Drivers with vehicles registered abroad to be fined more easily in Moldova

Motorists driving in the Republic of Moldova with vehicles registered in other states who violate traffic rules will be identified and sanctioned more efficiently, after Parliament today adopted a legislative initiative that establishes a cross-border cooperation mechanism for the exchange of information on road traffic offences.

The document provides for amendments to the Contravention Code and sets out the procedures for establishing, notifying, and enforcing sanctions in the case of offences committed by drivers of vehicles registered in other states, including through the use of international data exchange systems such as EUCARIS.

According to the new provisions, drivers will receive a notice containing information about the act committed, the legal basis, the sanction applied, as well as the rights of the person concerned. It will also include details on the manner of appeal, the time limits for exercising the right of defence, the obligation to communicate the identity of the driver, and the consequences of failing to fulfil this obligation.

The notice will also include information on the methods of paying the fine, the possibility of paying half of the amount, as well as access to a European information portal on traffic offences, via QR code or link.

At the same time, notification deadlines are established: the notice may be issued within up to 11 months from the start of the contravention procedure, and in situations where it is not immediately possible to identify the driver or the holder of the vehicle, the notification shall be sent within up to five months from the determination of the necessary data.

Procedural documents will be issued in the language indicated in the vehicle registration certificate, and the right of defence is guaranteed, including the possibility of remote examination of the case by videoconference.

For the implementation of the mechanism, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has designated a national contact point within the National Public Security Inspectorate, which will manage the exchange of information and the identification of drivers who have committed offences.

The normative act is aligned with European Union standards on cross-border road safety and will enter into force on the date of the Republic of Moldova's accession to the European Union.