Why a child under 14 may be barred from leaving Russia in 2025

What happened?

The list of documents required to obtain a passport for children under 14 now includes a new condition: the birth certificate must carry a Russian citizenship stamp. Going forward, a passport for a child under 14 will be issued solely on the basis of a birth certificate bearing this citizenship stamp. The change stems from amendments to Russia's citizenship law.

Where's the catch?

Russian citizens enter and leave the country on an international passport. This means that if a child was born outside Russia and managed to enter the country on the passport of another state, they may not be allowed to leave again.

On a birth certificate alone, without an international passport, children under 14 may still travel to Abkhazia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and South Ossetia.

What should you do?

If the child was born in Russia

• The stamp can be obtained at a territorial office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Russia.
• It is issued only when both parents are present in person.
• Documents required: an application (completed on site), the birth certificate and a copy of it, the internal Russian passports of both parents and copies of them, and a Form No. 8 certificate for the child.
• Processing time: five days.

If the child was born outside Russia

The procedure is as follows:

• Obtain the birth certificate in the country where the child was born.
• Attach an apostille to it.
• At the Russian consulate, a Russian translation is attached to the document.
• The translation is stamped to confirm the acquisition of Russian citizenship.

The result is a three-page document, while the original birth certificate carries no foreign stamps and therefore remains valid.

What changed in 2026

From 20 January 2026, the birth certificate was removed from the list of documents on which children under 14 can leave Russia. For Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan a child now needs their own international passport, even when travelling with both parents. Only children who left before 20 January 2026 could return to Russia on a birth certificate.

From 14 May 2026, the border service again lets children under 14 travel to Abkhazia and South Ossetia on a birth certificate, but only if it carries the Russian citizenship mark. This is a temporary arrangement valid until the end of 2027. If the child already has an international passport, take it along: entry rules in those territories may differ from Russia's exit rules.

A child's international passport: types, timing and fees

A child under 14 can get one of two kinds of international passport.

• The new-style biometric passport is valid for 10 years. The fee for a child under 14 is RUB 3,000, about $36. Fingerprints are taken from age 12.
• The old-style passport is valid for 5 years. The fee for a child under 14 is RUB 1,000, about $12.

At the place of residence the passport is issued within a month; at a place of temporary stay or at a consulate abroad, within up to three months. The application can be filed on the state services portal, and the visit requires a birth certificate with the citizenship mark. The mark is free, takes up to 5 working days and can be booked on the state services portal or at a one-stop centre with an interior ministry officer. Dollar amounts use the Central Bank of Russia rate of 6 October 2026, RUB 84.93 per dollar, rounded up.

From 2027 children cannot be added to a parent's passport

From 1 January 2027, details of children under 14 will no longer be entered in a parent's international passport. Every child will need their own passport, so families planning trips in 2027 should get children's passports in advance rather than face queues at the start of the year. A child previously entered in a parent's passport can travel on that entry only together with that parent.

Is the other parent's consent needed

• The child travels with one parent. By law, the other parent's consent is not needed.
• The other parent objects. They may file a statement of non-consent with the interior ministry. While it stands, border guards will not let the child out, and a court resolves the dispute. Check for such a ban before travelling.
• The child travels without parents or with a grandparent, coach or other companion. Notarised consent of at least one parent is required, and some countries ask for it at the visa stage.

If the child has two citizenships

A child with Russian citizenship enters and leaves Russia only on a Russian document, even if they hold another country's passport. The foreign passport works for entering the second country, but at the Russian border it does not replace a Russian international passport. Families whose child was born abroad should therefore obtain the citizenship mark and a Russian international passport at a consulate before travelling to Russia, allowing up to three months. The law does not prohibit a child's second citizenship, but in Russia the child is treated only as a Russian citizen.

What to take to the border

• the child's international passport or, for Abkhazia and South Ossetia, a birth certificate with the citizenship mark;
• the birth certificate even if there is a passport: it proves the adult is the child's parent;
• if the parent and child have different surnames, a marriage, divorce or name change certificate;
• notarised parental consent if the child travels without parents;
• documents required by the destination country, such as a translated travel consent.

Check documents a month before the trip: that is enough time to get the citizenship mark and, if needed, speed up the passport.

How we help

We check a child's documents before travel, prepare the apostille and translations for the consulate, and handle citizenship and passport paperwork for a child born abroad. If the family is considering a second citizenship or residence permit for the children, we choose the country and manage the process end to end. Write in the chat and a manager will review your situation and calculate the cost.

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