LAW OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

of July 30, 2026 No. 159

About approval and supervision of the market of road vehicles

The Parliament adopts this organic law.

This law:

– partially shifts (Articles 1 and 2; Items 1-4, 6-22, 29, 34, 39, 47–58, 60, 62–67, 69–71, 73–75 Articles 3; part (1) Article 4; Article 6; part (1) Article 7; part (1) Article 8; Article 9-17; Articles 25 and 26; parts (1) – (3) Article 27; Article 28; parts (1) – (8) and (10) Article 29; Articles 30 and 32; parts (1) – (5) Article 33; parts (1) and (2) Article 34; Articles 35 and 37; parts (1) – (8) Article 38; Articles 39, 40, 42 and 43; parts (1) – (5) Article 44; parts (1), (3) and (4) Article 45; parts (1) – (4) Article 46; parts (1) and (3) Article 49; parts (1) and (2) Article 50; parts (1), (2), (4) and (5) Article 51; parts (1) and (2) Article 54; Articles 55 and 56; parts (1), (4), (6) – (12) Article 57; Articles 58, 59; Article 61-63; parts (1) and (2) Article 64; Articles 65 and 68; parts (2) – (4) Article 70; Articles 71, 76 and 77) Regulations (EU) of the European parliament and Council No. 168/2013 of January 15, 2013 about approval and supervision of the market of two - and three wheeled vehicles and kvadritsikl, CELEX: 32013R0168, published in the Official magazine of the European Union by L 60 of March 2, 2013, with the last amendments made by Regulations (EU) 2024/2838 European parliament and Council of October 23, 2024;

– partially shifts (Articles 1 and 2; Items 1-28, 30-32, 34-56 of Article 3; Item (a) of part (1) Article 4; parts (1) – (2) Article 5; parts (1), (2), (4) – (9) Article 6; Article 7; parts (1), (4), (8) – (13) Article 8; parts (1) – (4), (6) – (9) Article 13; Article 14; part (1) Article 15; Article 16-25; parts (1), (2), (4) – (6) Article 26; parts (1) and (2) Article 27; parts (1), (2), (4) – (7) Article 28; Article 29; parts (1) and (2) Article 30; parts (1), (2), (4), (6) and (7) Article 31; Article 32; parts (1), (3) – (5) Article 33; Article 34-36; parts (1), (3) – (6), (8) – (10) Article 37; parts (1) and (2) Article 38; Articles 39 and 40; parts (1) – (4), (6) and (7) Article 42; part (5) Article 43; parts (1) – (4) Article 44; parts (1) – (6) Article 45; Articles 46 and 47; part (1) Article 48; Article 49-51; parts (1) – (3) Article 52; parts (1), (2) and (8) Article 53; parts (1), (2) and (6) Article 54; parts (1) and (2) Article 55; Article 56; part (1) Article 57; Article 58-60; parts (1) – (10) Article 61; Article 62-65; parts (1) – (6) Article 67; Articles 68 and 69; parts (1) and (2) Article 70; Article 71; parts (1) and (2) Article 72; parts (1) – (5), (15) and (16) Article 73; parts (1) and (2) Article 75; Article 76; part (1) Article 77; part (1) Article 78; article 79-81, of article 84 and 89) Regulations (EU) 2018/858 European parliament and Council of May 30, 2018 about approval and supervision of the market of vehicles and their trail cars, and also the systems, components and separate technical nodes intended for such vehicles about modification of regulations (EU) No. 715/2007 and (EU) No. 595/2009 and about cancellation of the Directive 2007/46/ES, CELEX: 32018R0858, published in the Official magazine of the European Union by L 151 of June 14, 2018, with the last amendments made by Regulations (EU) 2024/1610 European parliament and Council of May 14, 2024.

Chapter I. Basic provisions

Article 1. Regulation subject

(1) This law establishes the applicable legal basis for the organization and carrying out administrative activities for approval of type and to individual approval of all new road vehicles, systems, components and separate technical nodes provided by part (1) Article 2.

(2) This law establishes requirements to supervision of the market concerning vehicles, systems, components and separate technical nodes which are subject to approval and also concerning details and the equipment for these vehicles.

(This law does not limit 3) and does not affect application of the regulatory base in the field of traffic safety.

(4) If the international treaty regulating procedures of approval of road vehicles or their components which participant is the Republic of Moldova establishes other rules and provisions, than those which are provided by the national legal system are applied rules and provisions of the international treaty.

