Moldova
Civil law
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Moldova is a civil-law country with a Constitution of 1994. Its law moved from the Soviet model toward European standards, and it is a member of the Council of Europe. The region of Transnistria is outside the government's control.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Where the law comes from
- The Constitution of 1994, the highest law
- Codes and statutes, such as the Civil Code (2002)
- The European Convention on Human Rights, as a treaty
- Decisions of the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court of Justice
The main courts
- The Constitutional Court, which reviews laws
- The Supreme Court of Justice, and courts of appeal
- District courts, and specialised courts such as the commercial court
Becoming a lawyer
A law degree and a qualification exam, then admission to the Bar (Uniunea Avocaților).
What may surprise you
- A territory in the east, Transnistria, runs its own courts that the Moldovan state does not control.
- The autonomous region of Gagauzia has its own special status within the Constitution.
- The Civil Code draws on Romanian and other European models.
Related systems
How this country is classified
The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists Moldova as: Civil law. It names the systems in order of importance.
The map colours a country by the first-named system, and shows both civil-law and common-law countries as “mixed”. It is a simplification, and real systems are rarely pure.
Other countries in the same family
Sources
Sources last reviewed: October 2026.
TheLawToKnow Tools’s Legal Families Atlas is an educational overview. It simplifies on purpose, and it is not legal advice. For a real legal question about Moldova, consult a lawyer qualified there. Report a mistake.
