Mourning in Moldova! The writer Constantin Munteanu died at the age of 72
In the last two weeks, the new restrictions regarding the presence of cars with foreign license plates on the territory of the Republic of Moldova have been intensively discussed in the public space. Instead of three years, as it was until now, the period of being in the country was shortened to only half a year.
What happens next, you ask? The Customs Service claims that they will be forced to remove them from the Republic of Moldova and return with them only after another six months. The institution states that it has done nothing other than to harmonize the legislation with the European one. Drivers who are directly affected by these changes are angry about the restrictions and hope that the authorities will abandon them. They could clear their cars upon entering the country, but for that they will have to take thousands of euros out of their pockets.
“The three-year practice was unique for Moldova, other countries did not apply such exemptions”says the Minister of Finance, Dumitru Budianschi.
In other words, cars registered in other states will be able to be in the Republic of Moldova for no more than 180 days, although until now the term was up to 3 years for those who hold a foreign driver’s license.
The new restrictions, which already came into force on January 1, also upset the plans of Traian Stoianov, a well-known journalist from our country. The change affects him directly, because he drives a car and has a Romanian license.
“We who drive cars with foreign numbers go through a stressful life, we have to give up the cars that provide our livelihood. We operate here, in the Republic of Moldova, and we need a personal car”explains Traian Stoianov.
The young man is ready to pay a higher tax to be able to travel in the Republic of Moldova: “Maybe a good part of us would accept an increase in the vignette tax, we could understand, but the fact that we are forced to leave the country with everything in our car is dramatic.”
Asked about the possibility of customs clearance of the car, in order to register it in the Republic of Moldova, Traian told us that the rates are extremely high.
“The thing with the devament is total madness. If my car has a price of 3,000 euros in Romania, to maintain it costs me about 7,000 euros, that’s nonsense. It would be a welcome initiative not to let us register them in the Republic of Moldova, but brothers, spare us from these huge taxes, because not every person allows it”emphasizes the journalist.
“We are at the Leușeni border crossing point. From January 1 until now, approximately 20,000 cars with foreign license plates have entered the Republic of Moldova. It remains to be seen how many will leave the territory of the country when the term of 180 days after entering the country is fulfilled”.
However, foreign citizens who have a temporary residence permit in the Republic of Moldova can travel for more than half a year. But with one condition: to obtain provisional registration numbers.
“Romanian citizens with a residence permit can apply to the customs authority to be issued the TV 26 form, which allows them to obtain provisional numbers, during the period of validity of the residence permit. Citizens of the Republic of Moldova who have dual citizenship cannot benefit from this possibility, which is only available to citizens with foreign citizenship. They can only stay for 180 days (6 months) in the period of 12 consecutive months”the head of the Customs Destinations section of the Customs Service, Valeriu Cozîrev, told us.
“- So, for them, the solution is either to take the car out of the country, or to pay customs duties? – Exactly!”
The Customs Service states that it did nothing other than to implement a convention, ratified by the Republic of Moldova back in 2008.
Over the years, the legislation on temporary admission of motor vehicles has undergone a lot of changes. There were years when foreign cars could only drive for six or even three months, but the extension of the period up to 3 years was made in 2014 and was in force until recently.
“Until 2010, foreign means of transport could enter the Republic of Moldova temporarily, only on the condition of paying a pledge. Since 2010, this norm has been canceled and this regime has been liberalized and today we have what we have, over a hundred thousand means of transport that have violated the term of temporary admission.
I want to tell you that a good part of these cars were sent to auto parts, they were sold on the territory of Moldova, they do not pay the full vignette. We have a statistic and out of 10 means of transport with foreign numbers, only one pays the full vignette, i.e. 180 euros and 180 euros, which damages the state budget”mentions Cozîrev.
“It is a decision that brings the legislative framework to the standard formula. We, citizens of the Republic of Moldova, who come with a car registered in another country, can stay on the territory of Moldova for 180 days. There was or derogation from this law for those who have a permit in another country, that they could drive for 3 years. We brought this norm for everyone under the same conditions, 180 days”Minister Dumitru Budianschi pointed out.
Those who will not comply with the new provisions risk sanctions. The legislation provides for fines of up to 4500 lei, with the obligation to remove the means of transport from the territory of the country, within 30 days of communication of the report of the establishment of the facts. If they do not comply, they no longer have the right to introduce other means of transport into the territory of the Republic of Moldova.
Citizens’ opinions are divided. Some are disturbed by these legislative changes, while there are others that everything was done well.
“I can’t stay now, it was on for 3 years before, now I have to take it out after half a year, it’s not real. The way it was before was better, you see that here it is still expensive”.
“I know, but what’s my business? It’s very bad, they should allow them to continue, with 70 percent reduced”.
“I don’t like it, we have to find a solution, I think it should be solved somehow. I think they will negotiate something, because the citizens cannot take them out of Moldova, they have no money. Many are already thinking how to do it, where to abandon it, in the neighboring part, where?”.
On the other hand, car expert Constantin Mihalache knows that this law is pointless, at least at the moment.
“If we had been in the period when there were many cars with Bulgarian or Lithuanian license plates in the Republic of Moldova, I would have understood, but now, apart from the cars registered in Romania or maybe in other European countries, which belong to Moldovans who live or work there, I see no other reason. It is aimed at those who came by car from Romania and stayed for a longer period of time in the Republic of Moldova”says the car expert.
He anticipates a wave of discontent in society after the approval of this law:
“People are not going to like this, at least those who own such cars, I don’t really see this thing having a very big effect. To bring a lot of money to the budget because the owners or having to clear their cars in Moldova, I really don’t see it”.
As for a possible decrease in customs duties for the import of cars…: “I don’t think that at the moment anyone will want to lower the customs duty, because if you lower it, you lower it for everyone. Respectively, then there will be budget losses. Guaranteed, no one will want to lower the customs duty”.
Moreover, some drivers, targeted by new changes, are threatening protests.
A report by Constantin Niculae
Imagine Vlad Glinjan, edited by Constantin Niculae