Article 2. Scope

(1) This law is applied to all vehicles:

1) categories M and N and to their trail cars of category O, held for use on public roads, including the vehicles of these categories developed and made in one or several stages and also to systems, components and separate technical nodes, it is equal also to the details and the equipment developed and made for installation on these vehicles and their trail cars;

2) with two or three wheels, and also to the category L kvadritsikla intended for movement on public roads including to:

a) to the enduro motorcycles [L3e-AxE (x=1, 2 or 3)], to the trial motorcycles [L3e-AxT (x=1, 2 or 3)];

b) to heavy "Quad" (L7e-B) off road vehicles;

c) to the category L vehicles developed and made in one or several stages and also to systems, components and separate technical nodes, as well as to the details and the equipment developed and made for functioning on these vehicles.

(2) This law does not extend to the following types of vehicles:

1) vehicles of agricultural purpose or transport means, intended for forestry;

2) vehicles on caterpillar to the course;

3) the vehicles developed and made or adapted for use by exclusively armed forces;

4) two-wheeled or three wheeled vehicles and kvadritsikla:

a) with the maximum constructive speed less than 6 km/h;

b) intended only for use by persons with physical restraints;

c) intended only for management of the pedestrian;

d) intended only for use in competitions;

e) with pedals with system of the help when pedalling, no more than 250 W equipped with the auxiliary electric motor with rated permanent power which help stops when the cyclist ceases to twist pedals or gradually decrease in process of increase in speed of the vehicle, completely stopping before the speed of the vehicle reaches 25 km/h;

f) with self-balancing;

g) not provided by at least one seat;

h) equipped with seat for the driver whose point of R is located at height? 540 mm for categories L1e, L3e and L4e or at height? 400 mm for categories L2e, L5e, L6e and L7e;

5) the vehicles developed and made for use of civil protection by services, fire engineering services, forces on maintenance of public order and services of emergency medical service.

(3) For the following vehicles the producer can submit the application for receipt of approval of type or individual approval according to this law provided that such vehicles conform to applicable normative requirements:

a) the vehicles developed and made for use it is preferential on building sites or pits, ports or the airports;

b) the vehicles developed and made or adapted for use of civil protection by services, fire engineering services and forces on maintenance of public order;

c) any driverless vehicle, specially developed and made for performance of works which owing to the constructive characteristics is not suitable for transportation of people or loads and is not the equipment installed on the vehicle chassis.

(4) the Producer can submit the application for individual approval of the following types of vehicles based on this law:

a) the vehicles intended only for participation in the auto racing which is carried out on roads;

b) the prototypes of vehicles used in traffic under liability of the producer for carrying out the special program of testing provided that they were specially developed and made for this purpose.

(5) the Procedure for classification and category of road vehicles, including two - three - and four-wheel motor vehicles, are established by the Government.

(6) Recognition of approvals of type of the EU, the individual approvals and results of assessment of conformity which are carried out by bodies for approval in the European Union is performed according to this law without repeated carrying out testing or technical assessment on the basis of the simplified ministerial procedure.

Article 3. Concepts

For the purposes of this law the following concepts are used:

1) approval of type – the procedure by means of which the body for approval certifies that the type of the vehicle, systems, component or separate technical node meets the relevant administrative and technical requirements;

2) approval of type of the EU – the approval of type issued by body for approval of one of member states of the European Union based on Regulations (EU) 2018/858 or on circumstances of Regulations (EU) No. 168/2013, recognition and which legal effects in the Republic of Moldova are determined according to this law without prejudice to powers of bodies of the Republic of Moldova in the field of supervision of the market;

3) the certificate of type approval – the document by means of which the body for approval officially certifies that the type of the vehicle, systems, component or separate technical node is approved;

4) approval like the vehicle in general – approval of type by means of which the body for approval certifies that the type of the incomplete, complete or completed vehicle conforms to applicable administrative provisions and technical requirements;

5) national approval of type – the procedure by means of which the body for approval of the Republic of Moldova certifies that the type of the vehicle, systems, component or separate technical node conforms to applicable administrative provisions and technical requirements;

6) the certificate of conformity – the document issued by the producer, certifying that the made vehicle corresponds to the approved type of the vehicle and answers all regulating acts applicable at the time of its production;

7) individual approval of the vehicle – the procedure by means of which the body for approval certifies that certain vehicle irrespective of, it is single or not, conforms to the administrative provisions and technical requirements applicable to national individual approval of vehicles;

8) approval like system – approval of type by means of which the body for approval certifies that the system installed on the vehicle of certain type conforms to applicable administrative provisions and technical requirements;

9) approval like separate technical node – the procedure by means of which the body for approval certifies that the type of separate technical node conforms to proper administrative positions and technical requirements concerning one or several types of vehicles;

10) multi-stage approval of type – the procedure by means of which one or several bodies for approval certify that depending on extent of picking the type of the incomplete or completed vehicle conforms to applicable administrative provisions and technical requirements;

11) approval like component – approval of type by means of which the body for approval certifies that the component, held for use irrespective of the vehicle, conforms to applicable administrative provisions and technical requirements;

