Banking Restrictions & Workarounds
Visa/Mastercard from sanctioned banks don't work abroad. Solutions:
Open account in Georgia (Bank of Georgia, TBC). Kazakhstan (Kaspi, Halyk) or Kyrgyzstan — with passport in person.
UnionPay cards (Gazprombank) work in Turkey, Thailand, UAE.
Crypto exchanges for countries without direct access.
Tip: open 2–3 accounts in different countries before departure.
Visa-Free Countries for Russians
Georgia — 1 year visa-free, rent from $300/mo.
Turkey — 60 days, residence through rental in 2–3 weeks.
Serbia — 30 days (extendable), rent from €350/mo.
Argentina — 90 days, then DNI and citizenship in 2 years.
Thailand — 60 days, LTR visa for income $80K+/year.
UAE — 30 days, freelancer visa from $3.5K/year.
Two Passports — Why and How
Russian citizens can hold two valid international passports. One for travel (with stamps), one clean for visa applications.
Processing: 1 month (registered address) or up to 3 months (other). Get both before departure.
Apostille key documents: diploma, birth certificate, marriage. Criminal record certificate needed for residence almost everywhere.
Real Relocation Costs for Russians
Tbilisi — from $3K (flight, 2 months rent, deposit, food).
Istanbul — from $5K (higher rent, ikamet $200–500).
Buenos Aires — from $5K + $1.2K flight.
Dubai — from $12K (visa + deposit + 3 months expenses).
Lisbon/Barcelona — from $18K (D7 visa + income proof €760+/mo).