Message to U.S. Citizens – U.S. Embassy Chisinau, Moldova (May 6, 2020)
Location: Republic of Moldova
Event: U.S. Criminal History Affidavits and Police Certificates
Effective immediately, the U.S. Embassy can no longer issue an affidavit of no outstanding U.S. criminal warrant. Previously this certificate was acceptable to the Moldovan Bureau for Migration and Asylum for registering or extending residence in Moldova. All U.S. citizens who need this service will need to obtain a police certificate from the United States, as explained below.
U.S. citizens, Moldovans, or others who resided in the United States may be asked to present a “certificate of good conduct” or “lack of a criminal record” for official Moldovan use including employment, residency, citizenship, adoption, and school attendance. The U.S. Embassy cannot provide criminal record information for individuals who visited or resided in the United States.
U.S. citizens who need criminal records from the United States should review the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) website at https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/identity-history-summary-checks. You can also check with your U.S. state of residence on obtaining a certificate from that state.
The FBI requires you to provide your fingerprints to obtain a criminal records check. Fingerprints can be done electronically in the United States, at a local police station or other approved business. Please note that U.S. embassies and consulates abroad do not provide fingerprinting services.
The Moldovan police can take your fingerprints. You may print the fingerprint card from the FBI website. Take the card to the Police Inspectorate Forensics lab located at Str-la Putna (V. Komarov) nr. 10, Unitatea de Garda (in Romanian, Centrul tehnico-criminalistic şi expertize judiciare al Inspectoratului General de Politie) in Chisinau. Tel: (+373) 22 868-222; e-mail: criminalist@igp.gov.md. They are open from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday-Friday (closed 12:00 to 13:00 for lunch). Applicants must bring a valid passport as proof of identity (a U.S. driver’s license is not sufficient). The service is free of charge. Please note that if you have your fingerprints taken by the Moldovan police, they will become part of the Moldovan national fingerprint database.
The private company GSS- Securitate also offers a fingerprinting service and provides U.S. fingerprint cards in Moldova. GSS-Securitate is located at 9/2 Maria Cebotari Str. in Chisinau. Please call them for an appointment at Tel. 069338888, Tel.,022 233888. Their current fee is 300 Moldovan lei.
To be authenticated for official use in Moldova, your criminal record will need a Hague Apostille affixed on the document. The Bureau for Migration and Asylum will not accept a U.S. police certificate without an apostille. To obtain an apostille on a FBI Criminal Background Check, see the information on the U.S. Department of State website. For State/local police background checks, please refer to the appropriate authority in the State that issued the document. More information is available here. The U.S. Embassy does not issue apostilles.
If you have questions about this process, please contact us: Chisinau-CA@state.gov
Assistance:
- U.S. Embassy Chisinau, Moldova
+373 2240 8300
Chisinau-CA@state.gov
https://md.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/
- State Department – Consular Affairs
888-407-4747 or 202-501-4444
- Moldova Country Specific Information
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