Abkhazia to Lose Tourists Over Foreign Passports for Children
Starting today, children under 14 can leave Russia for Abkhazia, Belarus, South Ossetia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan only with foreign passports. Tourists will no longer be able to go on vacation with children using birth certificates.
Experts from the Russian Union of Travel Industry (RST) believe that the innovation will most affect tourist flow to Abkhazia. Commercial Director of the tour operator «Alean» Oksana Bulakh predicts that the restriction will primarily impact Abkhazia—it is not only a mass beach destination but also the most popular one specifically for trips with children.
«In 2025, the share of tours to Abkhazia from our company»s total bookings was 24%, and for Belarus—only 4.5%. Among those going to Abkhazia, the share of tourists with children under 14 is 35%. We predict that one-third of this number may cancel their trips after the new requirements are introduced. Not all tourists follow the news, some plan trips on short notice because they can«t decide on vacation dates in advance, there is a share of »spontaneous travelers,« and Abkhazia is very popular among them. They may cancel the trip because they won»t have time to process the documents,« said Oksana Bulakh.
Meanwhile, bookings for summer are currently stable, roughly at last year«s level.
«Perhaps we will feel the loss of tourist flow closer to the season, as those who never considered Abkhazia as a foreign destination and did not obtain a foreign passport for travel will cancel their trips,» the expert believes. She added that tour operators are warning tourists about the ban on children traveling with birth certificates.
Abkhazia is among the top 10 most popular vacation destinations for Russians. There is both a large independent flow and organized travel. Sales through tour operators increased last summer by 25-40 percent, and overall, according to the latest data from the republic«s authorities, tourist flow from Russia to Abkhazia in 2025 was 1.6 million people, which is 20 percent more than in 2024.
Far fewer tourists with young children go to Belarus; the destination is mainly chosen for sanatorium-resort treatment. Among those who go on sightseeing tours, the share of families with minors does not exceed 5-7%, so here the negative impact of the innovation will be felt less. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and South Ossetia are popular mainly among fans of active, educational, and sightseeing tours, so the share of family tourists and, accordingly, children is even lower here.
Changes to the law «On the Procedure for Exit from the Russian Federation and Entry into the Russian Federation» were adopted in July 2025, and the amendments came into force today—January 20. Children who left using birth certificates before January 20 can return with them. Russians over 14 can continue to travel abroad with internal or foreign passports.
