Economic agents will have to obtain a special permit if they want to use the name “Republic of Moldova” or its historical forms for profit, in activities that generate income. Applications will be submitted to the Public Services Agency and the examination period may take up to 30 days, IPN reports.
The regulation on the manner and conditions for granting and withdrawing this permission has been approved by the Government. With these regulations, the authorities aim to prevent misuse of the official name of the state and, at the same time, to promote the image of the Republic of Moldova internationally.
Permission is required to use the official name “Republic of Moldova”, abbreviated forms such as “Moldova” or historical names such as “Tara Moldovei”, including any abbreviations, derivatives, translations or graphical variants, whether used alone or in combination with other verbal or figurative elements.
Only economic operators that have realized at least 50% of their revenues from the export of goods or services in the last year will be able to obtain this permission. Legal entities with large taxpayer status or those in which the state owns at least 25% of the share capital or shareholding are also eligible. Permission may also be granted if the official or historical name of the state is included in the name of a legal person registered in the Republic of Moldova, whose founder or majority shareholder is a foreign legal entity.
Applications can be submitted both physically and electronically to the Public Services Agency.
Permission shall be granted for an indefinite period, but shall not confer on the holder an exclusive right to use the official or historical name of the State. Permission may be withdrawn if the name is used in a form other than that approved or in the event of abuses found by the authorities.