Moldova: Residence registration system; official procedures to change residence; whether registration is required to access government services; whether there is a database of residence registration information and who has access to it
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Publication Date | 21 June 2012 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | MDA104116.E |
| Related Document(s) | République de Moldavie : information sur le système d'enregistrement de la résidence; la procédure officielle à suivre lors d'un changement de résidence; information indiquant si l'enregistrement est nécessaire pour l'accès aux services gouvernementaux; s'il y a une base de données sur l'information concernant l'enregistrement de la résidence et information sur les personnes qui y ont accès |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Moldova: Residence registration system; official procedures to change residence; whether registration is required to access government services; whether there is a database of residence registration information and who has access to it, 21 June 2012, MDA104116.E , available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/503604f2ac.html [accessed 21 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
1. Residence Registration System
According to the website of the Centre for State Information Resources (CSIR) Registru of the Ministry of Information Technology and Communication (Moldova n.d.a), residence registration in the Republic of Moldova is regulated by the government decision on Additional Measures of Implementation of National Passport System of 1995 (ibid. n.d.b).
There are two types of registration: temporary and permanent (IOM 7 June 2012; Moldova n.d.b). Individuals temporarily living at another address can register their temporary residence without cancelling their permanent residence location (ibid.; IOM 7 June 2012). According to the websites of the CSIR Registru, previous residence registration will automatically be cancelled when individuals register their new permanent location (Moldova n.d.b).
Sources indicate that residence registration takes the form of a "stamp" (ibid.) or a "special seal" (IOM 7 June 2012) attached to the individual's identity (ID) card (ibid., Moldova n.d.b). For individuals who do not have an ID card, such as pensioners or individuals who refused to obtain an ID card because of "religious reasons," the stamp or seal is placed in the internal passport (IOM 7 June 2012; Moldova n.d.b).
In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a representative of the NGO Interaction, a Tiraspol-based center for social development, indicated that residents of the Republic of Moldova are required to register their permanent place of residence when they receive their first identity card at the age of sixteen (Interaction 10 June 2012). Also in correspondence with the Research Directorate, a representative of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Mission to Moldova stated that children and persons placed under guardianship are registered at the place of residence of their parents or their legal guardians (IOM 7 June 2012).
2. Official Procedures to Change Residence
According to the IOM representative, residence registration can be done in person or through a proxy (ibid.). An individual may formally grant authority to another person to act on his or her behalf through an attorney (ibid.). The request for registration must be submitted to an office of record keeping and documentation of population or to a local public administration office (ibid.). The website of the Ministry of Information Technology and Communication lists the offices to which requests for registration can be submitted (Moldova n.d.b). According to the website, there are 97 offices throughout the country (ibid., n.d.d). In order to register a new residence, an individual must submit the following documents:
- A completed application form;
- An identity document (for example, an ID card, residence permit, or a temporary ID card);
- Proof of ownership of a residence or a notarized consent of the owner to permit registration; and
- Confirmation of payment (IOM 7 June 2012).
3. Access to Governmental Services
According to the representative of Interaction, many rights and benefits depend on permanent registration (13 June 2012). For instance, permanent registration is required to obtain a job, collect unemployment benefits, vote in elections, receive social service benefits (Interaction 12 June 2012), and register children in school (ibid. 14 June 2012). The representative also indicated that although permanent registration is required to access health services (ibid. 13 June 2012), Moldovan citizens can access health care services anywhere in the country provided they have obligatory medical insurance (ibid. 12 June 2012)
4. Database of Residence Registration Information
According to the representative of Interaction, the following information is recorded at the time of residence registration: name, date and place of birth, and place of residence (ibid. 10 June 2012). The IOM representative stated that within 48 hours of residence registration, the Ministry of Information Technology and Communications receives information from the offices of record keeping and documentation of population (IOM 7 June 2012). The Ministry enters this data into the Automated Information System "State Register of Population" (AIS "SRP") (ibid.). According to the website of the Ministry, AIS "SRP" is a unified system that contains information about citizens of Moldova, foreigners and stateless persons who permanently or temporarily reside in Moldova, and Moldovan citizens who are permanently or temporarily residing abroad (Moldova n.d.c). According to the Ministry's website, the information is recorded, stored and updated in a "centralized manner" (ibid. n.d.d).
The Ministry's website indicates that CSIR Registru provides information to individuals, legal persons and public authorities depending on the request, by using "Information Retrieval System" (ibid. n.d.e). A written request to retrieve information can be submitted to the CSIR Registru (ibid.). According to the website, it is possible to obtain information about a person in the registry by providing general data, such as the name, surname, patronymic, date of birth, and serial number of identity document or state identification number (IDNP) (ibid).
However, the representative of Interaction noted that when this NGO tried to obtain an address of a victim's relatives or a perpetrator from CSIR Registru, the NGO did not receive the information (12 June 2012).
According to the representative of Interaction, employees of the Ministry of Information and Technology and Communication have access to the registration system (10 June 2012). Without providing details, the representative noted that recorded information is "more secure" in Moldova than in Transnistria (ibid.).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Interaction. 14 June 2012. Correspondence from a representative to the Research Directorate.
_____. 13 June 2012. Correspondence from a representative to the Research Directorate.
_____. 12 June 2012. Correspondence from a representative to the Research Directorate.
_____. 10 June 2012. Correspondence from a representative to the Research Directorate.
International Organization for Migration (IOM). 7 June 2012. Correspondence from a representative to the Research Directorate.
Moldova. N.d.a. Ministry of Information Technology and Communication. "General Information."
_____. N.d.b. Ministry of Information Technology and Communication."Residence Registration."
_____. N.d.c. Ministry of Information Technology and Communication. "State Register of Population."
_____. N.d.d. Ministry of Information Technology and Communication. "The History of SE 'SIRC 'Registru.'"
_____. N.d.e. Ministry of Information Technology and Communication. "Information Services Provision."
Additional Sources Consulted
Oral Sources: Attempts to contact representatives from the following organization were unsuccessful: Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in Washington, D.C.
Internet sites, including: Amnesty International; BBC; Beginning of Life; European Country of Origin Information network; Factiva; Freedom House; Global Legal Resources; Human Rights Watch; Idpproject.org; Info-prim Neo; International Crisis Group; Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre; International Federation for Human Rights; Legislationline; Minority Rights Group; Moldova - Centre for Human Rights of the Republic of Moldova, Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in Russian Federation, Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in Washington, D.C., Ministry of Internal Affairs and European Integration, Ministry of Justice, Ombudsman; Moldpres; United Nations (UN) - Integrated Regional Information Networks, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Development Program, UNICEF, UN Population Fund, UNHCR RefWorld, UN Women.
