​Cases when a person buys a plane ticket, but at the airport finds out that he is prohibited from flying abroad, can be classified as ordinary. This happens quite often. And all because many do not even know that they are subject to restrictions of this kind. The group of citizens restricted from traveling abroad includes not only military personnel or those suspected of crimes, but also debtors and representatives of certain professions.

Debtors constitute a large group of people who are often subject to such restrictions. Bailiffs do not always inform debtors about the ban imposed on them. Since all notices are delivered by mail, it also happens that letters simply do not arrive at the actual address of the defaulter.

Who is prohibited from traveling abroad?

According to Russian legislation, several categories of citizens are not allowed to leave the country:

• Citizens who are serving in the military or alternative civilian service (in some cases they have the right to leave the country with permission from the command, deferment or exemption from conscription).
• Suspected and accused of committing a criminal offense;
• With an outstanding criminal record (there are some exceptions when restrictions can be lifted: amnesty, exclusion of corpus delicti from criminal law);
• Employees whose service is related to state secrets;
• Judges, employees of the FSB, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Federal Drug Control Service, the prosecutor's office, the investigative committee, some civil servants (previously restrictions applied only to FSB employees, but after the sanctions this professional list expanded);
• Citizens who provided false information during the preparation of exit documents;
• Persons who have not fulfilled obligations imposed by the court;
• Children who are prohibited from leaving the country by one of their parents or guardians.
• Citizens who have not repaid their court debt (this could be debts for housing and communal services, various fines, late payment of alimony, outstanding loans) may not know that they belong to the category of those banned from traveling.
• According to the FMS, it is debtors who are most often subject to prohibitions. But this requires the presence of certain circumstances:
  • the amount of debt is 10 thousand rubles or more;
  • the debt is confirmed by a court decision;
  • the court did not provide for repayment of the debt in installments or deferment of the debt;
  • the writ of execution is not expired;
  • the debtor does not take steps to repay the debt.
• Bailiffs are allowed to issue travel restrictions for a period of 6 months. But the temporary ban can be extended if the debtor does not fulfill the obligations. It is worth remembering that this is only the right of the bailiff, he is not obliged to make such decisions.
• Fines imposed by the traffic police can also serve as a reason why a citizen has the right to temporarily not be allowed to go abroad, but only if there is a court decision; a ruling on an administrative offense alone is not enough.

How do you know if restrictions apply to you?

If you are not sure that the bans do not apply to you, it is better to look for your last name on specialized Internet sites. This check should be done before purchasing tickets, since it will be very difficult to return the money spent on them later.

• On the bailiffs website (fssprus.ru) you can find information about your debts, if any, for all enforcement proceedings.
• You also need to find out about existing fines and debts on the government services portal (gosuslugi.ru). However, to do this you will have to register on the site.
• On the official website of the Federal Tax Service (nalog.ru) you can find out information on unpaid taxes.

Online service, which includes all three of the above sources, including checking for debts that are not on federal websites (fines, late payments to microfinance organizations, loans, etc.). This way to find out whether you will be released abroad is the most universal.

As for children who are not allowed to travel abroad, things are more complicated here. When one of the parents writes a statement to the FMS authorities that he prohibits taking the child out of the country, the other parent is not required to inform about this. You can find out exact information about restrictions of this kind only after contacting the FMS.

How to get rid of restrictions?

You can get rid of restrictions after paying off the debt. If you have a debt, this does not mean that you are prohibited from traveling, but the likelihood of this is high, and therefore, after discovering your name in the lists of debtors, you need to immediately take care of eliminating the debt.

