In Moldova, the engine number of cars will not be indicated in the vehicle registration certificate, neither in the State Services Agency’s database.
This is provided for by the legislative amendments approved by the government at a meeting on Wednesday. The bill was elaborated with the aim of bringing the national legislation in line with the EU practice and to establish clear rules for vehicle identification. As noted by the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure, in 2017, the government decided to exclude from the Vehicle Registration Certificate the column in which the engine number was indicated. Until then, Moldova was the only country in the region where the engine number was included in the registration certificate and was considered an element of vehicle identification. The countries of the European Union have long assigned the engine the status of a spare part and do not include the engine number in the vehicle registration certificate. This example was followed by Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. As the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure noted, in Moldova, by a government decision, the engine number was excluded from the vehicle registration certificate, but in practice the goal was not fully achieved, since the engine number continues to be registered in the database of the State Services Agency. There are times when traffic inspectors stop vehicles and escort them to special parking lots on the grounds that their car's engine number does not match the number in the database or the number is not visible enough due to wear and tear. In addition, the government decree approving the Regulation on Technical Supervision by the National Inspectorate of Public Security stipulates that before checking the condition of the car, the employees of the inspectorate check that the engine numbers match the data from the registration documents. It was also stipulated that the control of the technical and ecological condition of the vehicle in the process of movement provides for checking the compliance of the engine identification numbers with the numbers indicated in the registration certificates. This situation arose due to the fact that the government decree adopted in 2017 was not brought into line with European standards and other documents governing the rules for registration and identification of vehicles. To correct this situation, the aforementioned amendments were elaborated, which provide that the engine number of the car will not be indicated in the vehicle registration certificate, neither in the database of the Agency of State Services. As a result, according to the amended provisions, the following data on the vehicle's engine are entered into the registration certificate: cylinder volume; maximum net power (in kW) (if available); type of fuel or energy source. At the same time, the vehicle is identified by checking the license plates and chassis number or vehicle serial number. // 12.11.2020 - InfoMarket.