The Republic Moldova launched new citizenship by investment scheme in Nov 2018. Currently it is the cheap and best CBI passport in the EU. The Moldovan CBI program offers investors a foothold in Europe and access to one of the fastest growing commercial hubs in the region.
Moldova currently actively pursues EU membership in the future. Acquiring citizenship in Moldova is a great future investment and the the passport of Moldova becomes full EU passport once Moldova joins the European Union in the future. On 28 April 2014 Moldovan citizens were granted visa-free entry to 26 Schengen Area countries as well as Bulgaria, Croatia,Cyprus and Romania.
The Moldova Citizenship-by-Investment (MCBI) program is the latest European citizenship-by-investment opportunity. Moldovan passport provides access to 122 destinations, including the countries in Europe’s Schengen Area as well as Turkey and Russia.
The Citizenship by investment was launched in the Nov 2018, the MCBI program was developed by the Government of the Republic of Moldova in partnership with its service provider Henley & Partners and the Moldovan Investment Company.
Note: Moldova CBI is permanently closed.
- Citizenship in a country that has a continental climate, a world-class wine industry, and picturesque, varied terrain, including forests and rocky hills
- Cheap and best CBI scheme in Europe
- Full citizenship, with passport rights, for the applicant and included family members
- No requirement to live in Moldova
- Citizenship offers excellent opportunity to invest in Moldovan real estate market
- Citizenship transferable to future generations
- Citizenship in a country that has entered into an association agreement with the EU and is aiming to become a candidate country for EU membership
MCBI Investment
The official qualifying investments for citizenship and passport in Moldova are
- One time Contribution to the Public Investment Fund (PIF) for Sustainable Development – EUR 100,000(see below for all fee)
- Development projects EUR 250,000 (real estate)
There are additional due diligence fee, government fee and service. The processing time is 3 months. To qualify for citizenship by investment in Moldova and investments have to maintained for 60 months (5 years).
MCBI Fees
A minimum non-refundable contribution to the PIF starting from
- EUR 100,000 for a single applicant.
- EUR 115,000 is required for a couple,
- EUR 145,000 for a family of four, and EUR 155,000 for a family of five or more.
Service Fee
- Additional service fees total EUR 35,000 per application.
Government fees
In addition, applicants are required to pay government fees of
- EUR 5,000 for the main applicant,
- EUR 2,500 for a spouse,
- EUR 1,000 for a dependent child, and
- EUR 5,000 for a dependent parent. Dependent children can be up to 29 years of age, and dependent parents — of the main applicant as well as the spouse — who are 55 years of age or older can be included.
Due diligence fee
Due diligence fees are
- EUR 6,000 for the main applicant and
- EUR 5,000 for a spouse, dependent children older than 16 years, and/or dependent parents.
Passport fee
Biometric passport fees amount to EUR 300 per individual
Please expect total costs of approx EUR 150,000 for single applicant and EUR 200,000 for families of four.
Citizenship certificate
The CBI regulations stipulate that the issuance of a certificate of naturalization under the MCBI program shall take a maximum of three months from the date on which the complete application is submitted, provided that the due diligence processes are carried out without difficulties.
Before an application is submitted to the government, all the relevant information provided (including the background of the applicant and any dependents) will be verified by one or more specialized due diligence agents. Furthermore, the specific fees must have been received, and the source of all funds must have been verified.
Once all the above requirements have been satisfied and the final payments have been made, a certificate of naturalization will be issued, enabling the passport to be issued immediately thereafter.
Conditions
Moldova has developed a four-tier due diligence system, which is considered the most thorough in the world for this kind of program. All applicants must have good economic and financial reputation, free from criminal record, fraud, malpractice, financial fraud or indemnities and poses no risk to Moldova,.
All candidates before being issued passport or citizenship must meet the following requirements
- No criminal record
- Pass due diligence and background vetting checks
- Applicants who has been denied visa who has not subsequently obtained a visa to that jurisdiction shall not be accepted to the MCBI program.
