Moldova Citizenship by Investment (Repealed)

What the program offered

Moldova’s citizenship by investment program was based on Government Decision no. 786 of 4 October 2017 on the acquisition of citizenship through investment, and opened to applicants in November 2018. The Public Services Agency ran it, with a consortium of Henley & Partners and Moldovan Investment Company as the government’s service provider.

The headline route was a non-refundable contribution to the state’s Public Investment Fund (the Sustainable Development Fund of Moldova):

• €100,000 for the main applicant;
• €15,000 for each additional eligible family member (spouse, children and parents) – for example €115,000 for a couple or €145,000 for a family of four.

Applicants had to show a good economic and financial reputation and pass the program’s file verification and due diligence checks.

Why it was repealed

The scheme never gained momentum. The government had hoped to raise up to €1.3 billion, but by January 2020 only 20 investors and 32 family members had received citizenship. After the 2019 change of government, parliament froze new applications with a moratorium, which was extended until 1 September 2020. The EU made the second tranche of its €100 million macro-financial assistance conditional on, among other terms, repealing the scheme. Parliament repealed the citizenship by investment provisions in June 2020, and the repeal took effect on 1 September 2020. Applications already filed were allowed to finish processing.

Can I still apply for Moldovan citizenship by investment?

No. Since 1 September 2020 Moldova has had no investment route to citizenship and accepts no new applications.

Sources

• Ministry of Economic Development of Moldova (archived) – Moldova Citizenship by Investment Program
• GLOBALCIT – Moldova repeals its short-lived but controversial citizenship by investment scheme
• Best Citizenships – Moldova citizenship by investment (MCBI)