Moldova's Customs Service collects 43.56 billion lei to state budget

The Customs Service transferred 43.56 billion lei to the state budget on the period September 2024-October 2025, of which 29.8 billion was collected in the first nine months of this year. The figure is by 7.1 per cent higher compared to the same period in 2024. Director of the Customs Service, Alexandru Iacub, unveiled data to this effect at a press conference today.

According to the institution's leadership, the current indicators confirm steady progress in the sectors of revenues, fraud prevention, integrity and modernization of customs procedures.

"The revenue structure includes: import value added tax (VAT) - 19.97 billion lei (+8 per cent), excise duties - 7.82 billion lei (+14.8 per cent), and customs duties - 1.94 billion lei (+10.3 per cent). Each leu collected means upholding the law and building trust between the state and the taxpayer," said Alexandru Iacub.

He noted that the control instruments imposed by the customs authority during this period had become more efficient.

"Subsequent control registered an efficiency rate of 96.39 per cent, and following the checks, additional obligations of 83.6 million lei were established, of which 44.3 million lei has already been collected into the budget. The control of the customs value added an additional 719.4 million lei, confirming the accuracy and professionalism of specialized teams," Alexandru Iacub said.

In terms of institutional integrity, 183 disciplinary sanctions, 130 service investigations, and four dismissals were applied. Additionally, staff rotation has proven effective in preventing risks and has yielded concrete operational results, including detecting 870,000 undeclared cigarettes at the Costesti customs post.

"In the area of combating smuggling and customs fraud, during the analyzed period, 132 criminal files were opened, the value of the involved goods exceeded 52 million lei, and 23.1 kg of drugs were seized during joint actions with other law-enforcement authorities," specified Alexandru Iacub.

The Customs Service leadership also emphasized the progress in European integration and digitization.

"Moldova will join, on November 1, 2025, the Convention on a Common Transit Procedure (NCTS), becoming part of the European customs network. The authority’s electronic systems are fully operational: all permits are issued in digital format and citizens can declare international postal shipments online," added Alexandru Iacub.

As for external cooperation, 17 international operations and over 100 meetings with foreign partners were held, including the Moldova–Romania–Ukraine trilateral meeting, held in Chișinău.

"We will continue to strengthen integrity, accelerate digitization and expand international partnerships. The results already speak for the work of our teams in the field and for the trust we build day by day," concluded the institution's director.

As priorities for the upcoming period, the Customs Service leadership aims to consolidate a transparent, innovative institution, capable of quickly meeting the needs of the national economy. To achieve these goals, staff training measures, infrastructure modernization and strengthening international collaboration including with external partners, will continue.