Complete Moldova Truck Driver Guide for Foreign Drivers

Moldova is an honest-case territory: it is one of Europe’s biggest exporters of professional drivers, local wages are modest, and most foreign drivers will earn more elsewhere. But Moldova is also an EU candidate with a modernising, one-stop migration system, real demand in domestic and regional transport, and a simple path for anyone with family, language or business reasons to be there. This guide gives you the right route.

Who Decides: One Authority, One-Stop Shops

Everything runs through the General Inspectorate for Migration under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, via one-stop shops for the documentation of foreigners in Chișinău, Bălți, Cahul and Comrat. The right of temporary residence for work purposes is what authorises employment, and it is documented by a biometric residence card that now serves as your identity document in Moldova.

The Vacancy Check and Salary Floor

The employer first registers the vacancy with the National Employment Agency, and the hire can proceed only if the position cannot be filled locally. There is also a statutory salary floor tied to the national average wage, so the contract must show pay at or above that level. Simplified regimes exist for priority occupations, managers and a few other categories.

Step by Step

Sign the contract, let the employer file the application for temporary residence for work, and — if your nationality needs one — obtain a long-stay employment visa at a Moldovan mission, with an invitation where the invitation regime applies. Many nationalities enter visa-free and file in-country. Decisions on complete files commonly take about a month; you then collect the residence card. The permit runs for up to a year at a time, is employer-specific and renewable — file at least a month before expiry — and address or status changes must be reported within about two weeks. Foreign documents need legalisation or an apostille, plus a certified Romanian translation.

Your Driving Licence and Professional Competence

Moldova runs its own licensing system, administered through the Public Services Agency. To drive Moldovan-registered trucks, you need a Moldovan Category C or C+E licence; the exchange of a foreign licence depends on recognition rules and may involve tests. Professional drivers need the local professional-competence certification, a tachograph driver card and a medical, with international routes under the AETR regime. How does this relate to EU Code 95?

Pay, Tax and Social Security

Wages are paid in Moldovan lei and are low by EU standards, with per diem allowances on international routes carrying the real income. Lawful employment brings social-insurance and mandatory health-insurance contributions with access to the public system. Ask for a written pay breakdown before signing — and weigh the offer honestly against EU markets.

Family and Long-Term Stay

Family reunification is available on a dedicated visa and residence route tied to yours, and five years of continuous lawful residence opens long-term residence with unrestricted labour-market access. Romanian is the official language, which also eases later moves toward Romania and the EU.

How FastDriver.eu Helps

Create a free driver profile and browse live roles on the vacancies page — and if a Moldovan offer is on the table, we help you compare it honestly against EU markets for pay, per diems, and progression. This is general information, not legal advice; final decisions rest with the Moldovan authorities.

Official Government References

Always verify procedures, documents and timelines with the competent authorities: the General Inspectorate for Migration and its one-stop shops for residence for work and the residence card (https://igm.gov.md/en/); the National Employment Agency for vacancy registration (https://anofm.md/); the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the long-stay visa (https://mfa.gov.md/en); and the Public Services Agency for driving-licence matters (https://asp.gov.md/en). All final decisions rest with the relevant authorities.