The dactyloscopic registration will be mandatory for all foreigners detained for illegal border crossing or those who stay illegally on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. The authorities argued that the measure will contribute to combating illegal migration on the country's territory. The MPs gave a first reading to the draft law that more clearly regulates the detention of foreigners, IPN reports.

The Ministry of the Interior, which is the author of the draft law, proposes provisions that exhaustively define the procedure for taking foreigners into public custody. Detention may be applied, by the court's decision, to foreigners who did not execute the return decision or who could not be returned within the deadlines stipulated by the legislation, who crossed or attempted to cross the border illegally, who entered the country during the previously set period of prohibition, whose identity could not be established, who were declared undesirable, against whom expulsion was ordered.

The detention will be ordered for a period of up to 30 days, and the extension period will not exceed six consecutive months. In the case of the foreigner declared undesirable, the extension period will not exceed 12 months.

The draft law also contains provisions that refer to procedural guarantees when taking the foreigner into public custody, the possibility for persons placed in public custody to take part in the court hearing by using the teleconferencing application, and the grounds for releasing foreigners from public detention.

According to statistical data, 133 foreigners were taken to the Temporary Placement Center for Foreigners last year, and the average duration of accommodation was 31 days.