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How to get a work permit in Moldova

In Moldova the employer applies for your right to work, before you travel. You cannot get it on your own, and you never need to pay anyone for a job offer.

Based on the Law on labour migration no. 180/2008 as amended by Law no. 165/2017. Checked October 2026. Rules change — always confirm with IGM.

Who works in Moldova from abroad

According to the General Inspectorate for Migration, 6,167 foreign citizens worked in Moldova in 2025, over 30% more than a year earlier. Most come from Nepal, India and Bangladesh and work in construction, agriculture, manufacturing, transport and catering, mainly in Chișinău, Bălți and Cahul (IPN).

Step by step

  1. 1A Moldovan employer offers you a jobEverything starts with a real employer registered in Moldova. The employer first advertises the job locally: the National Employment Agency (ANOFM) checks whether a local candidate can fill it.
  2. 2The employer applies — before you travelThe employer (not you) files the documents at the Single Window for Foreigners' Documentation of the General Inspectorate for Migration (IGM), before you arrive in Moldova. Documents are filed in Romanian or in a certified translation.
  3. 3Two decisionsANOFM decides on your right to work — within 10 calendar days if no matching local candidate is found. IGM decides on your temporary residence for work within 25 calendar days of filing.
  4. 4Invitation and visaThese decisions are the basis for the invitation and, if your country needs a visa for Moldova, the long-stay D visa for employment.
  5. 5Residence permit after you arriveIn Moldova you apply for the temporary residence permit for work. IGM issues it within 7 calendar days; you pay the fee for the ID document.
  6. 6Valid up to one year, renewableThe right to work and the residence permit are granted for up to one year. To extend, the employer files at least 25 calendar days before the permit expires. Until it expires you may move to another employer under the same rules.

Minimum salary

The monthly salary in your contract may not be lower than the average monthly salary in the economy forecast for that year. For 2026 the forecast is 17,400 lei a month. For highly qualified workers the minimum is five times that amount (Law 180/2008). An offer far below this is a warning sign.

Documents the employer files

  • a copy of the job advertisement published in the press and the job vacancy offer;
  • the employer's application for your right to work and temporary residence for work;
  • a draft employment contract stating your monthly salary;
  • a copy of your national passport;
  • a copy of your diploma or another document confirming your qualification (education and health jobs also need approval from Moldovan authorities);
  • your criminal record certificate or an equivalent document;
  • proof of local or international health insurance covering Moldova;
  • a declaration that you will have housing in Moldova.

Some categories do not need the right to work, for example highly qualified workers, managers and occupations on the list of priority occupations — but they still need temporary residence for work (Law 165/2017).

Avoid these scams

  • Someone asks you to pay for a "guaranteed job", a "work visa" or a "work permit". The employer applies; you do not buy a job.
  • An "agency" will not tell you the employer's name, or the company cannot be found. Ask for the company name and check it.
  • You are told to come on a tourist visa and "sort out the papers later". Working without the right to work is illegal.
  • Someone wants to keep your passport. Your passport stays with you.
  • The contract is in a language you do not understand, or the salary in it differs from what you were promised.

Official sources

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