In force · in force from 23 July 2025 (main part, including border guards' right to inspect and examine belongings) · in force from 23 August 2025 (time limits in art. 25.16-1 part 5 of the exit and entry law: 120 days instead of 60 and 30 instead of 16 (art. 2 item 5)) · in force from 20 January 2026 (children under 14 no longer travel on a birth certificate (art. 2 items 1-4))
257-ФЗ of 23 July 2025 «On amendments to Articles 9 and 30 of the Law 'On the State Border of the Russian Federation' and to the Federal Law 'On the Procedure for Exit from and Entry into the Russian Federation'»
Who is affected
Everyone crossing Russia's border, and parents of children under 14 who used to travel to Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Abkhazia and South Ossetia on a birth certificate.
Who is not affected
The law does not mention phones or passcodes and does not oblige anyone to unlock them. Children who left on a birth certificate before 20.01.2026 can return on it.
What changes
- Border guards may 'inspect and examine things and objects' of people entering and leaving; the FSB reads this as a right to look at phones and laptops.
- From 20.01.2026 children under 14 need an international passport to go to Belarus and other countries where a birth certificate used to be enough.
- Crossing the land border outside checkpoints requires permission from the border authority.
What to do now
- Before crossing the border, decide which phone to carry and what is stored on it.
- If you travel with a child under 14, get them an international passport in advance.
What is not yet clear
The law does not say how 'examination' applies to device contents or what follows a refusal to give a passcode; practice is known only from testimonies.
Guides that reflect this: Phone checks; Need to leave: where to start; Travelling back to Russia: assessing the risks; Your phone before a border crossing or a protest; Taking a child abroad when the other parent objects; Helping someone close to you leave: how not to harm them or yourself