Other State Department Archive Sites

The State Department web site below is a permanent electronic archive of information released online from January 1, 1997 to January 20, 2001. Please see www.state.gov for current material from the Department of State. Or visit http://2001-2009.state.gov for information from that period. Archive sites are not updated, so external links may no longer function. Contact us with any questions about finding information. NOTE: External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views contained therein.

Country Commercial Guides FY 2000: Moldova Report prepared by U.S. Embassy Chisinau, released July 1999 Note*

Chapter VI: Trade Regulations, Customs, And Standards

A. General

The most important trade regulations are listed in these laws:

-- "On The Regulation Of Import And Export Of Goods And Services" n. 188-xii (07/26/90);
-- "On The Bases Of Foreign Economic Activities In the Republic Of Moldova" n. 849-xii (01/03/92);
--"On The Customs Tariff" n. 1380-xiii (11/20/97);
-- "On The Regulation Of Repatriation Of Money Resources, Goods, Works And Services Proceeding From Foreign Economic Transactions" n. 1466-xiii (01/29/98); and
-- The 1999 budget law n. 216-xiv (12/12/98).

In addition, there are a number of government resolutions such as "On The Performance Of The Production Certification In The Republic Of Moldova" n.414 from 06/13/94, which establishes the list of imported goods requiring certificates of conformity; and "On The Improvement Of The Foreign Trade Regulating Mechanism" n. 777 from 09/13/97, which further liberalized the import and export of goods.

B. Customs Regulations, Taxes And Tariffs

1. Customs Regulations

In 1998, the Customs Control Department made significant changes in the customs regulations to fight customs evasions. At present, an importer has to present 11 documents at any Moldovan border crossing point. The documents are: a supplier's price bid; an invoice; a sale/purchase contract; transportation documents (with seals of the exporting country and of transit countries); a commodity insurance contract and insurance policy; data on the importer's accounting; a hard-currency payment order from a bank; a statement of the hard-currency account that was used to pay for the goods; a document proving the goods' acceptance; a contract for the goods sale on the domestic market; and a document for receiving hard currency though an exchange at the hard-currency market.

Also in 1998, the Moldovan government enacted a strict resolution to control customs costs of some imported goods. This supplement to the customs regulations indicates the normative prices of a variety of imported goods. If the price of a commodity claimed by the importer is below the listed amounts, the importer will have to provide additional information to prove the price claimed.

The import of vodka, liqueurs and other alcohol drinks; grape, fruit and berry wines; sparkling wines; divines (cognacs); and tobacco products is allowed by customs and fiscal bodies if they were marked with control marks during their production process. These goods can be imported without these marks by individuals in the amounts established in the 1999 budget law. Control marks for imported goods are sold by the customs control department.

2. Customs Tariffs

The customs tariffs for imported goods are applied according to the 1999 budget law. Only part of the total imports are subject to customs tariffs. For all other items, a tax of .25 percent of the customs value of imported or exported goods is applied. Imported goods are also subject to a special tax of 5 percent of their customs cost, regardless of their place of origin.

Exemptions: customs tariffs are applied to all goods imported from all countries with the exception of the former USSR republics and Romania. Customs tariffs are also not levied on commodities produced and imported from member states of the European Community, countries which ratified the agreement concerning the creation of a free trade zone, or with which Moldova signed interstate bilateral agreements regarding free trade.

In addition, these categories are also exempt from customs taxes and customs procedure fees: materials needed for statutory activity, granted by the Council of Europe; goods and services imported on the basis of credits and grants offered by the Government Of The Republic Of Moldova; commodities granted with a state guarantee; and commodities on the basis of loans offered by international financial organizations for implementation of certain projects.

Equipment granted by the international Olympic committee for training the national Olympic team is exempt from customs fees, as well as goods imported for use by the American company "Redeco Ltd.", according to a concession agreement signed between the company and the Moldovan government.

Customs taxes are not levied on coal fuel oil, well gas and other gaseous hydrocarbons, or electric energy.

C. Excise Taxes

Excises were first introduced in 1992. At present, there are about 60 kinds of goods divided into 14 larger categories subject to excises. Excises are applied for goods consumed in Moldova, both produced locally and imported. Excises are also not applied for wines, raw material, and tobacco, if they are imported by economic agents which hold a license to perform these activities.

