Russian families are increasingly traveling to Brazil for birth tourism due to changes in visa regulations and citizenship laws in other countries like Argentina. Yulia and Dmitri flew from Russia to Santos, Brazil, when Yulia was 32 weeks pregnant so their daughter could be born there and obtain automatic Brazilian nationality. They estimate they spent around €10,000 during the initial six-week stay for medical care and living expenses. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, more than 7,000 Russians applied for residence permits in Argentina in 2023, but by mid-2025 this number dropped to approximately 1,800 due to tightened regulations. In contrast, Brazil issued almost 500 Brazilian passports to Russians in 2024 and more than 600 the following year.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-18,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Yulia and Dmitri (whose names have been changed for reasons of safety) flew from Russia to Brazil this summer so that their child could be born there.
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child → change → Brazil
"Of course, we didn't say that I was pregnant at border control," Yulia told DW.
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Yulia → say → DW
Her daughter was born at a private clinic in Santos, a city in southern Brazil.
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daughter → bear → Brazil
Anybody born in the country has an automatic right to Brazilian nationality.
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Anybody → bear → nationality
The family is currently preparing all the paperwork.
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family → prepare → paperwork
"We've achieved our minimum goal," said Dmitri.
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Dmitri → achieve → goal
"With a Brazilian passport, our daughter will be able to travel without a visa to almost any country in the world.
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daughter → travel → world
She won't have to apply for an expensive and time-consuming Schengen visa.
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She → have → visa
We want her to be able to decide for herself where she studies, works or lives."
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she → want → herself
He said that a colleague of his had traveled to Brazil in early August with his pregnant wife for the same reasons.
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colleague → say → reasons
Yulia and Dmitri said that they had spent the equivalent of about €10,000 (about $11,500) during the first six weeks of their stay in Brazil, which included the costs for several days of treatment for their daughter in intensive care.
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which → say → care
Dmitri quit his job at a bank for the trip and hopes to find work again after the family returns to their home in the Russian capital Moscow.
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family → quit → capital
However, they are only planning to return once all the documents for their daughter are ready and that could take months.
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that → plan → months
Other Russian families have decided to stay in Brazil permanently.
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families → decide → Brazil
According to organizations and lawyers that provide support to Russians in Brazil, there has been an increase in immigration from Russia, particularly since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, after which visa requirements for Russian nationals entering certain countries were tightened.
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requirements → accord → countries
Argentina tightens visa regulations
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Argentina → tighten → regulations
Birth tourism to Brazil has also increased since Argentina, which used to be one of the main destinations for people wanting their children to be born in a country that automatically grants citizenship to newborns, tightened its regulations.
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that → increase → regulations
People who want their children to obtain Argentinian citizenship now have to have resided in Argentina for at least two years.
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children → want → years
Since 2025, the access of people who do not have a permanent residence permit to free healthcare has also been restricted.
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who → have → healthcare
According to the Russian news outlet RBC, more than 7,000 Russians applied for a residence permit in Argentina in 2023.
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Russians → accord → 2023
By mid-2025, the number had decreased to about 1,800.
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number → decrease → 1,800
Meanwhile, almost 500 Brazilian passports were issued to Russians in 2024 and more than 600 the following year.
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passports → issue → 2024
The parents of a child born in Brazil can apply for a residence permit, which they can obtain within a year, under certain circumstances.
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they → bear → circumstances
Yana (name changed) and her husband chose to do this in 2023.
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name → change → 2023
"The events of 2022 certainly played a role, but we had already toyed with the idea of giving birth abroad," Yana told DW.
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Yana → play → DW
"A lot can happen in Russia.
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lot → happen → Russia
I always wanted a second passport and to give birth to my child in another country.
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I → want → country
When I became pregnant unexpectedly, all we had to do was decide which country made sense.
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country → become → sense
Yana gave birth to a boy at a public hospital in Florianopolis, the capital of the southern state of Santa Catarina, and the family stayed in Brazil for about three years.
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family → give → years
"It was important to get passports for us and our child.
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It → get → us
I really enjoyed living there, and I learned Portuguese," Yana said, adding that she and her husband have lived as "digital nomads" in various countries over the years.
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she → enjoy → years
Even though they no longer live in Brazil, they want their son to have a connection to his birth country: "We read Portuguese books and talk a lot about Brazil.
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We → live → Brazil
I want him to be able to travel without a visa and remain open to the world."
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him → want → world
One of the largest Russian communities in Brazil lives in Florianopolis, and it's growing.
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it → live → Florianopolis
According to the local health authorities, 119 Russian women took advantage of prenatal consultations in the first six months of this year.
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women → accord → year
A lawyer who preferred to remain anonymous told DW that Brazil neither expressly prohibited nor permitted foreign nationals to enter the country for the purpose of giving birth.
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Brazil → prefer → birth
Often pregnant women do not disclose their reason for traveling to Brazil at border control.
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women → disclose → control
And once they are in the country they have access to free public hospitals and medical facilities regardless of their immigration status.
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they → have → status
As Russian birth tourism to Brazil increases, a whole industry has emerged.
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industry → increase → Brazil
Often, recent Russian immigrants to Brazil act as intermediaries and help others find housing or medical care.
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others → act → housing
…and 15 more, not listed.
The Aporia
