Chisinau requested removal of abusive tariffs applied by Tiraspol on goods transport

Chisinau requested the removal of the abusively applied tariffs by Tiraspol in the goods transportation for vehicles with a total weight of over 18 tons. The constitutional authorities describe the charges as "discriminatory and damaging to economic relations between the two banks of the Dniester".

The request was made yesterday during the first meeting this year of the working groups for the development of road transport and infrastructure, with the participation of experts from Chisinau and Tiraspol.

The illegal taxes were allegedly imposed approximately five years ago.


"These charges create obstacles for economic agents on both banks of the Dniester. The request was repeatedly made by Chisinau. Thus, for several years, there has been a persistent call for the elimination of these charges. Due to Tiraspol's abusive measures, economic agents suffer losses of millions of lei annually. In exchange for abolishing the imposed illegal taxes, it was proposed at the meeting to examine the possibility of repairing damaged roads to improve regional road infrastructure," declared the agency's sources.


Moreover, during the discussions, the Public Services Agency (ASP) experts proposed synchronizing the working program at the transport registration points in Tiraspol and Rîbnița (PÎMT), according to "Monday-Friday" schedule, since only these two territorial subdivisions are the only ones in the Republic of Moldova operating daily in the "Tuesday-Saturday" regime. Standardizing the working hours of these points is expected to contribute to improving the quality of services provided by ASP.

ASP experts emphasized the need to diversify the scheduling channels for registration services in PÎMT through the use of a unique number 14909, so that residents in the Transnistrian region have quicker access to the range of available services.

Regarding the topic of registering vehicles imported after April 24, 2018, with neutral plates, the expert from the Customs Service explained the difference between the mechanism applicable to vehicles introduced into the region between April 24 - September 1, 2018, and the one concerning the period from September 1, 2018 - December 31, 2026, for which new legislative clarifications are required, a project in this regard being forwarded to the Ministry of Finance.

For several years, emergency medical teams from the Republic of Moldova have been continuously responding to all calls from the left bank of the Dniester and the municipality of Bender, ensuring the rapid transfer and necessary medical services on the right bank of the Dniester. The number of trips made by the teams from the Central region to the eastern districts of the country in December 2024 was 75, and in January 2025 - 95.

Regarding national model driving licenses, it was specified that obtaining them is happening actively, with approximately 50% of drivers from the Transnistrian region currently holding such licenses. Concerning Tiraspol's idea of agreeing to neutral models of driving licenses, it was emphasized that this is incompatible with the requirements of international conventions and national legislative framework, which explicitly require the identification of the state adhering to international commitments, the national issuing authority, and the legal conferment of the right to operate the respective category of vehicles.

In this context, the parties emphasized the need to maintain an open and constructive dialogue to identify solutions for improving the transport connections between the two banks of the Dniester. The dialogue on technical aspects at the expert level will continue in the coming period.

The last meeting of the working groups for the development of road transport and infrastructure, with the participation of experts from Chisinau and Tiraspol, took place last November.