---
title: "Interior Ministry moves to create facial biometric database"
url: https://radiomoldova.md/p/85751/interior-ministry-moves-to-create-facial-biometric-database
published: 2026-09-24T06:00:00Z
language: en
author: "Dumitru Petruleac"
section: "Social"
source: radiomoldova.md
---

# Interior Ministry moves to create facial biometric database

> Moldova’s Ministry of Internal Affairs has drafted regulations to create a national facial recognition database, allowing law enforcement agencies to compare photographs and deploy biometric identification during criminal investigations.

![](https://storage.radiomoldova.md/images/d2d6160c-c72a-4caf-bac7-f1a4d0f64402.jpg)

Moldova’s Ministry of Internal Affairs has drafted regulations to create a national facial recognition database, allowing law enforcement agencies to compare photographs and deploy biometric identification during criminal investigations.

The draft government decision, which is currently undergoing public consultation, establishes the "Facial Image Registry" Information System (SI RIF). The specialized digital infrastructure is designed to record, administer, compare, and validate facial photographs to identify suspects, trace missing persons, and identify human remains.

The registry will store both identified and unidentified facial images. Under the proposed framework, each entry will receive a unique reference code that excludes direct identifiers such as the individual’s name, surname, or state personal identification number (IDNP).

**Mandatory human validation safeguards**

Automated matching will serve strictly as an initial technical filter. The ministry specified that algorithmic similarity does not constitute confirmed identification and cannot produce legal, procedural, or administrative consequences on its own.

A designated and trained forensic operator must independently verify any potential match. Full identity profiles and personal dossiers will be retrieved from state databases only after a certified specialist validates the technical result.

To maintain accountability, every search, verification, and data query within the registry must be logged with the user's identity, timestamp, and legal basis. The regulations explicitly forbid exploratory or untargeted data searches.

**European integration and cross-border data exchange**

The initiative forms part of Moldova's broader harmonisation with European Union security standards, laying the domestic groundwork for future automated cross-border information exchanges between police agencies.

Cross-border sharing will operate through a separate, decoupled reference dataset that strictly limits access until an algorithmic match is legally validated. Authorities noted that international exchanges will not activate immediately, but will await dedicated cross-border legislation.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs will own and oversee the platform, while its Information Technology Service will handle software maintenance and database management. The Information Technology and Cyber Security Service (STISC) will provide state cloud hosting and core infrastructure.

Translation by **Iurie Tataru**

**RELATED COVERAGE**

* [Moldova unveils new plan to combat crime and strengthen public security](https://moldova1.md/p/56834/moldova-unveils-new-plan-to-combat-crime-and-strengthen-public-security)
* [Cyber attack targets Moldovan government websites](https://moldova1.md/p/85148/cyber-attack-targets-moldovan-government-websites)
* [Online scams caused over 270 million lei in losses in Republic of Moldova in 2025](https://moldova1.md/p/74649/online-scams-caused-over-270-million-lei-in-losses-in-republic-of-moldova-in-2025)
* [Moldova receives first batch of electronic tracking bracelets](https://moldova1.md/p/84968/moldova-receives-first-batch-of-electronic-tracking-bracelets)
* ["StopDrog" platform is now live in Moldova for anonymous reporting of drug use or trafficking](https://moldova1.md/p/85370/-stopdrog-platform-is-now-live-in-moldova-for-anonymous-reporting-of-drug-use-or-trafficking)