On June 14, 2024, the Parliament of Moldova (a state in Europe that is not part of the EU) voted in the second reading for amendments providing for stricter rules for obtaining citizenship. Now, not all individuals who apply for citizenship of Moldova will receive it. Namely, they will refuse applicants who, during the period of consideration of the application, are serving or are about to serve a criminal sentence, who are in custody by a court verdict, who have an outstanding criminal record, or who are involved in criminal cases.
Applications for establishing citizenship of Moldova or recognition as a citizen containing false information will also be rejected. All applications will be carefully checked and coordinated with the Information and Security Service of the Republic of Moldova. The period for consideration of applications has been increased from 20 days to 6 months.
Corruption scandal
The adopted amendments took place against the backdrop of another “passport” scandal in Moldova. On June 3, 2024, the National Anti-Corruption Center of the Republic of Moldova reported that searches were carried out in the case of the illegal issuance of Moldovan citizenship to foreigners.
From 2022 to 2024, a group of individuals, acting in collusion with government officials, helped foreigners obtain citizenship of Moldova by recognizing that at least one of their parents or grandparents was born in Moldova. The scheme worked as follows: foreigners personally or through proxies received extracts from the birth certificates of citizens born in Moldova who had the same surnames as their imaginary relatives.
In total, according to the Moldovan authorities, between 2022 and the spring of 2024, 4,317 people requested citizenship. Of these, 2,577 applications were accepted, 210 were rejected, and the rest are under consideration or suspended pending responses from the authorities.
Can’t say how many times we have been offered these programs and how many times we have had to talk clients out of paying for these programs!” – says Nuri Katz, Founder and President of Apex Capital Partners.
Any citizenship obtained on the basis of false information may be revoked at any time. Even if you manage to obtain the documents, they will not be legal, and obtaining them will involve violating the current legislation of a number of countries. This is a criminal offense, which, in addition to colossal fines, can lead to very real imprisonment.
I can say that we are approached with a large number of requests for obtaining citizenship of Moldova. Not just now, but all the time. However, about 20% of clients ultimately decide to apply for Caribbean citizenship or Vanuatu citizenship” – says Nuri Katz, Founder and President of Apex Capital Partners.
Apex Capital Partners urges its clients not to use dubious methods of obtaining citizenship. If you cannot afford an official second citizenship, then it is better to consider residence permit programs. Contact APEX specialists for advice.
