A white church and bell tower tucked beneath a huge limestone overhang above wooded slopes
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Moldova by campervan

Moldova is a quiet detour rather than a destination, and the reason to make it is underground. Two wine cellars near Chișinău are world class, one of them holding the largest wine collection in the world. Practically it is simple: the leu rather than the euro, a vignette from 4 euros that every foreign vehicle has to buy, and a green card that needs to say MD on it.

Published 18 September 2026Last checked 19 September 2026

Basics

Basics

Three things happen at the Moldovan border and none of them is difficult. You show a passport valid for at least three months beyond your departure with a blank page in it, and you get up to 90 days in any six months visa-free. You declare the vehicle to customs, which lets you bring it in without import taxes for up to 90 days in a 365 day period. And you buy a vignette, the road-use charge every vehicle not registered in Moldova has to pay, which starts at 4 euros for seven days.

A blue tractor parked by weathered barns along an unpaved village lane in late winter
Most of Moldova looks like this. It is a quiet country to drive through

What the border wants to see

  • Passport, valid at least three months beyond the date you plan to leave, with at least one blank page.
  • A return or onward ticket. UK government advice says you must be able to show one.

Power, water and getting online

  • 230V, 50Hz, type F sockets. The same round two-pin plug as most of the continent.
  • Do not drink the tap water. UK health advice for Moldova is bottled or boiled water only, which is a real planning constraint in a van.

Transnistria is a separate matter and UK government advice is against all travel there. There is no official border with the rest of Moldova, but there are control points run by the de facto Transnistrian leadership. Passports are checked and not stamped, you fill in two copies of a migration card and keep one for the way out, and they may ask your purpose and where you are staying, and may refuse entry. The currency there is the Transnistrian rouble, cash machines in Transnistrian banks do not take other banks' cards, and it cannot be exchanged outside. All crossings between Transnistria and Ukraine are temporarily closed. Route around it and the question does not arise.

Common questions about Moldova by campervan

Do I need a vignette to drive in Moldova?

Yes. The vignette is a road-use charge under the Moldovan Tax Code on every vehicle not registered in Moldova and on trailers attached to them, payable whether you are visiting or transiting. A car or motorhome under tariff heading 8703 pays 4 euros for 7 days, 8 for 15 days, 16 for 30 days, 45 for 90 days and 85 for 180 days. A van registered as a goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes pays 20 euros for 7 days instead. You must carry the confirmation for the whole time you are in the country.

What happens if I drive in Moldova without a vignette?

The Tax Code says a report is drawn up, a penalty is applied under the Contravention Code, and the Border Police will not allow the vehicle to leave the country until the vignette for the entire period of the stay and the fine have been paid. In other words it is not something you can shrug off at the exit.

Does a European green card cover Moldova?

Moldova is a member of the Green Card system, so a green card that lists MD is valid there. It is not part of the plate-only arrangement that operates inside the EU, so the registration plate alone is not treated as proof. The Moldovan Border Police lists international insurance documents valid for Moldova among the originals a driver must present at the crossing, so check that MD is not struck through before you travel.

Can you sleep in a campervan in Moldova?

In practice yes, and mostly by arrangement. Moldova has almost no campsites and no service point network, and the usual way to spend a night in a vehicle is to ask at a winery, a guesthouse or a village household. We could not reach Moldova's official legal portal to establish what the Forest Code and the protected areas law say about camping, so this guide does not state a rule either way.