Julia and Dmitry (names changed for security reasons) traveled this summer from Russia to Brazil for their child to be born there. Julia told DW: "Of course we did not mention at the border that I was pregnant." At that time she was already 32 weeks pregnant. Her daughter was later born in a private clinic in Santos. Now the family is working on preparing the necessary documents so that the child can obtain a Brazilian passport. In Brazil, everyone born in the country essentially obtains citizenship.
“We achieved our minimum goal,” says Dmitry. “With a Brazilian passport our daughter can travel visa-free to most countries in the world. She will not have to apply for an expensive and lengthy Schengen visa. We want her to be able to make her own decision about where she will study, work or live.” In early August, a co-worker traveled with his pregnant wife to Brazil to give birth to their child there.
According to the couple, during the first six weeks they spent the equivalent of about 10,000 euros, including the costs of treating their daughter in the intensive care unit for several days. Dmitry quit his job at a bank for this trip. He hopes to get a new job after they return to Moscow. But the couple does not plan to return until a few months later, once they complete all the necessary documents for their daughter. Other Russian families reside in Brazil permanently.
Russians get Brazilian passports
Representatives of relief initiatives and lawyers supporting Russian citizens on site reported to DW an increasing influx of Russian migrants to Brazil. The country gained popularity especially after the Russian attack on Ukraine in 2022 when Western countries imposed entry restrictions on Russian citizens.
This trend was reinforced by the tightening of immigration rules in Argentina, which until then had been considered one of the most important destinations for so-called “birth tourism.” Since 2025, access to free healthcare has been restricted for people without a permanent residence permit. Procedures for verifying the actual purpose of entry have also been tightened. As for those who seek to obtain Argentine citizenship through the birth of a child, they must now prove legal residency for a period of no less than two years.
The results are visible in statistics: in 2023 Russians submitted more than 7,000 residency applications, a record number. By mid-2025, the number had dropped to only 1,821 applications, according to the Russian news site RBC.
At the same time, the number of Russian citizens obtaining Brazilian passports is increasing. In 2024, 477 passports were issued to Russians, and the number rose to 613 in 2025. More than half of the new citizens were women. As of the end of May 2026, 166 Brazilian passports had been issued to Russian citizens, nearly 60 percent of them to women.
Brazilian passports for parents too
Many families strive to achieve goals beyond this. Parents of a child born in Brazil can apply for a residence permit and obtain Brazilian citizenship after only one year under certain conditions.
Zhanna (a pseudonym) and her husband took this path in 2023. Speaking to DW, Zhanna says: "The events of 2022 certainly played a role, but the idea of giving birth abroad had occurred to me before that. In Russia, a lot can happen. I have always wanted to obtain a second passport and give birth to my child in another country. When I became pregnant unplanned, the only thing left for us to do was decide which country would be the appropriate choice."
Jana gave birth to her son in a government hospital in Florianópolis. After that, the family lived in Brazil for about three years. “It was important for us to get passports for us and our child. I loved life there very much and learned the Portuguese language,” says Jana. Jana and her husband are entrepreneurs and say they have been living as “digital nomads” in different countries for years.
Today, she is trying to maintain her son's relationship with Brazil. “We read books in Portuguese and talk a lot about Brazil. I want him to be able to travel without a visa and remain open to the world.”
Today Florianopolis is one of the most important centers of the Russian community in Brazil. According to data from local health authorities, 119 Russian women went to pregnancy counseling clinics there during the first half of 2026, while the number reached 136 women during the entire year 2025.
The authorities tighten control
A lawyer who prefers to remain anonymous explains that entry into Brazil for the purpose of giving birth is not explicitly permitted from a legal standpoint nor is it prohibited. Many pregnant women enter the country as tourists and do not mention the real reason for their trip at the border. Regardless of their residency status, they can then benefit from public clinics and medical facilities free of charge.
A special service market has now developed around this phenomenon. Russians themselves, even those who have recently immigrated, often arrange accommodation, medical care, or provide assistance with administrative procedures. Prices range from a few thousand dollars for document processing to more than $10,000 for full service packages that include finding housing and arranging hospital care, as well as accompanying female interpreters.
However, providers of these services, lawyers, and volunteers reported increased oversight by Brazilian authorities, especially in cities with larger Russian communities such as Florianópolis.
“The police are now checking more carefully whether people actually live at the addresses mentioned,” says one lawyer. There have been cases where false residence addresses were provided in order to obtain residence permits faster. Moreover, the number of documents required to obtain temporary and permanent residence permits is increasing. But according to research conducted by DW, there are no indications that Russians are being prevented from entering Brazil in large numbers.
Controversy over alleged deportations
In late July, the Russian Telegram channel Baza, and other media outlets later reported, reported on the alleged “deportation” of pregnant Russian women from Brazil. Reports spoke of ten cases. But the Brazilian police denied this account in a statement to DW.
The authorities explained that decisions to deny entry are always made on an individual basis, based on the specific circumstances of each individual case and the applicable regulations. Pregnancy plays no role in this regard. Instead, the validity of travel documents, the stated purpose of the trip and the availability of sufficient financial resources are checked.
DW was only able to find one documented case. In this case a pregnant Russian woman was initially denied entry. After the intervention of a lawyer and the issuance of a judicial decision, she was eventually allowed to enter. It is clear from court documents that border agents were skeptical about her ability to finance her stay. The woman herself did not respond to DW's inquiries. DW did not find any evidence to support the claim that there are many similar cases.
