car entitlement may still affect CE.

The second precondition is training. Point 12 of the Regulation requires anyone seeking examination to prove completion of an authorised or accredited programme. Training is logged in an automated register of instructors and trainees, and ASP links to a portal for driving schools from its information page for drivers. The school first runs its own completion examination, which ministry guidance describes as a written test and a practical driving test graded pass or fail. Only after that does the school issue the officially registered study document (act de studii) that ASP asks for. Passing the school’s examination guarantees nothing at ASP.

When comparing schools, ask whether the school is authorised for CE and records training in the register, which combination you will train on (drawbar or articulated, manual or automatic), how many practical hours the price includes, and whether its vehicle is available for the ASP test. We could not verify any Moldovan school’s CE price, so we did not include an example.

Point 22 of the Regulation and the ASP theory examination page list what a candidate presents when registering for the examination:

• the standard application form and a declaration on the applicant’s own responsibility, both signed;
• a valid identity document;
• the study document from the authorised or accredited training unit;
• the Form 083/e medical certificate (the Regulation allows for records held in the electronic health system);
• the existing driving licence, since CE is always added to a licence that already shows category C;
• proof of payment of the fee, unless it was paid electronically.

Examinations are booked in advance through ASP’s online appointment system, and the practical test takes place according to that booking.

The theory test, and an unclear line in the CE table

The state examination has two parts taken in order: the theory test (proba teoretică) and the practical test (proba practică). You take the theory test on a computer in the examination room of an ASP subdivision. The computerised clasa de examinare generates and prints the result automatically. Questions cover traffic rules, safe driving, first aid, vehicle mechanics and occupational safety.

The number of questions depends on the category group. The ASP theory page and the examination methodology set a car-level group (A, B and related subcategories) at 24 questions in 30 minutes, with at least 22 correct answers needed. A heavier group that includes C and BE has 30 questions in 38 minutes and a pass mark of 27. A further group has 36 questions in 45 minutes with a pass mark of 32.

The difficulty is that CE appears in the tables for both of the heavier groups, and the published material does not say which applies to a driver adding CE to an existing category C. The margin for error barely moves: three wrong answers in the 30-question paper, four in the 36-question paper. Ask ASP or your school which one you will sit.

ASP lets candidates practise on the same computerised system at its subdivisions, for a fee and subject to capacity. With pass marks near nine in ten, that familiarity is worth having.

One thing the sources do not settle is language. Neither the Regulation nor the ASP service pages describe which languages the theory test is offered in or whether interpreters are permitted. Candidates not confident in Romanian should ask ASP before booking.

Forty-five minutes in ordinary traffic

Only a candidate graded admis (passed) in theory can sit the practical test. According to the ASP practical examination page and the methodology, for categories B, BE, C1, C1E, C, CE, and D the test takes place on a route in real traffic conditions, not on closed ground. For C and C1E, E the drive lasts at least 45 minutes. It begins with a trial drive of about 100 metres that is not scored.

The heavy-vehicle test includes a special manoeuvre chosen to suit the real traffic situation, for example parking safely for loading or unloading at a ramp or platform. Backing a drawbar or articulated combination onto a dock deserves specific practice.

Scoring works by penalty points. The methodology states that a candidate with up to 20 penalty points is graded as passed, and one with 21 or more is graded as failed. The examiner fills in the assessment form immediately after the drive.

The examination vehicle must meet technical requirements. ASP’s instruction on examination and licensing services allows a driving school’s vehicle to be used, and the practical test fee is lower when it is.

Failing, waiting and the one-year clock

Point 33 of the Regulation sets minimum waits after a failed attempt: five days before another theory attempt and ten days before another practical attempt. The same point contains the rule most likely to catch people out. A theory pass does not last indefinitely. If you don’t take the practical test within one year of the theory test, you must sit the theory test again.

A year can disappear quickly: each failed practical attempt costs at least ten days, plus the wait for a booking. Candidates who pass theory early and then train slowly are the most exposed.

