Granting international protection
International protection refers to the protection of persons holding refugee status or humanitarian protection status.
Refugee status shall be granted, upon application, to an alien who, owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his lawful and ordinary residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return.
Humanitarian protection shall be granted to an alien who does not qualify for refugee status but in respect of whom there are serious and substantial grounds for believing that, if returned to his or her country of origin, he or she would face a real risk of suffering serious harm and is unable or, owing to such risk, unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of that country.
Process description
Applications for asylum shall be submitted at following institutions/offices:
- The One-stop-shop for the Documentation of Foreigners of the CENTRAL Regional
Directorate of the GIM: Chisinau Municipality, 41 Lev Tolstoi St.
- The One-stop-shop for the Documentation of Foreigners of the NORTH Regional
Directorate of the GIM: Balti Municipality, 9 Moscovei St.
- The One-stop-shop for the Documentation of Foreigners of the SOUTH Regional Directorate of the GIM: Comrat Municipality, 22 Comsomolului St.
- The One-stop-shop for the Documentation of Foreigners of the SOUTH Regional Directorate of the GIM: Cahul Municipality, 79 Ioan Voda cel Cumplit St.
- Border Police
- Law enforcement bodies
- institutions subordinated to the National Administration of Penitentiaries or provisional detention subdivisions of law enforcement bodies.
The application is examined by the IGM specialist.
In order to establish the conditions for granting a form of protection provided for by the
legislation in force in the Republic of Moldova, before a decision on the asylum application is taken, the asylum seeker shall be given the opportunity to be interviewed on his/her application. He/she is obliged to tell the truth and to provide all the elements, evidence in relation to his/her statements concerning the reasons for his/her fear.
The interview is conducted as soon as possible, but no later than 21 days after the date of the application. If further investigation of information from the country of origin and other relevant circumstances relating to the asylum application is necessary, the deadline may be extended by 21 days.
The decision on the asylum application is communicated to the applicant in writing,
by direct communication or by post to his/her last declared address.
