Nearly 70,000 foreigners denied entry to Russia following biometric data checks: MVD

19:50; 20 August 2026 year

### Nearly 70,000 Foreigners Denied Entry to Russia Due to Biometric Data Mismatch More than 70,000 foreign nationals have been denied entry into Russia after failing biometric checks, according to official spokesperson of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, Irina Volk. Since the start of the biometric data collection experiment, approximately 14 million foreigners have crossed the Russian border, Volk said. The biometric system allows for immediate verification of arriving foreigners at border control points, comparing the collected data with existing records. The pilot project began on December 1, 2024, initially implemented at Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky airports, as well as at the Mashtakovo road border crossing in Orenburg region. In May 2025, Vnukovo airport joined the initiative. Identification is based on two main parameters: facial images and fingerprints. Volk emphasized that the technology not only builds a biometric database but also detects cases where foreigners, previously banned from entering Russia, attempt to re-enter the country after altering their personal data. In June 2026, additional border crossings in St. Pyotrsburg, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Yekaterinburg, Altai region, Irkutsk, Kurgan, Novosibirsk, Saratov, Orenburg, and Omsk regions were equipped with biometric systems.

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