For example, if you found your name on the official website of the FSSP, find there information about who is dealing with your issue and the employee’s contacts. After payment, you should contact the bailiff, report the actions taken and clarify whether a resolution was issued to you that temporarily restricts your right to leave. If yes, then you need to send the bailiff a document confirming payment and receive in return a copy of the certificate of lifting of the ban. It is also necessary to clarify when the document will be sent to the Border Guard Service. After that, all you have to do is wait until you receive the final confirmation. Typically the entire procedure takes approximately 14 days. But the issue should be kept under control: there have been cases when, for some reason, documents did not reach the Border Service, sometimes they simply forgot to send them.

Your name must be removed from the list of restricted citizens; presenting a certificate of lifting of restrictions on you to the border guard before departure will not yield anything.

You should do approximately the same thing when you have been fined by the traffic police. The Inspectorate and the FSSP have developed a joint program according to which bailiffs deal with the cases of defaulters. First, we pay off the debt, then we report this to the service and wait for the restrictions to be lifted.

If one of the parents has imposed a ban on the child’s travel, then it can only be lifted through the court.

In some cases, when it is not possible to pay the debt immediately, there is the possibility of emergency lifting of restrictions. The bailiff can independently make such a decision if a person, for example, needs urgent treatment or examination.

Sometimes a person travels abroad and bypasses all these requirements. To do this, you just need to go to a neighboring state, which does not require serious border checks, and then fly from there in any direction.

If you still have uncertainty about lifting restrictions on traveling abroad, then our online lawyer is ready to answer all your questions for free.

Every person wants to visit as many beautiful and exotic places as possible that cannot be found in Russia. When all the fees and hassles are behind you, it’s time to think about whether you can easily travel to another country. Of course, such a ban does not apply to everyone.

Federal Law No. 114-FZ provides for a number of closed rules that prevent crossing the border of the Russian Federation.

Who is affected by the ban on traveling abroad?

Cases that temporarily restrict the right of a citizen of the Russian Federation to leave the country:

• the citizen has been convicted of committing a crime of any kind;
• is a conscript or is undergoing military or any other civilian service;
• the citizen is an employee of the FSB;
• a person is accused or suspected of committing a crime;
• the traveler submitted knowingly false information to obtain documents required for departure;
• a citizen of the Russian Federation has access to state secrets;
• avoids obligations imposed by the court.

Certain features that should be taken into account in specific cases of each of the grounds for banning travel outside the country:

1. A citizen's criminal record may be a condition that prevents him from leaving the Russian Federation if a court conviction has been issued and has entered into legal force. The ban is lifted at the moment the criminal record expires (such terms are provided for in Article 86 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).
   The following cases are exceptions:
   - the citizen has been pardoned or amnestied;
   - exclusion of this crime from the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation;
   - the criminal case was terminated and the court verdict was overturned;
   - expiration of the statute of limitations of the sentence (the decision was not used due to circumstances that do not depend on the convicted person).
2. If you are drafted into the army or perform other civilian service, then you are deprived of the right to travel abroad for the duration of your service. Exceptions apply to contract soldiers who have a commander’s permission to travel freely outside the Russian Federation or citizens who have been granted a deferment or exemption from conscription.
3. According to the concluded contract, FSB employees are prohibited from leaving the country. If the need arises, you can submit a report on temporary lifting of the restriction 3 months before the departure date. If a positive decision is made on your request, it is given to you against receipt.
4. A citizen suspected of committing a crime is subject to a ban on traveling abroad.
   The restriction is valid until:
   - the criminal case will be closed and all charges against the detainee will be dropped;
   - the penalty will be cancelled;
   - the acquittal will come into force;
   - the accused will be released without a preventive measure.
5. If false information is provided by a person submitting documents to leave the country, the limitation period is 1 month. The basis for the ban is the proven fact of submitting knowingly false testimony.
6. A citizen who has access to state secrets should find out whether he has documented access or not, as well as what secrecy classification the documents to which he is admitted have. There are 3 levels of secrecy: secret, top secret and documents of special importance. Access to documents with a “secret” level cannot serve as the only basis preventing travel outside the country.

