From June 30, 2025, foreign citizens entering Russia will be required to submit fingerprints and be photographed when crossing the border through any checkpoint.
The changes do not apply to citizens of Belarus and children under 6 years old. They also will not affect diplomats, employees of diplomatic missions and consular offices of other countries, employees of international organizations accredited in Russia, and members of their families.
For visa-free entry into Russia, foreigners will be able to submit biometric data in advance through a special application, as well as submit an application with personal information and the purpose of the visit.
Since December 1, 2024, as part of an experiment, biometric data has been collected from foreigners and stateless persons at the Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo airports in Moscow, the Zhukovsky airport in the Moscow region, and at the Mashtakovo automobile checkpoint in the Orenburg region. Upon entering Russia, they are photographed and fingerprinted.
Read materials on the topic:
In Russia, the grounds for processing biometrics without consent have been expanded
In Russia, they began to check train passengers using biometrics
Bioacquiring is reaching a new level: Sber is expanding access to biometrics to other banks