Heavy traffic at Moldova border during Christmas: Over 53,000 crossings

Increased passenger traffic was recorded in the last 24 hours at the border crossing points of the Republic of Moldova on Christmas holidays. According to the Border Police data, 53,287 border crossings were recorded.

The busiest crossing point was Chișinău International Airport, with 16,525 crossings, followed by PTF Leușeni, with 7,971 crossings, and PTF Sculeni, with 5,653 people.

Additionally, increased traffic was observed at PTF Otaci – 4,001 crossings and PTF Palanca – 3,103 crossings.

Furthermore, in the last 24 hours, 21 foreign citizens were refused authorization for crossing into the Republic of Moldova.

Border authorities have announced that they will implement a set of measures to streamline cross-border traffic during the winter holidays.

Tatiana Șompol, head of the Public Relations Section of the Customs Service mentioned that the institution's employees are monitoring the flow of travelers – data regarding waiting times and peak periods are continuously collected and analyzed. Actions are synchronized between operational teams in the field and are continuously coordinated with border and customs authorities from Romania and Ukraine.


“The authorities have ordered the reinforcement of control staff, and frontline officials are supported by mobilizing available resources to full capacity. At the same time, infrastructure optimization is taking place, with additional control lanes opened, and where necessary, the 'Reversal' procedure is applied – redirecting traffic lanes. Similarly, traffic flows are being separated – distinct directing of trucks, cars, and buses, which contributes to more efficient traffic organization,” stated Tatiana Șompol.


Also, to ensure an efficient and comfortable crossing of the state border, the Customs Service and the Border Police have a set of recommendations for travelers. Thus, to minimize border crossing time, authorities recommend using all existing crossing points to avoid overloading just some and to prevent queue formation.


“It is necessary to check the validity and status of the travel document used to cross the state border. Additionally, you can consult the 'Online Traffic at Border Customs Posts' application on the official website of the Customs Service to know the real-time situation at border posts,” added Tatiana Șompol.


 

According to the customs authority, the increased flow of travelers is forecast until 15 January.