From examination minutes to a licence

Once a candidate passes both parts, the national licence reflects the new category. ASP’s national licence page explains that the application is based on the examination committee’s minutes, together with the application form, identity document, and medical certificate. You can apply in person or online through the government e-services portal, and a representative can apply on thecandidate’ss behalf.

ASP’s instruction on examination services also allows a provisional licence to be issued on request, valid for no more than six months.

What ASP charges, and what it does not

Official ASP fees are set by the Government Decision on services provided by the Public Services Agency and appear on the individual service pages. At the time of writing, the theory examination costs 70 lei. The practical examination for categories C, C1, CE and C1E costs 320 lei, or 240 lei when a driving school’s vehicle is used. A practice session on the computerised theory system costs 100 lei per person for one academic hour.

The licence price depends on the delivery speed. Issue within 20 working days costs 440 lei. Ten working days cost 880 lei, five cost 1,320 lei, three cost 1,760 lei, one working day costs 2,200 lei, and same-day issue costs 2,640 lei. Same-day issue thus costs six times the standard fee.

Everything else is priced privately. You pay the medical institution for the medical certificate, and each school sets the training cost, which is the largest expense. A written quote listing lessons, practical hours, fuel, the school’s own examination, vehicle use for the ASP test, and extra hours after a failure is the only fair basis for comparison. State fees can be revised, so check the ASP pages before paying.

The licence is not the professional qualification.n

A CE entitlement shows that you may drive the combination. It is not, on its own, a professional qualification for carrying goods commercially. Moldova does not use the EU Driver CPC and does not put code 95 on licences. Instead, the Road Transport Code provides for certificates of professional competence. ANTA runs professional attestation in road transport through its professional attestation portal. ANTA’s documents page for training and professional attestation lists what a professional driver of goods vehicles needs: a valid driving licence in the applicant’s own name for the vehicle’s category, three years of work experience as a driver, a valid medical certificate on Form 086/e, and a psychophysiological assessment. The candidate then passes a professional competence examination or test at ANTA’s headquarters in Chișinău. The resulting document is the certificat de competență profesională a conducătorului auto.

Two details stand out. The medical form ANTA asks for (086/e) is not the one used for the licence examination (083/e), so a driver may need both. And the three-year experience condition, read at face value, shuts out anyone without that work history, whatever licence they hold. ANTA’s page does not say which roles or transport types the condition covers or whether experience in lighter vehicles counts, so put those questions to ANTA or an employer early.

Training for attestation is delivered by the centres on ANTA’s list of training, professional development and attestation centres. The ANTA pages we reviewed provide no training hours, no certificate validity period, and no periodic refresher requirement. The EU pattern of 35 hours of periodic training every five years should not be assumed; nothing in the Moldovan sources confirms it.

The practical result is that a professional driver in Moldova tracks several dates that run independently: the licence, the professional certificate and the medical certificates. If any one lapses, work can stop while the others remain valid.

Ten years, then medical checks from 65

Under point 44 of the Regulation, a licence is issued for ten years, and there is no shorter term for the heavy categories. From the age of 65, point 45 requires holders to confirm their medical fitness every three years.

At renewal, ASP’s pages say a new medical certificate is not mandatory for a licence ASP issued, provided the new licence’s validity stays within the limits of the one previously issued. Otherwise, expect to present Form 083/e again. Renewal goes through the same national licence service and uses the same speed-based fee scale as a first issue.

Arriving with a foreign licence: expect an examination

Here Moldova departs most clearly from EU practice, where licences are recognised without testing. In Moldova, point 47 of the Regulation states that licences issued by other states are exchanged based on an examination. Exceptions include licences from states with a bilateral agreement with Moldova, exchanged on the principle of reciprocity, and licences held by members of diplomatic missions, exchanged by category equivalence.

Which states have such agreements is harder to establish than it should be. A government explanatory note on a draft amendment to the Regulation mentions reciprocal recognition agreements with Greece, France, Spain, Albania and Italy. That list comes from a note about a draft, not a register, and may be incomplete; the annexes to ASP’s instruction listing agreements were not readable to us, and no source says whether each agreement covers every category. Heavy categories are sometimes handled differently from category B, so a driver from one of these countries should ask ASP about CE specifically rather than assume the whole licence carries over.

