Pets in Moldova

The main public body for veterinary matters is the Agenția Națională pentru Siguranța Alimentelor (ANSA). ANSA supervises vaccination and health controls, publishes lists of authorised or registered veterinary units and veterinarians, issues certificates for international travel and performs veterinary inspections at the border. Its territorial subdivisions handle local veterinary procedures. Private or authorised veterinarians provide treatment, vaccination, microchipping, sterilisation and health examinations, but care is concentrated locally. National coverage of emergency services, exotic-animal treatment and prices has not been established. A local search is therefore needed for the actual provider, opening hours, available equipment and cost. Local Primării and municipal councils handle stray-animal measures, municipal shelters and some rules for keeping animals. Municipal rules can affect animals kept in homes, yards or shared residential buildings. They may also regulate nuisance, safety and the use of common areas. The national framework does not create a single adoption platform or a nationwide shelter admission guarantee. The documented local systems in Chișinău, Bălți and Orhei should not be treated as proof that the same services exist throughout Moldova. The current legal framework includes Legea nr. 221/2007 privind activitatea sanitar-veterinară, Legea nr. 231/2006 privind identificarea și înregistrarea animalelor, HG nr. 660/2022 on non-commercial movement and HG nr. 174/2023 on rabies prevention and control. Legea nr. 306/2024 ratified the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals, which entered into force for Moldova on 1 September 2025. Owners of dogs, cats and domesticated ferrets should keep prophylactic rabies vaccination current, prevent an animal from roaming freely without supervision and provide the animal for veterinary control after a bite or abnormal behaviour. A bite also requires prompt medical care; that treatment belongs to the health system, while veterinary and reporting duties remain relevant here. Legea nr. 256/2025 was published on 6 September 2025 and is scheduled to become fully effective on 6 September 2027 after a 24-month period. It is intended to introduce identification and registration, broader keeping duties, annual vaccination, access to veterinary assistance, a ban on abandonment, protection of shared residential areas and removal of animal waste. Leash and muzzle requirements will apply to breeds listed in Annex 1. A local authority may set a limit on the number of animals kept in a home or yard. The law also prohibits breeding or reproduction of 11 listed breeds. The treatment of breeds already kept before the new rules take full effect is not clear, so this remains a legal risk rather than a current blanket ownership ban. Before acquiring an animal, check its origin, microchip information, vaccination and health records, any registration record, the return or relinquishment arrangement and the local rules for the intended home. Documented acquisition channels include municipal shelters, NGOs, private placements, breeders and sellers. The current research does not establish a complete national map of breeder or seller licensing procedures. A sterilisation duty for all privately kept animals has not been established nationally, although municipal or partner programmes may offer limited appointments. Chișinău's Azilul Municipal de Animale uses a visit with identification and an adoption contract. Dogs are prepared with a microchip, deworming, vaccination and sterilisation, and adoption is free. The Î.M. Supravegherea și Protecția Animalelor carries out capture, transport, sterilisation, vaccination, deworming, sheltering and placement. Bălți has the IP Centrul de adăpost pentru animale fără stăpân. In Orhei, a municipal shelter works with AlexVet and CENTRVET; documented 2026 activities include capture, transport and sterilisation, with a mobile veterinary unit for severe cases. A Chișinău stray-dog programme follows capture, sterilisation, microchipping, ear-tagging, rabies vaccination and return to the capture location. Non-aggressive and non-rabid dogs may be returned, and a curator may be involved. These programmes have limited capacity and local eligibility conditions. If an owner can no longer keep an animal, practical options include contacting a municipal shelter or NGO, arranging private rehoming or contacting local capture and shelter services. There is no documented nationwide intake guarantee. Abandonment is scheduled to be prohibited expressly from 6 September 2027. Until then, the absence of a national intake system does not make abandonment a safe or responsible solution; the available local service, capacity and acceptance conditions should be checked directly. Ordinary ownership costs include food, water, suitable accommodation, hygiene, exercise and social needs, vaccination, veterinary care, parasite treatment, microchipping, sterilisation and transport. Moldova has no established national tariff, insurance structure or universal subsidy for these services. Chișinău allocated MDL 1,500,000 in 2022 for about 2,800 subsidised sterilisation, rabies vaccination, microchip and passport services and made another public procurement for common-breed owned pets in 2025. Bălți documented about 150 free partner sterilisation places in 2025 for city residents with advance registration and limited capacity. These programmes are occasional and do not create a national entitlement. For international travel, an owner can request an ANSA certificate online through servicii.gov.md or EVO, normally at least 3 to 5 days before travel. The application may require an identity document, a notarised power of attorney where someone acts for the owner, the pet passport, microchip number, rabies records, a rabies antibody laboratory report and a clinical examination. The owner must declare the crossing in writing and pass customs and veterinary controls at an authorised inspection point, such as Sculeni, Giurgiulești, Criva, Chișinău, Leușeni, Tudora or Pervomaisk. The paper certificate is collected from the territorial ANSA office, and an electronic copy may appear in MCabinet. For non-commercial travel from Moldova to the European Union with dogs, cats or ferrets, the usual limit is five animals. The microchip must be implanted before the rabies vaccination. The first rabies vaccination is given no earlier than 12 weeks of age and becomes effective after at least 21 days. Moldova is not on the current EU list that allows an exception from the antibody test, so the owner should plan a test at least 30 days after the first vaccination. The result must be at least 0.5 IU/ml from a designated laboratory, and at least 90 days must pass before the EU health certificate. The certificate is normally valid for 10 days until the entry check, and entry must use a Traveller Point of Entry. Some EU destinations additionally require treatment against Echinococcus between 24 and 120 hours before entry for dogs. Destination-country rules, carrier requirements and airline conditions should be checked again before booking. Other destinations may require an international passport, current rabies and other vaccinations, a clinical examination no more than five days before departure and a veterinary certificate. Japan, for example, requires two rabies vaccinations, an antibody result of at least 0.5 IU/ml, a 180-day waiting period and advance notification 40 days before arrival. Airlines can impose additional carrier or IATA requirements. The exact destination, animal species, age, vaccination history, laboratory timing and transport method determine which documents are needed.