Polina Cherepovitskaya with her husband and daughter Sofia, who was born last month in our country / THE GUARDIAN
Among the multiple effects that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has produced, none is as unexpected as the one just published by the British newspaper The Guardian in relation to our country. Faced with the progressive closure of borders that Russian citizens have been suffering worldwide, hundreds of women of that nationality choose to travel to Argentina to give birth to their babies.
As the British newspaper describes in an article published the day before yesterday, the phenomenon would be driven by the aspiration of many future mothers to give their children dual nationality.
“It was crazy, there were at least eight pregnant Russian women waiting in front of me,” Polina Cherepovitskaya, who discovered in a waiting room at the Finochietto Sanatorium that her decision to travel to Argentina to have her baby had not been made, told The Guardian. been after all so exceptional.
Cherepovitskaya, a jewelry designer from Moscow traveled last year with her husband, Aleksandr, and settled in Buenos Aires, where Sofía was born in December.
While the concept of maternity tourism is not new, the isolation of Russia by many Western countries as a result of the war has made Argentina, where Russian citizens do not need a visa to enter, the go-to destination for women. families seeking to provide their children with the privileges of a second nationality.
As representatives of the Russian Embassy in Buenos Aires acknowledged to the English newspaper, last year between 2,000 and 2,500 from that country moved to Argentina, many of them to have their babies. Although it is a considerable number, the consular authorities calculate that this year their number could be up to four times higher.
“I found out that I was pregnant shortly after the war in Ukraine started. When we saw the borders begin to rapidly close around us, we knew we had to find a place we could easily travel to. An Argentine passport will open many doors for my son,” Polina explained to The Guardian.
She and her husband, who left Russia shortly after the war in Ukraine began, now plan to stay in Buenos Aires and apply for Argentine citizenship, a process made easier by the fact that they are now the parents of an Argentine daughter.
“Buenos Aires is in demand right now; it’s the only destination we currently work with,” acknowledged Eva Pekurova, who runs an agency that arranges travel documents, accommodation and hospital stays for pregnant Russians seeking to give birth outside their country.
In addition to the fact that Russian citizens do not need a visa to visit Argentina, the process to extend the standard 90-day stay or apply for a residence permit does not represent a major complication.
As Pekurova explained, one of the main advantages of an Argentine passport is that it allows short-term travel to 171 countries without a visa, including the European Union, the United Kingdom and Japan, while obtaining a US visa is very difficult for Russians. nowadays.
Before Covid and the war, the destination chosen by Russians to give birth abroad was Miami
Even before the war, Russians could travel without a visa to only about 80 countries. After Putin sent his troops to Ukraine, several European countries made it virtually impossible for them to enter by putting up administrative barriers for them to obtain visas at understaffed Western consulates in Moscow.
Like many other businesses in the industry, Pekurova’s agency used to offer similar packages to Miami, Florida, once a hotspot for maternity tourism.
But his business model faltered when Covid hit and the United States closed its border to the Russians. The war in Ukraine has further complicated Russian travel to the United States. “Before the pandemic, Miami was the place to go,” said the woman, noting that “now it is Argentina.”
Pekurova herself gave birth last year in Buenos Aires, and her “positive” experience further strengthened her desire to offer trips to the country.
“Everyone is looking for options with the current situation in Russia. By giving my son an Argentine passport, I am giving him freedom.”
In addition to the privileges of an Argentine passport, he said Russian clients chose Buenos Aires for the high quality of its medical care, both public and private.
Foreign parents of a baby born in Argentina also have a relatively easy path to Argentine citizenship, which can be processed in less than two years.
Russian women who move to Argentina to give birth now pay between $1,200 and $10,000 to middlemen like Pekurova, who offer services ranging from hiring translators and helping with paperwork to arranging photo sessions with the newborn baby.
However, figures on how many Russian women travel to Argentina specifically to give birth are hard to come by.
