New rules for children under 14 traveling abroad take effect in the new year

From January 20, 2026, children under 14 will need an international passport to travel to Abkhazia, Belarus, South Ossetia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. This rule will apply regardless of whether children travel to these countries with their parents or with accompanying persons.

Children over 14 and adult citizens of the Russian Federation may continue to enter these countries using their Russian domestic passports. Children who have already departed using a birth certificate before January 20, 2026, will be able to return to the Russian Federation using it.

The Migration Service of the Russian Federation recommends arranging international passports for Russian minors in advance. You can read about how to do this here.

According to Rosstat, in the first quarter of 2025 52 thousand Russians took tourist trips to Kyrgyzstan. Many of them traveled with children. During the same period, Russian citizens made 440 thousand trips to Kazakhstan. In the 2025 summer season, Abkhazia took first place among destinations abroad for Russians for the first time. South Ossetia was visited by 6.5 thousand Russians in the first 9 months of 2025. Demand for trips to the republic increased by 10-15% after air service resumed following a 30-year hiatus.