About 13,700 vehicles from Transnistrian region have neutral model license plates, distinctive sign MD

About 13,700 non-commercial vehicles from the Transnistrian region have neutral model license plates and the distinctive sign MD. The data is included in the State Transport Registry and covers the period from September 1, 2018, to June 30, 2025.

On this period, registration points for vehicles in the cities of Tiraspol and Rabnita documented 13,676 non-commercial vehicles from the Transnistrian region with neutral model plates. Compared to 2024, there is a 12-er cent increase, which represents 1,470 vehicles.

According to the Reintegration Policies Bureau, the primary documentation process in the vehicle registration points resumed in August 2024, after a pause caused by blockages on behalf of Tiraspol, which unilaterally withdrew from the mechanism in late December 2021.

‘’The mechanism for registration with neutral plates does not substitute the basic process, widely used by residents in the region, concerning documentation with national model plates. At the same time, this mechanism is provisional and creates the necessary premises for the single national registration, monitoring in national and international road traffic, and compliance with the current regulatory framework for vehicle drivers residing in the perimeter temporarily uncontrolled  by constitutional authorities,’’ said the Reintegration Policies Bureau.

Access to international road traffic for these categories of vehicles is allowed only under conditions of clear identification of the state Republic of Moldova (presence of the band with MD inscription on the back of the vehicle) and the possession by the driver of nationally or internationally recognized documents (driver's license, valid passport, motor third-party liability insurance policy).