Guidance

Moldova: Knowledge Base profile

Published 9 July 2025

About: Moldova

This document contains useful information about Moldova which will assist His Majesty’s Passport Office staff to process passport applications.

Contacts

If you have any questions about the document and your line manager or senior caseworker cannot help you or you think that the document has factual errors then email the Guidance team.

If you notice any formatting errors in this document (broken links, spelling mistakes and so on) or have any comments about the layout or navigability of the document then you can email the Guidance team.

Publication

Below is information on when this version of the document was published:

• Version 3.0
• published for Home Office staff on 3 July 2025

Changes from last version of this document

This document has been updated with formatting changes.

Moldova: names

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about names in Moldova.

Names in Moldova consist of:

• 1 or more forenames
• a family surname (this can be father’s, mother’s or a hyphenated combination of both)

If a Moldovia citizen is also a citizen of Russia, or has Russia heritage, their name may follow the naming convention of Russia and have a:

• forename
• patronymic name
• family surname

Change of name

Names changes are allowed in Moldova.

Following a marriage, a woman can take her husband’s surname.

Name alignment

Some official documents show the order of a person’s name in reverse, for filing purposes. HM Passport Office will not ask the customer to align their Moldova passport if we receive official documents showing the customer’s name in a different order to their British passport application.

Moldova: nationality

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about nationality in Moldova.

Dual nationality is recognised in Moldova.

Moldova: legitimacy and parental responsibility

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about legitimacy and parental responsibility in Moldova.

Legitimacy

Moldova does not recognise a difference between legitimate and illegitimate births. This means all births are considered legitimate whether a child’s parents are married or not.

Parental responsibility

Parental responsibility is shared equally between the parents of the child, whether the parents are married or not.

Parental responsibility can only be removed by the courts.

Moldova: adoption

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about adoption in Moldova.

Adoption is legal in Moldova.

Moldova: surrogacy

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about surrogacy in Moldova.

Surrogacy is illegal in Moldova.

Moldova: civil partnerships and marriage

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about civil partnerships and marriage in Moldova.

Civil partnerships and same sex marriages are not recognised in Moldova.

Civil marriages must take place in the city hall to be legally recognised.

Religious marriages are allowed but not legally recognised and usually take place after the civil marriage is registered.

Polygamy is not allowed in Moldova.

Moldova: documents

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about documents in Moldova.

Birth certificates

Birth registrations in Moldova are completed regionally (there is no central register).

Births must be registered within 3 months. A birth certificate is issued, once the birth is registered.

Copies of a birth certificate can be requested from the place where the birth was originally registered.

Marriage certificates

All marriages are automatically registered at the time they take place, and the records are held locally. Marriage certificates are issued, following the marriage.

Death certificates

Death certificates are issued following the registration of all deaths in Moldova. All deaths must be registered within 3 days of the death.