Admission of foreigners to educational institutions in the Republic of Moldova is carried out in accordance with the Education Code of the Republic of Moldova No 152 of 17 July 2014 and the normative acts regulating the admission procedure and the organization of the educational process at all levels of education.

Enrollment of foreigners in educational institutions in the Republic of Moldova is made with the consent of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research, except for foreigners from the signatory states of the Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region, known as the Lisbon Convention, concluded on 11.04.1997 and ratified by the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova in 1999.

Foreigners who are admitted to study in educational institutions must obtain the right of temporary residence and the temporary residence permit for study purpose under the conditions stipulated by the Law no. 200 of July 16, 2010 on the regime of foreigners in the Republic of Moldova.

The right of temporary residence for study purpose is granted and extended, as the case may be, upon the foreigner's application on the basis of a request from the educational institution, the document proving his/her enrollment in studies, confirmation of means of support and the means necessary for studies in the country, accompanied by the following documents:

1. the national passport, in original and in copy, on the basis of which the foreigner entered the territory of the Republic of Moldova
2. a copy of the long-stay visa (if the foreigner is a national of one of the states which require a visa on entry)
3. the document proving the right of ownership or use of dwelling on the territory of the Republic of Moldova;
4. the proof of medical insurance and means of subsistence;
5. the criminal record certificate or other document with the same legal value, translated and legalized/apostilled by the authorities of the state of which the foreigner is a national. If the alien has been legally resident for at least two years in a country other than the country of which he/she is a national, he/she shall present the criminal record certificate or another document having the same legal value issued by the authorities of the country of residence, translated and legalized/apostilled, as well as the document confirming the right of residence

Foreigners who have entered the Republic of Moldova to study and are scholarship holders of the Republic of Moldova are granted the right of residence and this right is extended without confirmation of means of subsistence and means necessary for the studies.

For foreigners admitted to study in public or accredited private educational institutions, the right of temporary residence is granted for the entire period of studies.

It should be noted that during their stay in the Republic of Moldova, foreigners are obliged:

1. to respect the purpose for which they have been granted the right of entry and, where appropriate, the right to stay on the territory of the country, and also to leave the territory of the Republic of Moldova upon expiration of the granted period of stay.

2. to declare to the General Inspectorate for Migration, within 15 calendar days, about:

• change of travel document on the basis of which the right of residence was obtained
• change of residence

3. to declare to the territorial police body, within 15 calendar days, about the theft or loss of the travel document and/or residence permit.

At present, 3 613 students are documented on the territory of the Republic of Moldova with valid identity documents for study purposes, out of which 437 foreigners have obtained this right since the beginning of 2024.

According to the authorities, this year the admission to study at Moldovan universities will start on July 22 and will be done online through the e-Admission platform.

Read more about the conditions and documents needed to obtain the right to study – here.