QR code requirements at the border have made it difficult for residents of the South Caucasus to enter Russia

The absence of a QR code, which, according to the new rules, citizens of the South Caucasus states are recommended to have for entry into Russia, leads to delays at the border and becomes a reason for refusal of entry.

As "Caucasian Knot" wrote, on June 30, a new entry procedure into Russia for citizens of visa-free countries, including Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia, came into force. They must register in the state application RuID no later than three days before the trip, indicating their data and the purpose of their visit.

Some foreign citizens perceived the innovation as “an additional bureaucratic procedure that complicates the lives of foreigners in Russia.” At the same time, one of them, Alisher from Uzbekistan, did not express regret about the tightening of entry conditions to Russia.

They don’t let us freely into Russia – we’ll work in European countries

“Perhaps now our compatriots will think about their value and will strive for more decent working conditions. They don’t let us freely into Russia – we’ll work in European countries,” he told a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

18:19 24.06.2025

Attracting workers from Afghanistan to the North Caucasus emphasized the intensification of relations between Moscow and Kabul

The dispatch of a thousand Afghan specialists to Chechnya, Dagestan and the Krasnodar Territory announced at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum will not solve the problem of labor shortages and is mainly of a diplomatic nature.

The man explained that he had previously worked in Krasnodar building houses as a labor migrant. "But there was nothing left from my income: bribes, all sorts of extortions and innovations - and my stay in Russia became meaningless. And I don’t even want to remember all the bullying and humiliation that I went through. Now I work in Europe, the attitude towards migrants is much more humane. This is my personal experience," Alisher said.

A representative of the border service at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the new initiative has not yet affected the work of border guards. "We have not received any instructions regarding the mandatory presence of the RuID application or QR code for those wishing to enter Russia. The entry regime into the country is carried out in the same way,” he said.

At the same time, human rights activists began to record complaints about the new entry rules into the country, a lawyer for migrants Valentina Chupik told a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

Some are allowed in, some are not allowed in

“It happens in different ways. In most cases, a QR code is required as mandatory, they keep you at the border for many hours, then they let some through, they don’t let some through, and they give reasons for not letting through, including the lack of a QR code, although others are let through without it,” the human rights activist said.

Registration in RuID or its absence has almost no effect on letting through the border, she notes. “Unless the border guards also ask this question and arbitrarily accuse those who were not let through of not having completed this registration (including those who passed but did not receive a QR code, since the application often does not work),” she said.

Chupik expressed confidence that after the project is tested, it will be made “mandatory, if not at the level of a regulatory act, then at the level of law enforcement.”

According to her, recently, citizens of Armenia and Tajikistan most often seek legal assistance, despite the complication of relations between Russia and Azerbaijan. "There have been fewer requests from citizens of Azerbaijan since June 26, and more from citizens of Armenia and Tajikistan," said Valentina Chupik.

The head of the "Migration and Law" network Svetlana Gannushkina (included in the register of foreign agents) reported that her organization has not yet recorded significant violations in connection with the launch of the "digital passport for foreigners" (RuID) project.

"So far, there is nothing definite. [Azerbaijanis] only had problems in Yekaterinburg and Voronezh," Gannushkina told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Recall that in May 2024, Vladimir Putin signed a decree allowing Georgian citizens to enter Russia without a visa for up to 90 days, with the exception of labor migrants. In October of the same year, Putin extended the visa-free regime for Georgian citizens, allowing them to enter Russia for more than 90 days, including for work and education, without obtaining a visa.