“Maternity tourism” was a widespread practice in Russia even before the start of the war in Ukraine, but with the outbreak of the conflict it intensified further and changed its objective: if once upon a time thousands of Russian women moved to the United to give birth – so as to guarantee their children and indirectly themselves a dual citizenship which can prove advantageous if you live in an authoritarian country – now the favorite destination seems to be Argentina.
In the last year, more than 5,800 “almost mothers” have traveled from Moscow to Buenos Aires. Their children, born in the South American country, acquire citizenship, which in a couple of years can also be transferred to their parents.
The Argentine passport, at the moment, has a much greater value than the Russian one, with the country receiving an ever-increasing number of international sanctions. In fact, it allows you to travel for short periods without a visa in 171 countries, including those of the EU.
Argentina’s Dirección Nacional de Migraciones (DNM) describes the phenomenon as “false tourism” because, upon arrival, pregnant women declare that they are traveling for tourist reasons. The problem is that most of the pregnant women do not stay in the country: of the 10,500 people of Russian citizenship who have been in Argentina in the last year, 3,500 have stopped.
There are even some agencies that specialize in what DNM director Florencia Carignano has defined as “a profitable business”: they take care of booking flights, airport transfers and providing Spanish lessons and translation services for the paperwork of women who decide to give birth in South America.
The packages can cost a few thousand euros, the price of a document that guarantees greater freedom.