You can check a foreign licence not in the State Register for authenticity before exchange. The ASP authenticity verification service lists a fee of 100 lei.

Licences issued in localities on the left bank of the Dniester are a case of their own. ASP’s national licence page states that holders must pass both the theory and practical tests to obtain a national licence of the Republic of Moldova. ASP’s instructions also address the equivalence of older licences.

Training abroad and driving before an exchange

Point 15 of the Regulation adds a less obvious restriction. A person who asks to be examined based on study documents issued by another state is admitted only if Moldova has an agreement with that state. A driver who completed CE training abroad but never obtained the licence there may therefore find that the foreign course does not count, and may need an authorised Moldovan programme before ASP will examine them.

Road traffic legislation and international conventions govern how long a newly resident driver may keep using a foreign licence before exchanging it. Still, official sources have not confirmed the current period. An older draft law proposed one; a draft is not the law, and no figure is given here. Anyone settling in Moldova should ask ASP before relying on a foreign licence.

Taking a Moldovan CE licence abroad

ASP issues an international driving permit under the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. It is valid for up to three years and never beyond the national licence, with fees starting at 330 lei. The permit is a translation and supporting document. It does not replace the national licence, and it does not add categories.

In EU countries,s a Moldovan licence counts as a third-country licence. Each country decides how long a visitor or new resident may drive on it and whether it can be exchanged. Working there as a lorry driver usually also means meeting that country’s professional qualification rules and holding a right to work. The Moldovan licence and the ANTA certificate settle neither question; the destination country’s authorities do.

Driving hours, tachograph cards and dangerous goods

ANTA’s page on drivers’ working and rest time summarises the Road Transport Code. Daily driving is normally limited to nine hours, extendable to ten hours twice a week. Weekly driving may not exceed 56 hours, or 90 hours across two consecutive weeks. After four and a half hours at the wheel, a driver must take a break of at least 45 minutes. On international journeys covered by the AETR Agreement, the AETR rules apply instead of the national ones.ANTA issues driver cards for digital tachographs at its Chișinău office. Its page lists a fee of 76 euros and says it issues cards within 15 calendar days of the application, so a driver starting with a new employer should apply early. Carrying dangerous goods requires a separate ADR training certificate for drivers, which appears among ANTA’s published certificate models.

None of these documents substitutes for another, or for the CE entitlement itself.

An order of work for a driver who already holds C

1. Confirm that you are at least 21 and that category C is on your licence. Non-citizens should also confirm with ASP that they are documented in the national register.
2. Obtain the Form 083/e medical certificate before paying for training.
3. Enrol with an authorised or accredited school, get in writing what the price covers, and check that your training is entered in the register.
4. Pass the school’s completion examination and collect the study document.
5. Book and sit the ASP theory test, having asked which questionnaire applies and which languages are offered.
6. Take the practical test within a year of passing the theory test.
7. Apply for the licence in person or online, choosing the processing speed you need.
8. For commercial work, ask ANTA about the professional competence certificate and its experience requirements, and apply for a tachograph card in good time.

Holders of CE and ANTA’s professional certificate can create a profile in the FastDriver.eu driver section and look through current lorry driving vacancies. FastDriver.eu is a job portal that brings drivers and employers together; it issues no licences, approves no qualifications and cannot provide a job, a visa or a work permit.

Open points for ASP and ANTA

Several points remain unclear in the official material we could read: which theory paper a CE candidate sits, which language tests are required, how long a foreign licence may be used after settling, the full list of exchange agreements, and the hours, validity, and scope of ANTA’s certificate. The age rule was checked against the Regulation rather than a consolidated text of the traffic law. On licences and examinations, Agenția Servicii Publice has the final word; on professional certificates and tachograph cards, Agenția Națională Transport Auto does.

Official sources

• ASP: services for drivers
• ASP: theory examination
• ASP: practical examination
• ASP: driving licence services
• Regulation on the examination procedure and the issue and validity of driving licences
• ASP instruction on examination and licensing services
• ASP: information for drivers
• ANTA: Road Transport Code
• ANTA: professional attestation