Argentina Becomes the New 'Birth Tourism' Destination for Russian Women

Alla Prigolovkina is one of the Russian women who decided to give birth to her child in Argentina. Photo: AP/Natacha Pisarenko

Over 10,500 pregnant Russian women have arrived in Argentina within the first year of the Russian-Ukrainian War. In an interview on Feb. 10, Florencia Carignano, the director of Argentina's immigration office, affirmed that 5,819 of these women entered the country within the last three months alone. The majority of them reported being between the 33rd and 34th week of pregnancy.

Everything leads government officials to believe that these women want to give birth to their children in Argentina so as to obtain Argentine citizenship. Russian travelers are not required a visa to enter the country, which has led many families to leverage this privilege to undertake birth tourism. All children born in Argentina are entitled to citizenship by birthright, and their statuses can expedite the naturalization process for their parents.

The South American country appeals to Russian families for many reasons. For one, travel to other Western countries that used to be popular birth tourism destinations has become progressively more difficult after Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Given that a number of nations have suspended visa deals with Russia in response to the attacks, Russian citizens today can travel visa-free to only 87 countries. By contrast, those holding Argentine passports are allowed to enter 171 countries visa-free.

Beyond attaining greater transnational mobility, many Russian parents are flying to Argentina because they want to prevent their children's future from being foreshadowed by violence. As one woman explained to BBC Monitoring, "Argentina does not have conscription to military service [unlike Russia]; being the parent of a boy, that factor is important to us." Most of the families who have chosen to stay in South America argue that the war and the enhanced mobility are two of the greatest factors for their move.

Lev Andres was born to two Russian parents in Argentina. His family is one of the few that intends to stay in the country. Photo: AP/Natacha Pisarenko

However, a vast majority of the women arriving in Argentina do not intend to stay there. From those 10,500 women who arrived in the past year, over 7,000 of them returned home after giving birth. While the Argentine government has reaffirmed its welcoming stance towards visitors and migrants, it has demonstrated strong objection to granting citizenship to those pursuing birth tourism. Carignano herself asserted, "We cannot allow them to shamelessly lie to us saying that they are tourists when they are not."

Immigration authorities in Argentina are now prosecuting travel agencies that promote birth tourism for Russian families. Companies like RuArgentina are under criminal investigation for selling travel packages with rental and medical assistance to Russian women hoping to give birth to their children abroad. Many of these organizations scam families with false advertisement about the naturalization process in Argentina, promising parents immediate acquisition of citizenship upon child's birth and omitting the fact that they must remain in the country to be naturalized. 

Argentina recently canceled the residency status of Russians who spent more time abroad than in the nation. After two alleged Russian spies who had Argentine passports were arrested in Slovenia, concerns about the reputation of the nation are increasing. Carignano echoed that feeling suggesting that the "passport will cease to have the trust it enjoys in all countries” if the situation continues. 

The influx of Russian birth tourists in the South American country stresses the domino effects that the Russian-Ukrainian war is propagating throughout the world. While the Argentine government begins to crack down on the incoming waves of Russian women, many defend that they are not committing a crime nor breaking any migratory laws. All things considered, the movement of these pregnant women across borders is fueling new interpretations and understandings of mobility in Argentina.