Working in Moldova as a French National: Right of Residence, Minimum Wage, Tax and Contributions

A visa-free stay of 90 days in 180 does not give the right to work. According to the Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, people who will be employed in the country must obtain a temporary right of residence for that purpose. Among the grounds provided by the General Inspectorate for Migration (IGM) is work, alongside family reunification, studies, carrying out projects, investment and other cases. The application is filed at the one-stop shop at least 30 days before the end of the legal stay; examination takes 30 days, reduced to 10 days for an additional fee, and the permit issued serves as an identity document for foreigners.

A bill on the regime for foreigners is under examination by the Government: the precise conditions (documents, quotas, durations) should be confirmed with the IGM before any commitment. For settling-in formalities, see the page living in Moldova.

A Government decision, published in the Official Gazette, sets the minimum wage at about 6,300 lei a month, for 169 working hours, i.e. about 37 lei an hour; it is raised regularly. The Ministry of Labour’s preparatory documents estimate the net minimum wage at about 5,000 lei, and the Government says it aims for a step-by-step progression towards 10,000 lei. The unions judged this amount insufficient to ensure a decent standard of living.

The average monthly wage for the economy is of the order of 17,400 lei. Between these two benchmarks, salary levels vary by sector, position and region; official statistics by sector are published by the National Bureau of Statistics. The employment contract is governed by Moldovan law; an employee seconded by a French employer keeps the conditions of their original contract during the assignment.

The Moldovan employer withholds income tax on salaries at a rate of 12%; the tax policy projects presented by the Ministry of Finance can be followed on the ministry’s website. Health insurance contributions are deducted before tax in the calculation described by the ministry’s documents.

The agreement between France and Moldova to eliminate double taxation, signed in Chișinău on 15 June 2022, was authorised by law no. 2024-246 of 21 March 2024 and published by decree no. 2024-481 of 27 May 2024; it entered into force on 23 April 2024 (BOFiP, Légifrance). France eliminates double taxation by taking into account income taxable in Moldova to determine the rate applicable to other income, and Moldova grants a deduction equal to the tax paid in France within the limit of the corresponding Moldovan tax. An employee determines their tax residence under the domestic law of each state, then applies the agreement.

The employee contributes 6% of gross salary to pensions and 4.5% to health insurance; the employer bears 24% (32% for particularly difficult working conditions, 18% in agriculture), this share also financing cash sickness benefits, maternity, industrial accidents, unemployment and family benefits, plus 4.5% for health insurance (CLEISS). Contributions are subject to no minimum or ceiling.

France and Moldova signed a social security agreement on 10 March 2025 and an administrative arrangement on 18 September 2025. Entry into force still requires the procedure to be completed: until it has taken place, no coordination form applies and secondment falls under French law. The glossary entry on the seconded employee and the guide seconded or expatriate detail the statuses.

Self-employed workers contribute through flat annual amounts, revised each year: one contribution for pensions and cash benefits (reduced amount for owners of agricultural land) and one for health insurance (different amounts for agricultural owners, retail traders and self-employed notaries, lawyers and doctors). The self-employed are not covered by industrial accident and unemployment insurance. All payments go through the government portal MPay (CLEISS).

The CNAM mentions the case of digital nomads: for them, there is no 80% reduction on the medical insurance premium, which must be paid in full to obtain insured status. A remote worker employed by a French company must also settle their residence, social and tax situation before departure, with the Urssaf (the French social contributions collector), CLEISS and the tax administration.

A Moldovan employee registered with health insurance must register with a general practitioner and a primary care centre near their home, for at least six months before being able to change doctor. Primary care is free and medicines are reimbursed at 50% to 100% when they appear on the national programme list (CLEISS). Cash benefits (sickness, maternity, industrial accidents) fall under the CNAS.

For an employee sent by a French employer, French law provides for a so-called unilateral secondment, in the absence of an agreement in force: the employee remains affiliated to the French scheme, their contributions are paid in France and care received on the spot is reimbursed afterwards within the limit of French tariffs, on invoices and form S 3125; the maximum duration of the retention and its conditions should be confirmed with the Urssaf. Supplementary insurance or an international contract covers unreimbursed costs and access to private-sector care.

Moldova has unemployment insurance run by the National Employment Agency (ANOFM), sickness, maternity and industrial accident benefits paid by the National Social Insurance Fund (CNAS), and health insurance run by the CNAM (CLEISS). The retirement age is 63 for men and, for women, an age that rises by six months a year up to 63 in 2028, with a minimum of 15 years of contributions. These rules are detailed in the page retiring in Moldova.

The “Economic indicators” block above displays the indicators in real time. The forecast average wage of 17,400 lei gives an order of magnitude, and sector statistics can be consulted with the National Bureau of Statistics. The currency is the Moldovan leu: the amounts of the minimum wage, contributions and medical insurance premium are expressed in lei, which means following the exchange rate over the life of a local employment contract.

On the health side, current spending represents a little under 7% of GDP, of which more than a quarter is paid directly by households (World Bank). A candidate usefully compares the gross salary, the length of the permit, their family’s health cover and the cost of supplementary insurance before accepting an offer.