Crossing the border by coach

The documents you need

Citizens of the Republic of Moldova travel to the European Union without a visa, on their biometric passport. The passport must:

• be valid for at least 3 months after the date you leave the Schengen area;
• have been issued in the last 10 years;
• be undamaged and unaltered: a damaged document can be refused even when leaving Moldova.

If you are also a Romanian citizen

With a Romanian passport or identity card you enter the European Union as an EU citizen: EES does not apply to you, and you will not need ETIAS. Show the same Romanian document when entering and when leaving the EU, so your days of stay are not counted wrongly.

What the border guard may ask

When you enter the European Union, the border guard may ask about the purpose of your trip, where you will stay and whether you have enough money for your stay and the journey back. They may ask to see, for example:

• the address and phone number of the person you are visiting, an invitation or an accommodation booking;
• your return ticket, if you have one (a return ticket, for example);
• cash or a bank card.

Medical insurance

Travel medical insurance is not required for visa-free travellers. We still recommend it: medical treatment abroad can be very expensive.

EES: a photo and fingerprints instead of a stamp

Since April 2026 the Entry/Exit System (EES) has been working at every external border of the European Union, including every crossing point between Moldova and Romania.

• On your first entry, the border guard takes a photo of your face and scans four fingerprints.
• On later crossings, your data is only checked.
• Children under 12 do not give fingerprints.
• Passports are no longer stamped: the system counts your days in the EU.

How long you can stay

Without a visa you can stay at most 90 days in any 180-day period. The days are counted back from each day of your stay. Check how many days you have left with the European Union's official calculator, linked in the sources below.

ETIAS: not needed yet

ETIAS is an online travel authorisation that the European Union will also require from Moldovan citizens. It is not running yet and no applications are accepted; the start date will be announced a few months in advance. Once it starts, it will cost €20 and be valid for up to 3 years or until your passport expires.

Beware of websites that “sell” ETIAS now. When it starts, apply only on the European Union's official website.

Checks on the way

Romania has been part of the Schengen area since 2025, so there are no routine checks at the border with Hungary. However, Austria has extended its temporary checks at the border with Hungary until 15 March 2027, and the police can check documents anywhere along the way.

So keep your passport on you, not in the hold, from departure to your destination.