D. Value Added Tax (VAT)

In July 1998, a new VAT system was introduced in Moldova. According to the Moldovan fiscal code, goods and services imported in Moldova are subject to a value-added tax, which is 20 percent of the customs value of the goods.

Exceptions: goods for personal use or marketing purposes imported in limited amounts, and goods and services produced and exported by economic agents from Moldova are not subject to the VAT. Also exempt from the VAT are glass containers for the production of wine and canned goods; alcohol and cane sugar which has been imported for processing purposes; goods imported and marketed in the duty-free stores; or goods that transit through the customs territory of the country.

The following goods are also exempt from the value-added tax: natural and liquid gas imported to Moldova; equipment and electric appliances, imported by producers; trucks, tractors and combines, imported to implement new technologies but not for mass production; animals and birds; protein, vitamins, and mineral additives imported by their manufacturers; raw material, material and completion articles imported by firms from blind societies; cars to be sold on the domestic market; equipment and other goods imported by the American company Redeco Ltd; and equipment for the national Olympic team.

E. Special Import/Export Requirements

1. Import Licensing

A license for import of weapons, explosive substances, nuclear materials, technologies, equipment and installations is issued by a special committee of the Moldovan government. The Ministry of Health must license the import of pharmaceutical products and related chemical substances. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food licenses the import of poisons, chemical and biological products for plants, and the instruments and apparatus for veterinary medicine. The Ministry Of Finance must license the import of precious metals (silver, gold) and products thereof; alloys; semi-finished products which contain precious metals (except electronic products which contain precious metals); petrol and diesel oil; as well as for the import of alcoholic beverages and tobacco products. The Ministry of Economy and Reforms must license the imports of textiles.

2. Export Certification

U.S. companies desiring to export to Moldova must be sure that Moldovan certification requirements are met before shipping goods. Under Moldovan law, a wide range of goods and services -- including all kinds of food and food byproducts, food-processing and packaging equipment and materials, alcoholic and other beverages, tobacco, wood products, and various types of clothing -- must be certified before they can be imported into Moldova. The Moldovan department of standards and technical supervision (Moldstandart) issues certificates of conformity to Moldovan standards using procedures recommended by the international certification organization.

Goods with International Product Certification:

If a product already has international product certification, the certification process in Moldova starts with submission of an official application form along with other documentation regarding the product's international certification. No later than one month from the time of the initial application, a foreign company applying for Moldovan product certification should receive a response on the validity of its product's international certification in Moldova.

The following documents should be submitted along with the application form: a notarized copy of the foreign certificate; legal documentation relating to the certification; if relevant, a copy of the record of a previous certification examination; and if relevant, a graphic illustration of the product's certification sticker. Documents required for certification should be prepared in Moldovan. English-language documents should have a notarized translation into Moldovan.

Goods without International Product Certification:

If goods arrive in Moldova without international certification, the importer must pay deposit fees to the Moldovan customs office, and the goods cannot enter the country. If goods do arrive without a certificate, the imported products must be held at a Moldovan customs warehouse, where they must remain until a certificate of conformity is presented to customs officials. Storage is expensive and requires additional documentation, such as a security certificate.

Moldstandart supervises several certification agencies that conduct certification analyses on a fee-for-service basis. Required application forms are provided by the entity that will ultimately issue the certificate. After the fee has been paid, the certification body provides the company with all forms necessary for the certification process.

Hygienic Certification:

In some cases products must undergo a hygienic examination before a certificate of conformity can be issued. A certificate of hygiene is obligatory for foodstuffs and related raw materials, various products for children, water-supply equipment and materials, and other products. A certificate of hygiene must be issued by the state sanitary inspectorate before the product is imported into Moldova. It can be granted either on the basis of an international certificate of hygiene already issued or on the result of local examination. The certificate will usually be issued 15 days from the date the relevant information is submitted. In the case of complicated laboratory examinations, issuance should occur after no more than a month.

GSP: the republic of Moldova benefits from the generalized system of preferences (GSP), granted by the member states of the European union, Japan, Canada, and the USA. The ministry of economy and reforms issues certificates of origin for the export of goods that benefit from the GSP.

F. Free Trade Zones

The Investment Climate Statement prepared by the Embassy discusses the free trade zones located in Moldova and their activity.