This information may change. Always check the official source.Last verified: August 2026 by Ondřej Kadlec
Driving in Moldova: the three basics
Drives on the
right
The driver sits on the left and overtakes on the left. Roundabouts turn anticlockwise.
Your licence
Licence plus an IDP
Your own licence works with an International Driving Permit beside it. Get the permit at home before you fly - no country issues one for another country's licence.
Motorways
Vignette
Motorways are paid for with a time-based vignette bought before you join one, not at a barrier. Driving a motorway without it is a fine, and the check is usually automatic.
A vignette is required for foreign-registered cars and is bought online or at the border.
Moldova charges foreign cars a vignette, and the Transnistria crossing has its own rules.
A vignette for foreign-registered cars, and a breakaway region with a separate set of formalities.
The vignette is required for foreign cars and is bought online or at the border; it is checked on exit as well as on entry.
Transnistria operates its own checks. A hire car crossing into it usually breaches the rental agreement, and the registration slip issued at the entry point must be kept for the exit.
The alcohol limit is 0.3 g/l.
Rural roads are in poor condition away from the main routes, and unlit horse carts after dark are common.
Chisinau to the wine cellars at Cricova and Milestii Mici is the usual reason to have a car, and both offer transfers instead.
Comments
No comments yet. Share the first one.
Share a tip
Sign in to continue.