Argentina says it has seen thousands of new children registered by Russian 'birth tourists'. Photo / Julia Kadel, Unsplash
Argentina says it has seen thousands of new children registered by Russian 'birth tourists'. Photo / Julia Kadel, Unsplash
Argentina says that more than 5000 pregnant Russian women have arrived in the county over the past six months. With many intending to stay and give birth in South America, the country has seen a boom in birth tourism and interest in Argentine citizenship.
On Thursday a single flight carrying 33 ‘mothers-to-be’ arrived at the Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires.
All travelling on Russian passports and in the late stages of pregnancy, La Nacion reported that the women were held over “not honouring” the conditions of their tourist visas. Three of the women were denied entry to the country.
“In this case it was suspected that it was ‘false tourism’, because they admitted that they had come to have their children in Argentina,” migration agency head Florencia Carignano told local media.
Since February last year and the beginning of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine, there has been a spike in interest in families looking to obtain Argentine citizenship.
While travel and opportunities out of Moscow have stagnated, wealthy Russian families have been exploring routes to citizenship in other countries. One of these pathways is citizenship by birth in countries like Argentina or Brazil.
Argentina awards citizenship to children born in the country, and automatic residence to the parents. The fact the Argentine passport is widely accepted, offering visa-free access to 171 countries, makes it an appealing loophole to Russians looking to start a new life.
Cookery book writer and photographer Ksenia Malina who came to Buenos Aires to give birth says she “didn’t regret the decision”.
In a social post the blogger says that she has been contacted by friends and strangers for help planning to move to South America.
“At that time everyone was asking me ‘why?’, in the last few months all I’m hearing now are requests from families for information and help with their own trips.”
Argentina isn’t the only South American country to see an uptick in birth tourism.
Brazilian cities have also seen a share of the phenomenon. On Saturday the Financial Times reported that so many Russian babies have been born in Florianopolis that the few Orthodox priests in the city are being inundated with baptisms. A local Telegram App forum for Russian mothers has grown to 241 members since the beginning of the year.
However, the Argentine route has grown rapidly with specialised agencies offering ‘travel packages’ for families seeking citizenship.
Georgy Polin, head of the consular department of the Russian Embassy in Argentina, told the Guardian newspaper they expect up to 10,000 Russian women registering births in 2023.
The impact of the Russian ‘birth tourism’ industry is already being felt in Buenos Aries. Local classified ads ask for childcare with a preference for ‘Russian speakers’. Maternity wards the Fernandez hospital now have printed signs in Cyrillic.
Some agencies are charging over $24,000 for travel packages, including birth plans, airport transfers, and language lessons for their new Argentine life.
Specialist travel agents Baby RuArgentina say that they have helped over 100 clients seeking travel, translators and legal assistance.
Owner Kirill Makoveev told the Guardian that his company now had a waiting list and the services were fully booked until May.
Since the war, Russian conscription has been a big concern for families and young fathers.
“If you don’t think that the Army makes a boy a man, then Argentina gives you a great opportunity to save your future son from the barbaric practice of compulsory military conscription,” reads the advertising copy from the website.
Founder of RuArgentina Kirill Makoveev says they have helped over 100 mothers relocate to Argentina. Photo / Screenshot
With many families looking to relocate out of Russia and invest a good chunk of their life savings in the process, the Argentine authorities worry there is a growing black market in facilitating birth tourism.
On Friday, following the arrival of the women on the Buenos Aires flight, Carignano told local media that while it is “not an offence” to give birth in the country they were concerned that the practice is ripe for exploitation by organised crime.
“There is a judicial investigation that is behind these gangs that bring women and men, and behind it there is a million-dollar business,” he said.
With agencies sprouting up online offering services in Russia and Argentina, the migration agency is investigating potential trafficking and exploitation of families.
This weekend the Argentine police said that raids were conducted regarding gangs issuing fake documents to Russian immigrants as part of an “illicit network” into the country.
