Russia Will Stop Adding Children to Parents’ Foreign Passports in January 2027

Russia has approved changes to the description of its foreign passport forms. The change is relevant to Russian citizens applying for foreign passports, including parents of minors. It may also matter to foreign nationals who travel with Russian family members, have Russian children, or need to understand which travel document a Russian child will hold. The available official announcement does not state the exact January 2027 start date or explain how entries made before the change will be treated.

What will change in Russian foreign passports

The Russian government has signed a resolution amending the description of Russian foreign passport forms. A foreign passport is the document a Russian citizen uses for travel outside Russia; it is separate from a Russian internal passport and from a visa issued to a foreign visitor.

The updated form description removes the fields called “Personal Code” and “Account Record.” It also changes document-type designations in the machine-readable zone, the coded lines designed for automated document checks. The new designations are PP for an ordinary passport, PD for a diplomatic passport and PO for a service passport, replacing P, D and S respectively.

Children will no longer be entered in a parent’s passport

The key practical change is planned for January 2027: information about children will no longer be added to a parent’s Russian foreign passport. The announced change concerns Russian citizens applying for foreign passports and, in particular, parents of minor children.

The source does not specify the exact day in January 2027 when the rule will begin. It also does not explain whether entries about children already made in previously issued passports will remain valid, whether those passports will need replacement, or what transition arrangements will apply. These points must be checked in the official resolution and with the competent Russian authority before making travel plans.

What to do before travelling to or from Russia

Before applying for a Russian foreign passport in 2027, Russian parents should take account of the end of child entries in parental passports. They should confirm which travel document their child needs and whether any additional document is required for the planned journey. The supplied information does not list the required documents or application procedure.

Foreign parents, relatives and guardians travelling with a Russian child should not assume that a reference to a child in a parent’s passport will be available after the change takes effect. Check the child’s own travel-document situation before booking travel or applying for a visa. Visa requirements, the country where an application is filed, fees and processing methods are not provided in the announcement and must be verified with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD), or the relevant Russian consulate.

Border and visa questions: what this change does not explain

This resolution concerns the description of Russian foreign passport forms. The announcement does not set out visa categories, electronic visa eligibility, border-crossing rules, invitation requirements or registration rules after arrival in Russia. It therefore should not be treated as a new Russian entry rule for foreign nationals.

For travel to Russia, a foreign visitor should separately verify the appropriate visa or electronic visa route, if applicable, with the Russian MFA or the Russian consulate responsible for the place of application. For issues handled after arrival, including migration registration where required, check current requirements with the MVD or the authority responsible at the place of stay.

Checks after arrival in Russia

The announced passport-form changes do not describe any new action that Russian citizens, foreign visitors or hosts must take after arrival in Russia. No new registration procedure, border document, deadline or reporting duty is stated in the available material.

If a child or parent is already in Russia when travel documents are being prepared or renewed, confirm the current procedure directly with the competent authority. In particular, ask about the exact effective date, treatment of existing child entries and the documents needed for future travel.

Что проверить

• If applying for a Russian foreign passport in 2027, note that child details are planned to stop being entered from January 2027.
• Check the official government resolution for the exact effective date in January 2027.
• Ask the Russian MFA, MVD or the relevant Russian consulate how previously issued passports containing child entries are treated.
• Before international travel, confirm what travel document a Russian child needs; the announcement does not specify this procedure.
• Do not rely on this change as guidance on visas, electronic visas, invitations, border documents or post-arrival registration; verify those matters separately with the competent authority.