E-2 Treaty Investor visa
Moldova and United States signed E-2 treaty on November 25, 1994. Moldovan citizens can apply for non-immigrant E-2 visa based on substantial investment in the US. E-2 visa is issued for maximum of two years and may be subjected to interview Form I-129 to request status to E-2 classification. .E2 visas have faster processing times compared to EB-5 and often viewed as alternative to EB-5
To qualify for E-2 classification, the treaty investor must:
- Be a national of a country with which the United States maintains a treaty of commerce and navigation
- Have invested, or be actively in the process of investing, a substantial amount of capital in a bona fide enterprise in the United States
- Be seeking to enter the United States solely to develop and direct the investment enterprise. This is established by showing at least 50% ownership of the enterprise or possession of operational control through a managerial position or other corporate device.
CBI citizens may be required to provide proof of residence or permanent resident status in Moldova to apply for E-2 visa. The visa application steps available here
Consular officers look at each application individually and consider professional, social, cultural and other factors during adjudication. Consular officers may look at your specific intentions, family situation, and your long-range plans and prospects within your country of residence.
Moldova Passport
Moldova has 46th powerful passport in the world, with visa free access to 122 countries, according to recently released Henley passport index 2018.
On 28 April 2014 Moldovan citizens were granted visa-free entry to 26 Schengen Area countries as well as Bulgaria, Croatia,Cyprus and Romania
Moldova biometric passports has visa free travel to
| Visa free | Visa required |
| Europe Russia Turkey Bahamas Qatar Ukraine Malaysia Serbia Ukraine Qatar Israel |
United Kingdom Ireland Canada United States United Arab Emirates (UAE) South Korea Japan Singapore |
Dual Citizenship
Dual citizenship is allowed by Moldova. Please check with your home country for dual citizenship regulations. Some countries like Russia, South Africa require special permission before acquiring foreign citizenship, whereas China, India does not allow dual citizenship.
About Moldova
Moldova is a landlocked country in eastern europe with a population of 3.3 million with $25 billion GDP, bordered by Ukraine and Romania. Moldova has signed the Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement with the European Union during summer 2014. Moldova has also achieved a Free Visa Regime with the EU which represents the biggest achievement of Moldovan diplomacy since independence. Moldova imports almost all of its energy supplies from Russia and Ukraine. Moldova has a well-established wine industry. The official language of Moldova is Romanian and currency is Leu. Approximately 100 Leu equals $5.8 US dollars
The name “Moldova” derives from the Moldova River; the valley of this river served as a political centre at the time of the foundation of the Principality of Moldavia in 1359. After achieving independence from the Soviet Union, Moldova’s foreign policy was designed with a view to establishing relations with other European countries, neutrality, and European Union integration. In 1995 the country was admitted to theCouncil of Europe.
Moldova is a member state of the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development, theCommonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) and aspires to join the European Union.
Moldova has a well-established commercial wine industry and imports most of oil and gas from Russia.
Moldova is also emerging investment destination, Ranked 47th out of 190 countries for Doing Business in 2019 and ranks Ranked 6th in the world and named a top destination country by estimated jobs per million inhabitants
Moldova is divided into 32 districts, has 66 cities (towns), including 13 with municipality status, and 916 communes. The largest city in Moldova is Chișinău with a population of 635,994 people.
Climate
Moldova has a climate which is moderately continental; its proximity to the Black Sea leads to the climate being mildly cold in the autumn and winter and relatively cool in the spring and summer. The summers are warm and long, with temperatures averaging about 20 °C (68 °F) and the winters are relatively mild and dry,
Taxes
Moldova has one of the most competitive tax systems in the region and has 48 operational tax treaties in place, which safeguard against double taxation with other jurisdictions.
Residents of Moldova who do not carry out entrepreneurial activity have to pay tax on income from sources located inside the country, as well as from sources located outside the country.
Real estate and wealth taxes are charged for residents of Moldova. Wealth tax is charged on taxpayer’s wealth in the form of residential real estate, including holiday cottages (except for land plots), if a) the total estimated value is EUR 1.5 million or more and b) the total area is 120 m2 or more. The wealth tax rate is 0.8% of the taxable base.
The standard VAT rate is 20%, while the reduced rate is 8%. The recent fiscal reform established a unique tax rate on the income of individuals and legal entities at the level of 12%.
