Expat insurance and health insurance in Moldova

Moldova has had a system of mandatory health insurance (Asigurarea Obligatorie de Asistență Medicală, AOAM) since 2003, stemming from law No. 1585/1998 and run by the Compania Națională de Asigurări în Medicină (CNAM), which acts as the sole purchaser of health services from contracted public and private providers, on the model of a split between funding and delivery of care. Employees contribute through their employer, while non-working categories (children, students, retirees, people with disabilities) are covered by state-paid contributions. CNAM thus funds most public health spending and gives access to a benefits basket including primary care, part of secondary care, emergencies and certain dental care.

People with no job who don't fall under a state-covered category, including foreigners holding a temporary or permanent residence permit, must pay a fixed individual annual premium to benefit from AOAM. This premium, frozen at 12,636 Moldovan lei (around 645 €) for 2026, can be reduced by around 80% (i.e. 2,527 lei, around 129 €) if paid between January and March; past 31 March, the full rate applies with late penalties. A passing visitor with no residence permit has no access to this scheme and relies solely on their own travel insurance.

The private sector, concentrated in Chișinău, remains the reference for expats seeking quick access to care and partly English-speaking staff, with consultation fees varying by facility. Direct household payments largely supplement the system's funding, with a significant share of specialist, medicine and dental costs remaining payable by the patient, Moldovan citizen and foreign resident alike.

• No visa required for a tourist stay not exceeding 90 days within a 180-day period, on presentation of a national ID card or a passport valid for at least 6 months after the entry date. Moldovan authorities don't recognise the 5-year validity extension granted to certain French national ID cards: only a card whose printed expiry date hasn't passed is accepted.
• Proof of entry into the territory to keep: if the authorised length of stay is exceeded with no supporting document, France Diplomatie flags a risk of deportation, a fine and an entry ban of up to 3 years.
• No European Health Insurance Card applies: Moldova isn't an EU member, even though accession negotiations formally began in June 2026 on the first group of chapters (Council of the European Union).
• Health and repatriation insurance strongly recommended before any departure, whatever the length of stay: France Diplomatie stresses it's essential to have a contract covering all medical costs, as these costs can in no case be covered by the French embassy.
• Mandatory AOAM (CNAM) registration for any foreign resident holding a temporary or permanent residence permit who doesn't fall under a state-covered category, for a fixed annual premium (12,636 lei in 2026, reducible to 2,527 lei if paid before 31 March).
• Seconded employee : pending the entry into force of the France-Moldova social security agreement signed in 2025, staying on the French scheme falls solely under French law (unilateral secondment), for a period of 3 years renewable once.
• Transnistria: France Diplomatie advises against travel to this separatist region in the east of the country, except for an essential reason, given checkpoints and specific formalities at the administrative border.

France and Moldova signed a bilateral social security agreement on 10 March 2025, supplemented by an administrative arrangement signed on 18 September 2025. This text is meant, eventually, to ease access to care and coordinate social benefits between the two countries, in view of Moldova's accession to the European Union. It isn't, however, yet in force: CLEISS classes it among agreements "signed but not yet in force", alongside China. In France, the bill authorising its approval (No. 2471) was tabled in the National Assembly on 11 February 2026, with a committee report tabled on 10 April 2026 and a plenary review scheduled for 5 October 2026; actual entry into force still requires completing ratification procedures on both sides.

• Temporary stay, pending the agreement's entry into force: no coordination applies; only health/travel insurance taken out before departure covers costs locally.
• Secondment from France: with no agreement in force, French law provides for unilateral secondment of 3 years renewable once. The employee stays registered with the French scheme, with contributions paid in France; care received locally is reimbursed retroactively by the French fund, within French rates, on presentation of receipts and form S3125.
• Long-term move: AOAM (CNAM) registration depends on residence status in Moldova and requires paying a fixed annual premium; no transfer of rights from France is provided for as long as the agreement isn't in force, including for retirees.
• Once the 2025 agreement enters into force, its precise coordination arrangements (rights opened, forms equivalent to A1/S1) remain to be clarified by implementing texts; their exact scope should be checked with CLEISS at that time.

1. Before departure: check France Diplomatie's "Safety" page on Moldova, particularly the recommendation to avoid Transnistria except for an essential reason.
2. Before departure: notify French agencies of your departure (CPAM, CAF, France Travail, pension funds).
3. Before departure: take out health/repatriation insurance covering all medical costs, strongly recommended by France Diplomatie.
4. Check that your national ID card or passport remains valid for at least 6 months after the planned entry date; an ID card with a 5-year extension isn't accepted by Moldovan authorities.
5. Seconded employee: arrange unilateral secondment with your employer through your French fund before departure (maximum duration 3 years, renewable once).
6. On arrival: register with the roll of French nationals living abroad at the French embassy in Chișinău.
7. Resident holding a residence permit: check your AOAM (CNAM) registration status and, if applicable, pay the annual premium before 31 March to benefit from the reduced rate.
8. Keep receipts for care and form S3125 for any retroactive reimbursement request with the French fund (secondment case).