Border crossing - Ukraine to Transnistria and Ukraine to Moldova

We wrote this brief explanation especially for those of you, who might be concerned or just curious with issues of stamps in passports, visas, border crossings, road tolls and other stuff that involves border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova, as well as Ukraine - Transnistria - Moldova borders.

There are 2 ways to enter Moldova from Ukraine - if we are talking about trip from Odessa there will be a direct way through Mayaki/Palanca, where there is only one border between Ukraine and Moldova. Usually everything is absolutely clear with this border crossing. You arrive at the check point, Ukrainian migration service, customs and border control check your passport and luggage, then your passport is forwarded to Moldovian border control officers. Moldovian customs and migration service officers may check your luggage again at this point. If everything is OK, you get Ukrainian stamp in passport that you left Ukraine, and entrance stamp of entering Moldova.

Second way to get to Moldova from Ukraine is through Transnistria. If we are travelling from Odessa, we will arrive at Kuchurgan/Pervomaysk border crossing. While crossing through Ukrainian border, your passport will be checked by Ukrainian migration service, your luggage may also be checked by customs and border control officials, then your passport is stamped that you left Ukraine and at this border your passport may be stamped by Moldovian border control officials that you have entered Moldova (even though sometimes such stamp is not required, our drivers will make sure you get this to avoid any questions in the future). You will have a stamp of Pervomaysk border crossing. If you book taxi, transfer or tour with our company - Odessa Transfers Group, then our driver will make sure you have all necessary stamps, no worries about that. If you travel on your own, or found some local driver that offered you 10 USD cheaper price, well... then you may have problems that getting stamp of entering Moldova in your passport and especially if you are travelling from Moldova after that to other country but Ukraine, there will be questions and fine for entering Moldova illegally... so always use licensed companies for such trips to avoid unnecessary fines in the future :)

Once we cross Ukrainian border, we will enter Transnistria. Transnistrian migration service officer will check your passport and will issue a transit pass that allows you to transit pass territory of Transnistria in 3 to 10 hours (depending on what is asked and mood of migration control officer), which looks like this:

With this transit pass you will be driven through Transnistria to a border between Transnistria and Moldova, where that transit pass will be checked by a Transnistrian migration officer and if allowed amount of hours hasn't been exceeded, you will be let through the border and enter Moldova without any further questions.

At this point many tourists ask something like:

- What if allowed amount of hours to pass Transnistria will be exceeded? Will I go to jail, or get castrated? ;)))

The answer is:

- Nothing will happen except that you will have to pay about 100 US Dollars fine. That's it!

But still, better not to exceed allowed amount of time and if you will be booking either transfer or tour with our company, our driver will make sure that you never exceed allowed amount of time in Transnistria. Simply because we will have problems first of all, so we are not interested in having problems as you may have guessed ;)

If you are going ONLY on a Day Tour to Transnistria, like the one that we offer - Transnistria - Country that Doesn't Exist, you will have only 2 stamps in passport - exit from Ukraine and back entrance in Ukraine. Transnistria is an unrecognized territory, so Transnistria does not have any border control stamps... and never had any!

And last, but not least: when travelling through either Ukraine/Moldova border or Ukraine/Transnistria border you just have to know that a car in which you are travelling should have a valid license and insurance to cross the border. If such license is not present, every passenger will be fined, car may get arrested and most probably you will have to return back either to Ukraine or to Moldova by feet, or look for a car with driver from the border to take you back either to Odessa or to Chisinau (depending from where you arrived). Price of such transfer from the border will be at least a couple of hundreds of USD or EUR, but after all hassle you will agree to pay almost any price if you ever get into such situation by taking a car without proper license and insurance.

Absolutely all cars of Odessa Transfers Group have valid licenses and insurance to cross the border, so booking either taxi, transfer or a tour with us will always guarantee you fast and hassle free border crossing in any direction, absolutely any time of the day and day of the year.