In other cases, after the cessation of work with classified documents, 5 or more years must pass, depending on the degree of secrecy, before the travel restriction is lifted.

Restriction on travel abroad for debtors

According to statistics from the Main Directorate for Migration Issues of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, this group of restrictions has the largest percentage. The following circumstances preventing debtors from leaving the country apply in combination:

• The debt exceeds the amount of 10,000 rubles;
• A civil person has been presented with a writ of execution or enforcement proceedings have been initiated against him;
• The writ of execution is overdue for 3 years after the court decision;
• In this case, copies of the resolution must be sent both to the debtor and to the Main Directorate for Migration Issues of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.

When all debt is repaid and enforcement proceedings are terminated, the travel ban is lifted. If a certain agreement between the citizen and the FSSP is reached, the restriction can also be lifted.

Restrictions on travel abroad for civil servants:

Each specific case of restrictions has its own set of features. It is worth considering the position and place of work of the citizen. Both persons serving in “closed” places and citizens with access to state secrets are subject to restrictions on leaving the country.

The travel ban is established for the period specified in the employment contract or regulatory legal act, which can be extended up to 10 years by the Interdepartmental Commission. It all depends on the degree of secrecy of the documents to which you have access.

The law does not provide for restrictions on leaving the country for judges. But they, like citizens who have access to state secrets, may be affected by travel restrictions for other reasons.

Where can I check restrictions on traveling abroad?

Today, the following online resources are available to learn about restrictions on leaving the country:

1. Unified portal of public services - to fully work with the site you will need to register. In your personal account you can check the presence of unpaid fines and debts;
2. On the official website of the tax office you can check your tax debts before your trip;
3. The website of the bailiff service provides information on enforcement proceedings about all citizens with debt. The general database also contains data on all departments of bailiffs, where you can get advice or pay off your debt.

Under circumstances of any kind, the authorities of the Main Directorate for Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia will issue a notification containing:

• period of restriction;
• number of the decision to ban travel and date;
• Name and address of the organization prohibiting travel.

Organizations monitoring compliance with order when traveling outside the Russian Federation: FSSP, FSIN, Ministry of Internal Affairs, employer. They notify the units of the Main Directorate for Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia about circumstances that have arisen that prevent you from traveling abroad, after you have completed your documents.

If they do not agree with the decision to ban leaving the country, citizens can file a complaint with the court or the Main Directorate for Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.

Additional restrictions on traveling abroad since 2014

The regulation, signed in May 2014, prohibits prosecutors from entering 173 countries. The existence of an agreement between the United States and 173 countries on the extradition of citizens of other countries serves as an argument for including these states on the entry prohibited list. This restriction helps maintain the safety of employees of this department.

Similar restrictions previously affected employees of the FSKN (drug control), FSB (Federal Security Service) and the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Ministry of Internal Affairs). The introduction of “sanctions” by some countries against the Russian Federation served as a ban on the entry of security forces into the territory of these states.

The State Duma of the Russian Federation has introduced a bill concerning persons with debts. According to it, bailiffs are required to send registered letters to citizens with the amount of debt and a notification that in case of non-payment of the debt, they will be denied the right to travel outside the country.

Another innovation concerns the ban on a child leaving the country by one of the parents or guardians. When submitting an application to the Main Directorate for Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia about preventing a child from leaving the country, the other parent will not be notified about this. Only in court can this ban be lifted.

Interesting fact: the legislation does not provide a list of grounds for lifting the ban, and the decision will be made by the court. If the child is 10 years old, his opinion is taken into account in this dispute.

If you have restrictions on leaving the country, even if you wish, you will not be allowed to travel abroad. Once again, make sure whether you can freely travel outside the Russian Federation. This will help you avoid unnecessary problems at the customs checkpoint or at the airport terminal and will save your nerves. It is especially important if you cross the border by car, having driven 1000 kilometers before the checkpoint.

