Giving birth to a foreign citizen: after Argentina, pregnant Russian women went en masse to another country

The so-called “pregnant” tourism from the Russian Federation (with the aim of giving birth to a child in a country that grants citizenship not only to the baby, but also to his parents), having been actually canceled in Argentina, has become more active again. Intermediaries helping Russian families to give birth to a foreigner have laid a new route. We found out what else has changed for couples preparing to give birth to a citizen of another country.

Recall that hospitable Argentina became alert only in February of this year, having found 33 pregnant Russian women on one board of Ethiopian airlines at once. Although, according to the statistics of the Argentine border guards, in the previous year 2022, 22,000 Russian citizens visited Argentina, of which almost 6,000 were women in the prenatal period.

The pregnant “casket” was opened simply: Argentina grants citizenship not only to a foreign child born on its territory, but also to both of his parents. At the same time, citizens of the Russian Federation arriving for up to three months do not need an Argentine visa, healthcare in the country is at a good level, and childbirth in a decent local clinic costs around $4,000.

For this, the whole family then receives Argentine passports, allowing them to visit 171 countries of the world without a visa, including the EU, Great Britain, Japan, and also entitles them to a long-term visa to the United States.

Maternity tourism in Argentina is officially allowed, but its mass nature on the part of the Russians forced the local authorities to take a closer look at it. And there, Russian intermediaries were discovered, famously operating with fake certificates. As a result of the scandal, since the end of March, Argentine immigration offices began to refuse even non-pregnant Russians in extending visas and obtaining residence permits. Maternity tourism subsided for a while, but the situation has changed again.

“It’s not surprising that mediators in this case have surfaced again,” the Russian woman, who managed to become the mother of a full-fledged Argentine, is sure. – Such money they twist! My husband really wanted me to give birth abroad, he did not skimp on anything. We paid the “maternity” travel agency more than $15,000. And when we arrived at the place, we found out that we could fly in ourselves, come to a paid maternity ward and give birth for only $3,500.

According to the maternity tour operators who have already used the services, their price range is quite large, but the map of places available for childbirth is constantly narrowing due to abuse.

“Intermediary firms have first class, business and economy,” says the husband of a Russian woman who recently gave birth in Ecuador. – The most economical economy – from $ 5 thousand. So much, for example, they ask for childbirth in Ecuador, although they cost around $ 500 on the spot. My wife has relatives in Ecuador, so we did without “helpers” and, accordingly, unnecessary expenses. But because of their greed, fewer and fewer countries are ready to accept Russian citizens for childbirth.

– And how does the greed of domestic intermediaries in relation to their own citizens worry the host?

– Our people paid such money for Argentina not just like that, but because it is the only one who gives citizenship to the baby and parents at once. And in Ecuador, for example, only a newborn is immediately given, and his parents, as well as brothers, sisters, grandparents, receive only a guardian’s residence permit, and they can apply for citizenship only after three years of stay without a break. This is done so that these people really stay in Ecuador, and not just get passports and hit the road.

And from Argentina, our young mothers with babies and their fathers were blown away as soon as they received a passport in their hands. Well, in general, they say, some turned out to be not even pregnant, but falso turista (inconsistency with the declared purpose of the stay – Auth.). I can imagine how much intermediaries fought for such a large-scale hoax! But they played it out: our pregnant women in Argentina are no longer served at all. At least in the form of a mass maternity tourist flow.

But, judging by the tempting offers for future Russian mothers and fathers, in the absence of fish, tribal intermediaries were not sad for long and had already found a new path for pregnant women – this is Chile. For Russians, there is also a 90-day visa-free regime, and the Chilean passport is considered the most valuable in Latin America, as it entitles you to visa-free entry to the United States.

Childbirth on the spot, as in Argentina, will cost around $4,000, and domestic intermediaries charge from 1 million rubles for a complete “maternity tour package”, depending on the class of service.

Chile differs from Argentina in one, but a key moment: a newborn receives a passport of a citizen of Chile, opening him a “visa-free” in 125 countries of the world, upon his birth, but his parents will be able to obtain citizenship only on a general basis

“Normal intermediaries work with Chile,” one of their clients reassures the comrades. – I mean, for those who really need to give birth, and not get a passport and rush off to Spain.

If you believe the stories of the clients of maternity mediators, the newly minted Argentines from the citizens of the Russian Federation, having barely received the coveted passports, left their new homeland mainly for the sake of Spain. By the way, the other day Finnish border guards detained Russian spouses returning to their homeland with an expired Schengen visa and … a newborn baby!

The couple violated the visa regime for almost 100 days for the sake of the main thing: the wife managed to give birth in Spain. But, alas: a foreign child, born in Spanish territory, has benefits for obtaining citizenship only after a year of permanent residence in the country and on condition that he was born from parents legally residing in Spain. The Finnish authorities have already filed a request to impose a ban on the couple from entering the entire Schengen area.