Russia changes the rules of the game for visa-free tourists: Find out before you travel

Starting from June 30, 2025, Russia will require all visa-exempt foreign citizens, including Cubans, to register electronically before traveling using the ruID app.

This new measure, seemingly technological, is part of a broader and stricter legal framework that threatens to increase arrests, restrictions, and deportations.

The Russian Embassy in Cuba announced that, starting from that date, travelers without a visa must:

• Registrarse en el Russian digital system.
• Download the ruID app (available since June 23).
• Submit an electronic request between 90 and 3 days before the trip.
• In urgent cases (serious illness or death of a family member), they may request entry up to 4 hours in advance, with supporting documents.

Upon arriving in Russia, the entered data will be automatically verified, and at Moscow airports and certain border checkpoints, a photo, fingerprints, and the creation of a biometric profile will be required.

But this app is not the only control that is activated. On February 5, 2025, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs implemented a registry of "controlled persons", which includes all foreigners in irregular migratory status.

This system allows employers, schools, notaries, and even medical institutions to verify whether a migrant has legal status before offering them a job, medical care, or school enrollment.

Among the restrictions imposed on those registered in the registry are:

• Prohibition on entering into marriage, registering properties, opening businesses, or moving to another city without permission.
• State surveillance, mandatory fingerprint registration, and possible detention for up to 48 hours, extendable by court order.
• The new legal regime provides for immediate expulsion and re-entry bans, particularly if violations of immigration or public order laws are detected.

How does this affect Cubans?

Although Cubans can enter Russia without a visa for up to 90 days, many have been detained or deported for working without permission, exceeding their stay, or not updating their status.

In March 2025, at least 17 Cubans were detained in the Krasnodar region for illegal residency. The group was sent back to the Island on two flights. The last one arrived on April 27. One of them was even accused of evading expulsion, which worsened his legal situation.

Just days later, the case of Yoel Gallart Villalobos, a 46-year-old man from Matanzas who lived in Russia for six years and is the father of three children born in that country, shook social media. Gallart was turned in to the police by his own mother-in-law for lacking proper documentation.

From the deportation center in Gulkévichi, he warned other Cubans: "Leave for another country, because they are rounding up immigrants here."

His story is even more painful because his three underage children were left in the care of a grandmother without resources, and he fears he may be separated from them forever. Despite having worked for years in Sochi, he was never able to regularize his status.

Also, there is the case of Nailen, a young woman from Sancti Spíritus who has been detained for 11 months after escaping an alleged prostitution ring. She was arrested after fleeing from a club where, according to reports on social media, she was being exploited. Today, she remains in a detention center without her family having knowledge of her whereabouts until a user alerted on Facebook.

In this context, it is clear that even the slightest oversight, such as not using the ruID app correctly, overstaying by a day, working without proper documentation, or failing to register legally, can lead to arrest, deportation, or a total loss of one's future in Russia. This applies even to those with strong family ties or who have lived in the country for years.

Recommendations for Cubans planning to travel to or currently living in Russia

1. Download the ruID app starting June 23.
2. Make your request at least 72 hours before the trip.
3. If you are already in Russia, check your legal status as soon as possible.
4. If you work or study in Russia, make sure you are registered correctly and do not exceed the allowed time.
5. Avoid working without a legal contract or the proper permits.

What appears to be a digital formality is actually an unprecedented system of control. For many Cubans who see Russia as a bridge or destination, traveling now requires more than just a ticket: it demands complete legality, technology, and a lot of caution.