A considerable number of people, having taken a loan from a bank, face all sorts of problems. The main problem for most Russians today is the inability to repay their loans on time. Having become a debtor to the bank, a person unwittingly becomes its hostage and ends up in prison.

Already, more than 900,000 people were unable to travel abroad in 2019. Therefore, we recommend checking in advance the possibility of your travel to foreign countries using all databases using a proven service.

What to say the law

According to existing legislation, a decision may be made against the debtor to restrict travel abroad. But this is a last resort. Usually, before prohibiting a citizen from traveling abroad, the state repeatedly warns him about the restrictions that threaten him and asks him to repay the debt.

The work of bailiffs with debtors is often unpleasant

Sometimes a person who urgently needs to travel abroad comes across a sharp pitfall. Trouble may arise when he does not live at his place of registration. Also, the notice may be delivered late or simply get lost in the mail.

In this case, a citizen who urgently needs to travel abroad faces serious consequences. Many people find out that they are prohibited from traveling abroad only when going through passport control.

Therefore, to prevent this from happening, we recommend that you quickly check all debts online at.

Who is at risk of being banned from traveling abroad?

A citizen who is faced with the need to travel abroad should know that restrictions on his movement can only be imposed as a result of obligations. They are imposed by the court. But first, a trial must take place and a person who is faced with the need to urgently travel abroad must be invited as a defendant.

Restriction of the debtor's rights to free movement is relevant until he pays off his debts and notifies the relevant authorities.

Theoretically, every person who has relations with financial organizations of the Russian Federation can become “restricted to travel.” This can happen when a restriction order is passed in absentia. But such a harsh measure can only affect “inveterate” debtors who neglect their duties.

Is there a blacklist?

The definition of “black list,” which frightens many debtors, exists at an unofficial level. The blacklist includes citizens who were unable or unwilling to pay their debt to a financial organization on time. This can only happen once.

But most often, only those debtors who systematically neglect their responsibilities to the bank are included in the “dreaded” list.

Each financial institution independently sets loan repayment terms. These deadlines cannot be violated. Otherwise, the debtor faces a significant penalty. But the imposition of a fine does not mean that the debtor has not joined the blacklist.

Only the bank decides whether or not to include a defaulter on the dreaded list and whether or not to make him “restricted from traveling.” Typically, the register includes those debtors who take out a loan and do not intend to repay it. Such debtors are wanted by the judicial system.

Lists of bank debtors can be:

• private;
• collection;
• BKI lists.

Third parties are also prohibited from accessing private information. Credit history is a purely “internal” matter. Taking into account the credit history, the bank subsequently decides whether to continue to trust the borrower.

If the borrower often violates the banking schedule for unjustified reasons, then he is denied subsequent loan processing.

Features of bailiff lists

The natural solution for a bank faced with an unpaid loan is to go to court. In this case, the database of all debtors is sent to the bailiff service. Every person going abroad can find out whether his name is on the list among other “not allowed to travel” on the website of the bailiff service.

If the citizen continues to ignore his obligations, the court makes a decision regarding the forced collection of the loan amount. The defaulter also undertakes to pay legal costs. In some cases, the court makes a decision regarding the sale of collateral real estate.

Sanctions for defaulters

One of the main sanctions that apply to a defaulter is. It is important to take into account that the bank cannot independently make a decision on restrictions on travel outside the state. A travel ban can only be imposed by a court.

The bank can only initiate the non-payer to become “restricted from traveling”. The initiative not to leave the state is based on the fact that the debtor has funds, but for some reason he does not want to repay the loan. Statistics show that every 12 months, 900,000 Russians are prohibited from traveling abroad under appropriate sanctions.

Now any citizen will be able to “punch” himself through the official portal and find out if he is on the prohibited lists.

