Are Moldovan stamps public domain?

Yes. In the archive's reading, Moldovan stamps of any date are public domain, because Moldovan copyright law leaves state emblems and official signs unprotected. Moldova's 2016 Postal Law defines a stamp as a printed sign of value issued only by the state, as an attribute of its sovereignty.

Why are Moldovan stamps not protected by copyright?

Because they count as official signs of the state. Moldovan copyright law excludes state emblems and official signs, such as flags, armorial bearings and monetary signs, and the 2016 Postal Law defines a stamp as a printed sign of value that only the state issues. The exclusion has no time limit, so it covers Moldovan stamps of any date.

Are Transnistria stamps covered by the same rule?

This page does not answer for them. Transnistria, east of the Dniester, broke away from Moldova in 1990, and Wikimedia Commons' note on Moldovan stamps, which the archive reads as public domain at any date, does not mention Transnistrian issues.

Moldova

Are Moldova stamps public domain?

Yes: Moldovan stamps of any date are public domain, in the archive's reading of Wikimedia Commons. Commons treats them as exempt, because Moldovan copyright law leaves state emblems and official signs unprotected, and the 2016 Postal Law defines a stamp as a printed sign of value issued only by the state as an attribute of its sovereignty.

Why any date?

Moldova's copyright law excludes state emblems and official signs, with flags, armorial bearings, decorations and monetary signs as examples. Commons cites Article 7 of Law No. 293-XIII of November 23, 1994, and Commons' license tag quotes the same exclusion from Article 8 of Law No. 139 of 2010.¹² Commons links the exclusion to stamps through Postal Law No. 36 of 2016, which calls a stamp a printed sign of value that only the state issues, as an attribute of its sovereignty.¹ The exclusion has no time limit, so the archive gives the same answer for every year of issue. A newer copyright law, No. 230 of 2022, took effect on October 9, 2022, and Commons' note on stamps does not mention it.¹

Postal history and copyright

Commons traces the territory from the cession of Bessarabia to the Russian Empire in 1812, through Romanian rule after the Russian Revolution, to the Moldavian SSR formed in 1940, and records Moldova's declaration of independence on August 27, 1991.¹ The first stamps of independent Moldova were designed by Grigoriy Bronza and issued in 1991, according to Wikipedia.³ Commons' note on stamps rests on the laws of independent Moldova. It does not address Romanian or Soviet stamps used in the territory before 1991, and the archive treats their status as open. Commons also notes that Transnistria, east of the Dniester, broke away in 1990, and its note on Moldovan stamps does not mention Transnistrian issues.¹

References 3

↑ Copyright rules for Moldova. Wikimedia Commons, August 22, 2023. Accessed October 8, 2026.
↑ Wikimedia Commons license tag (Moldova). Wikimedia Commons, August 22, 2022. Accessed October 8, 2026.
↑ Postage stamps and postal history of Moldova. Wikipedia, August 4, 2026. Accessed October 8, 2026.

Copyright law in Moldova

Moldova’s own stamps follow the rule below. The historical issuers named here are read under the country’s general copyright law. A design answers Likely yes or Likely no only when every term that could apply agrees, and Unclear when they disagree.

Named designer: 70 years after the designer’s death
Anonymous: 70 years from issue
Before 2010: 50 years after the designer’s death.
Older stamps: A stamp whose protection had already run out was protected again when the term was extended.
Note: State emblems and official signs are not protected, and Moldovan stamps are treated as exempt. The date the 2010 law took effect is not recorded.

Historical issuers read under this law: Bessarabia, Moldavia, Moldo-Wallachia, Transnistria.

Read from Wikimedia Commons, copyright rules for Moldova, revision 795125833, checked October 8, 2026

The rule by period

PeriodRule

Any datePublic domain: an official sign of the state, which its copyright law leaves unprotected.In the archive's reading every Moldovan stamp is an official sign of the state, which Moldovan copyright law leaves unprotected.

Sources Commons cites 1

ЗАКОН № 36 от 17-03-2016. Justice Ministry of Moldova

Moldova stamps and the public domain: questions

Are Moldovan stamps public domain?: Yes. In the archive's reading, Moldovan stamps of any date are public domain, because Moldovan copyright law leaves state emblems and official signs unprotected. Moldova's 2016 Postal Law defines a stamp as a printed sign of value issued only by the state, as an attribute of its sovereignty.
Why are Moldovan stamps not protected by copyright?: Because they count as official signs of the state. Moldovan copyright law excludes state emblems and official signs, such as flags, armorial bearings and monetary signs, and the 2016 Postal Law defines a stamp as a printed sign of value that only the state issues. The exclusion has no time limit, so it covers Moldovan stamps of any date.
Are Transnistria stamps covered by the same rule?: This page does not answer for them. Transnistria, east of the Dniester, broke away from Moldova in 1990, and Wikimedia Commons' note on Moldovan stamps, which the archive reads as public domain at any date, does not mention Transnistrian issues.