12) step-by-step approval of type – the procedure which is consisting in consecutive collection of full range of national certificates of type approval and/or certificates of type approval of the EU or certificates of type approval of the UN on the systems, components and separate technical nodes relating to the vehicle, and coming to the end at the final stage with approval like the vehicle in general;

13) one-stage approval of type – the procedure by means of which the body for approval within single transaction certifies that the type of the vehicle, systems, component or the separate technical node considered as a unit conforms to applicable administrative provisions and technical requirements;

14) the mixed approval of type – step-by-step approval of type in case of which one or several approvals like separate systems are got at the last stage approvals like the vehicle in general, without the need for issue of certificates of type approval for these systems;

15) national authority on accreditation – the body provided by the Law on activities for accreditation and assessment of conformity No. 235/2011, which performs accreditation and has the powers and functions established by this law;

16) the basic vehicle – the vehicle used at the initial stage of multi-stage approval of type;

17) the incomplete vehicle – the vehicle which completion of production requires at least one more production phase for the purpose of ensuring compliance to all applicable technical requirements provided by this law;

18) the completed vehicle – the vehicle created as a result of process of multi-stage approval of type, conforming to the proper technical requirements provided by this law;

19) the complete vehicle – the vehicle which is not requiring completion for compliance to the applicable technical requirements provided by this law;

20) the vehicle – any vehicle or its trail car;

21) the vehicle – the motor vehicle developed and made for movement by own means, having at least four wheels is complete, completed or incomplete and has the maximum constructive speed over 25 km/h;

22) trail car – the wheel vehicle without own drive developed and made for towage by the vehicle which can turn at least around one horizontal axis, the perpendicular longitudinal median plane, and around one vertical axis parallel to the longitudinal median plane of the towing vehicle;

23) system – set of the devices combined for ensuring accomplishment of one or several specific functions in the vehicle and to which requirements of this law or the acts for its enforcement approved based on this law extend;

24) component – the device provided in quality of component of the vehicle which can get approval of type separately from the vehicle and to which requirements of this law and/or any regulation to enforcement of this law extend if the special regulating act contains direct provisions in this respect;

25) separate technical node – the device provided in quality of component of the vehicle which can get approval of type separately from the vehicle but only in connection with one or several specified types of vehicles and to which requirements of this law and acts to its enforcement extend if the regulating act contains direct provisions in this respect;

26) details – the products used in case of assembly, repair or vehicle maintenance and also spare parts;

27) the equipment – products, except details which can be added to the vehicle or are established on it;

28) original details or the equipment – the details or the equipment made according to the specifications and production regulations provided by the producer of the vehicle for production of the details or the equipment intended for assembly of this vehicle; it includes the details or the equipment made on the same production line, as specified to part; to the proof of the return it is considered that details or the equipment are original if the producer certifies that their quality level corresponds to the quality level of the components used in case of assembly of this vehicle and that they were made according to specifications and production regulations of the producer of the vehicle;

29) spare parts – the products which are subject to installation in the vehicle or on it for the purpose of replacement of its original details including the products necessary for functioning of the vehicle, except for fuels;

30) safety of operation – lack of any unacceptable risk of damnification or health hazard of the person or to property as a result of the dangers caused by defective work of mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, electric or electronic systems, components or separate technical nodes;

31) the vehicle which is laid off – the vehicle which is part of inventories which cannot be put on the market or cannot be put on the market, registered or put into operation any more in connection with entry into force of new technical requirements according to which it did not get approval;

32) seat, in understanding of vehicles, stipulated in Item 2) parts (1) 2, means Articles:

a) saddle on which either the driver, or the passenger sits and which is used by osedlaniye; or

b) any seat accomodating at least one person whose sizes correspond to the sizes of anthropometrical dummy of the adult man of the 50th percentile, in case of the driver;

33) the vehicle of small series – type of the vehicle which quantity of the units provided in the market, registered or put into operation does not exceed the set annual quantitative restrictions;

34) the vehicle of special purpose – the vehicle of categories M, N or O having the specific technical characteristics allowing it to perform the function requiring special devices or the equipment;

35) vehicle type – group of vehicles, including options and versions of certain category which do not differ among themselves at least on the following aspects:

a) category and subcategory;

b) producer;

c) the chassis, frame, subframe, floor or design to which the main components fasten;

d) the name of type appropriated by the producer;

36) supervision of the market – the activities performed by supervision body behind the market and the measures taken by it for providing the fact that the vehicles provided in the market, systems, components and separate technical nodes, and also details and the equipment conform to the requirements provided in the applicable legislation and do not create threat for health, safety, the environment or any other aspect connected with protection of public concerns;

Disclaimer! This text was translated by AI translator and is not a valid juridical document. No warranty. No claim. More info