As the head of the Moscow department of the Federal Bailiff Service of Russia, Ferdauis Yusupov, said yesterday, over the past 10 months, Moscow bailiffs have temporarily restricted the right to travel abroad to 22 thousand 614 citizens. Of these, 4 thousand 430 people are debtors for alimony. According to Yusupov, the right to leave is now limited to just over 19 thousand citizens. The rest were crossed off the lists due to retribution or some other reason.

Many people, even if they are not debtors, are concerned with the question of how to find out if the doors are closed to you. There have been cases when, by mistake, people who should not have been there ended up on the travel ban lists. If you find out about this in time, the misunderstanding can be corrected. And when a person is stopped by border guards, it’s too late to change anything: the journey will have to be postponed, and the good mood will have to be forgotten. Now you can make inquiries about yourself on the Internet.

On the Internet portal of public services, anyone can freely find out whether this measure has been applied to them, said Ferdauis Yusupov.

By the way, just the other day the Federation Council approved a law expanding the powers of bailiffs. Now they will be able to detain citizens hiding from court or investigation to hand them over to the police, as well as attract private detectives to search for debtors. The law will also give bailiffs access to information collected by credit history bureaus and information on civil status acts. In the future, bailiffs will be able to request certificates from the registry office or a credit history via the Internet, so the information will come much faster.

And the debtor, among other things, will be required to provide a declaration of property status at the request of the bailiff. Amendments are being made to the Criminal Code to punish the provision of knowingly false information to a bailiff in a mandatory declaration or evasion of providing such information. Such a crime will be punishable by a fine of up to 100 thousand rubles or compulsory labor.

As the director of the FSSP of Russia, Artur Parfenchikov, has said more than once, criminal penalties during collection should be primarily a preventive measure. In the sense that no one is going to put all debtors en masse in prison. First time violators may be warned. In addition, the articles under the jurisdiction of bailiffs do not provide for prison, but getting a criminal record is also a problem. So debtors must know and respect the Criminal Code.

But administrative arrest, according to Artur Parfenchikov, is an even more effective measure of influence on the debtor than restricting travel abroad. At the same time, he noted that arrest must be used wisely, based on the specific situation and individual qualities of the defaulter.

Every year, bailiffs issue several hundred thousand orders to restrict the movement of defaulters outside the country. Gradually, legislation on debt collection measures is becoming more severe, and the number of decisions issued to restrict travel abroad is growing from year to year. These preventive measures can greatly ruin the long-awaited vacation for many.

We will tell you in this article about how to avoid being included in the list of those banned from traveling, what to do if you do end up on their number, and how to travel abroad while banned from traveling.

How can you be among those banned from traveling?

There is only one way to get on this ominous list, after a court decision is made, the case is transferred to the bailiffs for forced collection, the bailiff issues a resolution “On restricting the movement of the defaulter” and sends this resolution to the Border Service of the FSB of Russia. That's all, now you are on the black list and will not be allowed to go abroad.

In other words, if your taxes have not been paid, a bank loan, rent, alimony, fines and other obligatory payments have not been repaid, and a court hearing has already taken place at which you were ordered to repay the debt, but you still have not repaid it, then your case has been transferred for execution by the Bailiff Service (FSSP).

And no one else and in any other way can not let you go abroad! No matter what collectors and other pre-trial collectors say, they do not have such a right. All they can do is intimidate, or, in extreme cases, take the case to court, and this only happens with large debts that have not expired. The statute of limitations for debt cases is three years, three years from the date of each payment amount (debt).

What does it mean?

For example, you have a debt to the bank, according to the agreement you must make payments every month, and so, the statute of limitations of three years in this case will be counted from the date of each individual payment.

How are they not allowed to go abroad?

Everything is simple here - on the border. And your receipt of a visa does not give absolutely any guarantees, that is, the visa was issued to you by the state to which you are going on vacation, and our border guards will not let you out.

The situation could be dire. Tickets and hotel paid, or vouchers, you have arrived at the airport or the Russian border already looking forward to your upcoming vacation... and here our border control will turn you back. Whether you are a debtor or not, border guards check borders at all checkpoints using a common database.

