Emigration. Today: Transnistria.

Transnistria?

Transnistria, officially the Transnistrian Moldovan Republic, is an internationally unrecognized de facto regime in south-eastern Europe that is supported exclusively by Russia. Located mainly east of the Dniester River on the Moldovan-Ukrainian border, the territory is internationally recognized as part of the Republic of Moldova and is inhabited by around 375,000 people. Below is a map of Transnistria, which is effectively a small strip of Moldova.

 

Entry: When entering Transnistria, you must fill out a migration card that is valid for up to 45 days. Its validity can be extended repeatedly, or you can leave and re-enter the country after the expiry date. To obtain a temporary residence permit, you must register at an address in Transnistria, i.e. you must buy an apartment or house or sign a contract to rent. The validity period of the temporary residence permit is 3 years.

Citizenship: If you were not born on the territory of Transnistria, there is a general rule for obtaining citizenship: you must live in Transnistria for at least 1 year without leaving it for more than 3 months. If you apply for political asylum, are a refugee or have made achievements in the field of culture or art, the period of residence is reduced to 6 months.

 

Passport from Transnistria. Virtually unrecognized in any country in the world.

 

There is still a simplified procedure without a 1-year waiting period if

• your parents were born on the territory of Transnistria
• you were a citizen of the former USSR
• you are married to a citizen of Transnistria
• You have a business in the PMR for 6 months as an individual entrepreneur or as a legal entity with an authorized capital in Transnistria of at least $18,000 (approximate amount).

 

 

Transnistria is not uninteresting, I visited it during a trip to Moldova. My passport wasn’t even stamped when I “entered” the country. What is there in Transnistria apart from nostalgia for the Soviet Union? There is Kvint, good cognac. I can confirm from my own experience that it is very good.

 

It is so important to the locals that they have depicted the factory on their 5 rouble note.

 

There are probably very few people who want to emigrate to Transnistria. Although I did in fact know one person who planned to do so a few years ago. The corporate tax rate is supposedly a tolerable 12%. You could be thinking around the corner though and that’s exactly why I’m posting this option today. Transnistria has reportedly asked Russia for incorporation. CNN:

Perhaps in the foreseeable future there will be no more passports from Transnistria, only from Russia? That would be a not uninteresting idea to get a Russian passport. Even if some readers now call me crazy. I’ve already said it in the blog and I’ll say it again here: even if it’s frowned upon today, a Russian passport could be very valuable in the future.