Moldova and Transnistria

Driving in Moldova

To drive in Moldova in requested the international driving licence. It is necessary to pay attention to the areas near the borders and outsides the cities. The speed limit is 40km/h in towns and 90km/h outside.You should avoid driving after dark outside Chisinau. There is little street lighting, people and animals are often on the road, and road conditions are poor.

Drive in Transnistria

The main transportationroute in Transnistria is the road Tiraspol-Dubăsari-Rîbniţa. North and south of Dubăsari it passes through the lands of the villages controlled by the central government (Doroţcaia, Cocieri, Roghi, while Vasilievca is entirely situated east of the road). Conflict erupted on several occasions when the Tiraspol authorities prevented the villagers from reaching their farmland east of the road.

As a non-Moldovan and non-Ukrainian citizen, you can get into Transnistria via bus or train or car from Moldova (namely Chişinău). If you drive to Transnistria from the Ukrainian side and then enter Moldova, you will not get a Moldovan entry stamp, and when you leave Moldova, border guards may claim that you have entered the country illegally.

When crossing the border between Moldova and Transnistria, you will be checked only by Transnistrian officials. There are also peacekeeping Russian and Ukranian soldiers who may stop and search vehicles. There is no official fee for entering Transnistria anymore. . All foreign money (including coins!) has to be declared. You also have to get a "talon" (small sheet of paper with your entry date). You need this piece of paper to get out of Transnistria again.

If you are holding a passport from a non-CIS state, you can expect delays at the border. If you speak one of the official languages of Transnistria (especially Russian), you will have a much easier time at the border as a foreign national. It is no longer necessary to register with the police: this is now done at the border for up to 24 hours.

Entrance procedure

On entering Transnistria you will need to obtain, fill out and get signed a Transnistrian ‘immigration’ entry form (a white A5 similar to the entrance form for Ukraine, written in Russian and English). This can be obtained at the border or if your lucky in your Chisinau-Tiraspol bus/marshutka. Ask the driver or fixer of the bus for a form. It is often easiest to cross the border in a (large) bus or marshutka. The driver and fixer (and to a lesser extent other passengers) have a vested interest in getting their bus (and thus you) across the border as quickly as possible. If you don’t speak Russian yourself, look forlornly at the fixer/driver/fellow passengers and if you are lucky they will point you in the correct direction or tell border guards to hurry up and help you. After passport control there will be a queue to get the form filled out for Moldovans, Ukrainians, Russians etc.

If you make it obvious you are a Westerner you will probably be dealt with separately in an office. Once your entrance form is signed (stating the time at which you must leave the country) and no one is stopping you from crossing the border barrier any more you can safely head on to Tiraspol. All you need to leave the country is the ‘departure’ half of the entrance form (It is by far the easiest to visit Transnistria for a day from Chisinau - you will be given permission to stay in the country for 10 hours). Leaving the country is ridiculously simple once you have the ‘departure’ form. When travelling back you simply hand over the form to the border guards, who will probably not even want to check your passport.

Transnistria

Transnistria, also known as Trans-Dniester, Transdniestria, and Pridnestrovie is a disputed region in the southeastern Europe. Since its declaration of independence in 1990, followed by the War of Transnistria in 1992, it is governed by the unrecognized Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR), which claims the left bank of the river Dniester and the city of Bendery within the former Moldavian SSR. The modern Republic of Moldova does not recognize the secession and considers PMR-controlled territories to be a part of Moldova's sovereign territory.

Transnistria is located mostly in a strip between the Dniester River and Ukraine. After the dissolution of the USSR, Transnistria declared independence leading to a war with Moldova that started in March 1992 and was concluded by the ceasefire of July 1992. As part of that agreement, a three-party (Russia, Moldova, PMR) Joint Control Commission supervises the security arrangements in the demilitarized zone, comprising 20 localities on both sides of the river. Although the ceasefire has held, the territory's political status remains unresolved: De jure part of Moldova, Transnistria is a de facto independent. It is organised as a presidential republic, with its own government, parliament, military, police, postal system, and currency. Its authorities have adopted a constitution, flag, national anthem, and a coat of arms.

Transnistria is sometimes compared with other post-Soviet frozen conflict zones such as Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia. The latter two since declaring their independence from Georgia after the 2008 South Ossetia war have subsequently recognised Transnistria as an independent state and plan to establish diplomatic relations in return for the recognition of themselves (see Commonwealth of Unrecognized States). It is very important to avoid getting into difficulty with the Transnistrian authorities.

The Embassy will do its best to provide Consular help where needed. But in practice this will be very limited. Anyone in trouble with the Transnistrian authorities should try to telephone the Embassy in Chisinau at an early stage.