International Driving Permit in Moldova

🗓 Facts checked against the best available secondary sources for Moldova; we could not independently verify the underlying road-traffic law. Research last updated: 29 July 2026. You may copy this information only if you provide a link back to this page.

⚠ This page is general information about driving rules, not legal advice. Rules change, and each authority applies its own — confirm your case with the relevant authority before you drive.

ℹ We are a private company. We are not a government body, a licensing or issuing authority, or a treaty organisation, and we are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting for any of them. The International Driver's Document we sell is a translation of your national driving licence: it is not a driving licence, and it is not a government-issued document.

• Driving in Moldova: key facts
• Do you need an International Driving Permit in Moldova?
• What side of the road does Moldova drive on?
• How long can you drive in Moldova with a foreign licence?
• Is Moldova a party to the 1949 or 1968 Road Traffic Convention?
• Why acceptance of your licence varies from place to place
• Can you drive in Moldova with your country's licence?
• Where to get an International Driving Permit
• Moving to Moldova? Rules for new residents
• Driving rules in Moldova tourists get fined for
• Read more about driving in Moldova
• Sources

Driving in Moldova: key facts

Do you need an International Driving Permit in Moldova?

Moldova acceded to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic on 26 May 1993 and is not a party to the 1949 Geneva Convention (UN Treaty Collection). A foreign national driving licence that conforms to the 1968 Convention is therefore the operative document, and an International Driving Permit is not a general legal requirement for visitors: the UK Foreign Office states plainly that a UK photocard licence can be used to drive in Moldova. Where an IDP is carried it should be the 1968 Vienna model — the Public Services Agency itself issues only the 1968-model permit ('Convenția asupra circulației rutiere, încheiată la Viena la 08.11.1968'). A 1949 Geneva IDP has no treaty basis in Moldova, so drivers from 1949-only states (for example the United States of America, Japan or Australia) rely on Moldova's discretionary acceptance rather than on a treaty obligation, and a 1968 IDP or a certified Romanian translation is the prudent belt-and-braces route for them. An IDP is never valid on its own: ASP states it is 'valabil pentru conducerea vehiculelor în trafic internațional numai în cazul deţinerii permisului de conducere național'.

• Tourists and short-term visitors: carry your national licence together with the document named in the row for your country of issue, in the table below — for most non-exempt licences that is an IDP.
• Car renters: Carry the original national licence (an IDP alone is never enough), passport, evidence of lawful entry/stay, the vehicle registration document, compulsory third-party insurance valid in Moldova, and the rental agreement if the car is hired. Declare a foreign-registered vehicle to customs on entry.

No specific penalty for driving without the required document was verified from an authoritative source. Official source.

What side of the road does Moldova drive on?

Moldova drives on the right-hand side of the road, and overtaking is done on the left. Cars in Moldova are left-hand drive.

How long can you drive in Moldova with a foreign licence?

A qualifying foreign national driving licence may be used for the duration of a lawful temporary stay, for as long as the licence itself remains valid. No shorter universal tourist cut-off (30/90/180 days) was found in any retrievable official Moldovan source, and none is imposed by the 1968 Convention. Separately — and this concerns the car, not the licence — a foreign-registered vehicle must be declared to customs on entry and may stay without import taxes for up to 90 days in any 365-day period (UK Foreign Office). (1968 Vienna Convention Article 41; UK FCDO Moldova travel advice; ASP driver-documentation pages (no visitor cut-off stated))

Planning to move to Moldova? Different rules apply once you become a resident — see the residents section below.

Is Moldova a party to the 1949 or 1968 Road Traffic Convention?

Moldova is a Contracting Party to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, but not to the 1949 Geneva Convention.

• 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic: accession on 26 May 1993.

Why acceptance of your licence varies from place to place

Whether a foreign country accepts your driving licence hangs on a tangle of variables: three different road-traffic conventions signed decades apart (1926, 1949, 1968) — the oldest predates the United Nations itself, and only the latter two were concluded under it — countries at different stages of joining each (signed vs. accepted vs. ratified), licences printed in alphabets local police can't read, vehicle-category systems that don't line up between countries, document generations that may not meet a convention's format even when the country is a member, bilateral deals between individual states, and local laws that are looser in one place and stricter in the next. The same licence can be fine at one border and rejected at the next — even at the next rental desk. The International Driving Permit exists to cut through most of it: a standardized, multilingual presentation of your existing licence, with harmonized category symbols, that most officials can read at a glance. It doesn't replace your national licence or grant new rights — you carry both — and it doesn't guarantee acceptance: a handful of destinations still require a local permit alongside or instead of it, but for most it meaningfully improves your odds.

Can you drive in Moldova with your country's licence?

This table is for tourists and temporary visitors. Moving to Moldova as a resident? Different rules apply — see the residents section below. Find your licence's country of issue below. Moldova is a 1968 Vienna Convention state (acceded 1993) and is not a party to the 1949 Geneva Convention. A visitor's own valid national driving licence is normally sufficient — the UK Foreign Office confirms a UK photocard licence can be used as-is — and an International Driving Permit is not a general legal requirement. Where a licence is not Convention-compliant or not readily readable, the 1968-model IDP (the only model Moldova itself issues) or a certified Romanian translation is the fallback, and it is always carried alongside the national licence, never instead of it. Drivers from 1949-only countries have no treaty guarantee here and should carry the extra document. Residence is a separate question: residents move to the Public Services Agency exchange or examination route. Rules change — confirm with official sources before you travel. Last verified: July 2026.