How to protect yourself from not being allowed to travel abroad

The best way to protect yourself from a surprise at the border is to check your status with the FSSP in advance.

There are several ways to do this:

Firstly, you can find out about the presence or absence of debt and the presence of a ban on traveling abroad in the bailiff department at the place of registration. But this is a long and tedious task;

Secondly, information about the presence or absence of a debt can be obtained for free, in just ten seconds, through an online service, using the bailiff database, on the official website of the FSSP, in the section “Data Bank of Enforcement Proceedings”. On the page, in the columns, you must enter your last name, first name and select your region of registration or residence.

If you still find your name on the service and the amount of debt:

1. for claims for the collection of alimony, compensation for harm caused to health, compensation for harm in connection with the death of the breadwinner, property damage and (or) moral harm caused by a crime, exceeds 10,000 rubles;

2. for other requirements, if the amount of debt under the executive document (executive documents) is 30,000 rubles or more,

then you already have something to worry about! You need to find out if there is a ban on traveling abroad; if there is one, you will need at least a few weeks before your upcoming trip to resolve the situation.

How to do it?

First of all, you should immediately contact the bailiff in charge of the proceedings (as a rule, the FSSP department and the name of the bailiff are indicated in the production database). The bailiff will be required to provide information on the basis of which writ of execution and court decision the debt arose, which led to the restriction on travel. You can also obtain details from the bailiff to pay the debt. Well, pay off the debt. And even after this, we do not recommend going on vacation right away, the fact is that it takes time for the bailiff to credit the payment and cancel the recognizance, in practice - at least two weeks.

If, for some reason, you do not agree with the resulting debt, then there is only one way out - to try to restore the period for appealing the court decision.

All these tips are suitable for those who at least guess about their debts, or know, however, in our country sometimes just ridiculous incidents happen... sometimes check yourself using the database.

But what should those who find out about debts at the green corridor at the airport do?

Alas, tickets and reservations in this case will be burned, burned irrevocably. The only thing that can be recommended to do in this case is to file a claim against the FSSP Office and the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation, attaching a certificate of refusal to cross the border due to debt, and also prove the absence of any debts. Or, if the debt has been repaid, attach a document indicating timely repayment of the debt. The debt must be repaid at least 2 weeks before the departure date, otherwise it will be refused.

The last rule also applies to cases where the debtor repaid the debt in a timely manner (one and a half to two months in advance), but due to bureaucratic red tape, he was not removed from the list of those not allowed to travel abroad.

What about those who can’t pay or don’t want to, but vacation is just around the corner?

There are several ways here:

1. We agree with the bailiff

We go on a personal visit to the bailiff in whose proceedings the case is pending, to resolve the situation, so to speak, “in our own way,” and to possibly temporarily lift the travel restriction. Yes, you can try to do this, and it works in practice; we personally know bailiffs who, upon great request and for a couple of thousand rubles, temporarily lift travel bans. But again, everything here is individual and depends on the bailiff. It’s good when the bailiff is a young guy; as a rule, such people don’t refuse extra money for carousing.

Bailiffs can be convinced by assurances that the debt will soon be repaid or there is an urgent need to travel in connection with accompanying a patient for treatment abroad, or in connection with organizing a wedding of close relatives, the birth of family members, funerals and other personal family events. .

2. Leave via Belarus

Another way is to travel abroad through Belarus. The entry of Russians into the Republic of Belarus is free and is not checked at the border.

In 2015, agreements were signed between the Russian Federation and Belarus on the creation of a common base, according to which both countries will not release debtors for alimony, loans and housing and communal services debts. However, in practice, there is still no mention of specific dates for the implementation of the agreement and is unlikely to appear in the near future, so this exit route is still open to non-travelling citizens. We don’t know how long this will last, we advise you to check before the trip.