Stricter rules for getting Moldova's citizenship, to exclude risks to state's security

Chisinau, 14 June /MOLDPRES/ - Foreigners will get Moldova’s citizens with more difficulty. Stricter rules have been included in the legislation, which will make the procedure of recognition of the citizenship safer. The amendments were made, in order to exclude vulnerabilities and risks to the state’s security. The parliament adopted a draft law to this effect in the second reading.      

The draft’s author is an MP of the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS), Igor Chiriac. He reasoned that the amendments ‘’are necessary in the context of the risks triggered by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.’’ More exactly, in the last two years, an increase in the number of people applying for Moldova’s citizens has been recorded; 70 per cent of the applications belong to people from Russia and 20 per cent – from Ukraine. Moreover, the authorities identified also numerous attempts of getting the Moldovan citizenship by fraud, based on documents of unknown origin, submitted by applicants.   

To prevent this, lawmaker Igor Chiriac proposed a string of amendments to the Law on Moldova’s citizenship. Thus, not all people born and who reside on the territory of Moldova, who do not hold the citizenship of other states and demand the recognition of the Moldovan citizenship, will receive it. The exception regard the people who, on the period of the application’s examination, serve or have to serve a punishment in prison under court ruling, have unextinguished criminal records or under criminal prosecution. The applications submitted by these people will be turned down, as well as the applications on the establishment of the affiliation with Moldova’s citizenship or on recognition as Moldovan citizens which will contain fake information or will hide pertinent data. In the context, the lawmakers suggest the introduction of the compulsoriness of coordinating these applications with the Intelligence and Security Service.       

MP Igor Chiriac also proposed to extend the term of consideration of the applications by another six months.

The legislative amendments will enter into force on the date of their publication in the Official Journal and the applications which are going to be settled will be considered in accordance with the new regulations made.