Legend: "1949" — Geneva Convention on Road Traffic (IDP valid up to 1 year); "1968" — Vienna Convention (IDP valid up to 3 years).

What the Status column means on this page:

• Treaty recognises licence + IDP — advised — the 1968 Vienna Convention obliges this destination to recognise a national licence conforming to Annex 6 of that Convention, and separately an IDP presented together with the national licence it belongs to; this row does not record whether your own licence conforms to Annex 6, and the licence-and-IDP pair is recognised either way, so carrying both is advised. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, gives the basis.
• No convention basis established for your licence — IDP advised — no road-traffic convention basis for your licence could be established at this destination, so this row settles neither that the licence alone is enough nor that anything must be carried with it; carrying an IDP is advised as a practical translation of your licence rather than as a legal entitlement. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, says what could not be established.
• Not established — the record does not settle whether you may drive here on this licence; confirm with the destination's licensing authority before you rely on it. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, says what could not be confirmed.

Sources and notes for the table above

[1] UN Treaty Collection, Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the Secretary-General — status of the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic (chapter XI-B-1) and of the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (chapter XI-B-19) — XI-B-1, XI-B-19

Where to get an International Driving Permit

An International Driving Permit must be obtained before you travel, and only certain countries may issue one to you — you cannot buy an official IDP from an unrelated country. Under the 1968 Vienna Convention it may be issued only by the Contracting Party where you normally reside and which issued or recognizes your licence — by that Party's competent authority or by an association it has duly empowered. Under the 1949 Geneva Convention it is issued by the competent authority of a Contracting State, or by an association that authority has duly empowered. Which body that is varies by country: a government agency in some, an authorized motoring club in others.

• Travelling from Moldova? Moldova's official IDPs are issued by Public Services Agency (ASP) — applications are accepted online. Official site.
• Travelling from another country? Ask that country's driving-licence authority which body it authorizes to issue IDPs — a government agency in some countries, an authorized motoring club in others.

Separately, IDA offers a digital International Driver's Document — a translation of your national licence that you carry alongside it. It is not an International Driving Permit issued under the 1949 or 1968 conventions by the body your country authorizes for that purpose, and it is not a certified, sworn or otherwise official translation: no authority certifies it, and where a country requires an official or certified translation by law, our document does not satisfy that requirement. It is a private translation meant to make your national licence readable at rental desks and roadside checks.

Moving to Moldova? Rules for new residents

Residence changes the position. A resident should exchange for, or sit the exam for, a Moldovan licence rather than relying indefinitely on the visitor position. Note that this is a residence clock and an exchange question — it is not a limit on tourists. Official source.

Driving rules in Moldova tourists get fined for

• Mandatory equipment: Seat belts are compulsory. A warning triangle, first-aid kit and fire extinguisher are the standard required set in Moldovan-registered vehicles; a reflective vest and seasonally appropriate tyres are strongly advisable. Rental cars are normally supplied equipped — confirm at pick-up. The exact statutory equipment list was not verified.
• Drink-driving: The threshold for an alcohol offence is low — the minimum degree of intoxication starts around 0.3 g/L of alcohol in blood (0.03 g/dl). The UK Foreign Office describes it as roughly a third of the England and Wales limit. Treat zero alcohol as the only safe rule; professional drivers are stricter still. Drink-driving is a serious offence: fines, disqualification and, at higher levels or with aggravating facts, criminal liability. The Contravention Code also provides contraventional arrest of 15 days for driving with no licence while intoxicated. Exact figures were not verified against the current consolidated code.
• Speed limits: Commonly cited: 50 km/h in built-up areas, 90 km/h outside them, up to 110 km/h on designated high-speed roads. Signs govern. Not verified against the current Regulamentul circulaţiei rutiere.
• Carry the original national licence (an IDP alone is never enough), passport, evidence of lawful entry/stay, the vehicle registration document, compulsory third-party insurance valid in Moldova, and the rental agreement if the car is hired. Declare a foreign-registered vehicle to customs on entry.
• Traffic keeps right. Posted signs govern. Commonly cited defaults are 50 km/h in built-up areas, 90 km/h outside them and up to 110 km/h on designated high-speed roads.
• Driving standards are poor and road quality is variable; there are many collisions, including fatal ones. Avoid driving outside urban areas where possible, particularly at night.
• Plan carefully before any route toward the Transnistrian region. There is no official border but the de facto authorities operate control points and require a migration card; document, insurance and assistance conditions there can differ from the rest of Moldova, and the UK FCDO advises against all travel to Transnistria.

Read more about driving in Moldova

• 10 Interesting Facts About Moldova
• Best places to visit in Moldova
• What is Moldova Famous For?

Watch what driving in Moldova looks like

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Sources

1. National road-traffic law
2. 1968 Vienna Convention Article 41; UK FCDO Moldova travel advice; ASP driver-documentation pages (no visitor cut-off stated)
3. Resident licence conversion rule
4. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, status list (Republic of Moldova: 26 May 1993, accession)
5. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic, status list (Republic of Moldova not listed)
6. Moldova Public Services Agency — driver-documentation services index
7. ASP FAQ 'Unde se face permisul European?' — the international permit follows the Vienna Convention of 08.11.1968 and is valid only together with the national licence
8. Public Services Agency (ASP) — authorized IDP issuer in Moldova
9. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
10. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic