Putin bans taking more than one million rubles in cash from Russia to Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, and four other countries. What if you need to take more?
The new rules
Russian President Vladimir Putin has banned Russians and foreigners from taking cash exceeding 1 million rubles to other Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) countries — Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan — as well as Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The restriction took effect on September 29.
Previously, individuals traveling to EAEU countries could take the equivalent of $100,000 at the central bank’s exchange rate on the day they crossed the border. People can now take roughly one-eighth to one-ninth as much cash out of the country.
For companies and sole proprietors, the presidential decree merely codified an existing ban on taking any cash out of the country but expanded the list of exceptions.
- Companies and sole proprietors will be able to take cash to the listed countries through international airports on a list the government has yet to draw up. The previous list included 17 airports, among them Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, and Vnukovo. Businesses will need to provide a bank-certified statement confirming that the cash was withdrawn from their own accounts.
- An exception also applies to businesses providing international transportation, as long as the cash’s journey begins and ends outside Russia and the company or sole proprietor can document that it was brought into Russia.
- The restriction also does not apply to funds intended to support the work of Russian diplomatic missions, consulates, and other government offices abroad.
Individuals face confiscation of any cash above the one-million-ruble limit, while companies and sole proprietors face confiscation of the entire sum. Russia’s Foreign Ministry, Federal Security Service (FSB), and Federal Customs Service will be responsible for enforcing the decree. The government must approve procedures for recording cash taken abroad, with the agreement of Russia’s central bank.
Who needs to take that much money to these countries anyway?
Lots of people. For example, people who divide their time between two countries.
- Millions of people from other EAEU countries, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan work in Russia, and they often need to take their earnings home.
- Many Russians moved to Armenia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. They regularly need to take cash out of Russia, for example, after selling real estate or other major assets.
- As cross-border transactions became more difficult, Russian business owners also began moving cash abroad under the guise of personal travel to obtain foreign currency for routine payments and expenses or simply to buy goods in neighboring countries.
Experts interviewed by Russian business publications believe the restrictions were tightened mainly to crack down on these semi-legal business schemes. Finance Ministry officials and central bank staff have said the same. The authorities are using the restrictions to try to bring Russia’s economy “out of the shadows.”
O2 Consulting senior consultant Svyatoslav Krasilnikov told Vedomosti that the $100,000-per-person limit posed no real obstacle: The money was simply split among several people who carried it abroad. Growing amounts of cash were also being taken to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Azerbaijan, which had previously been entirely exempt from the restrictions on cash taken to EAEU countries.
These arrangements let businesses make cross-border transfers outside transparent banking channels and bypass currency controls and compliance checks, B1 partner Vilgelmina Shavshina told Kommersant.
“The new limit of one million rubles sharply increases the number of people and trips needed to take a large amount of cash abroad, making the process more expensive and more conspicuous,” Rimma Fatykhova, who heads the bankruptcy and commercial litigation practice at ANP Zenit, told the newspaper.
The Bell reported that the new restrictions will hit hardest those who paid business partners in cash in the affected countries: small-scale border traders and networks of currency exchangers and intermediaries. The restrictions will also hurt migrants whose off-the-books income cannot be documented with a bank statement.
So what should I do now if I need to take money to one of the countries covered by the decree?
We strongly advise against exceeding the limit. Remember the penalties set out in the presidential decree — you run a high risk of simply losing some or even all of your cash.
For personal use when traveling to the seven countries covered by the decree, it’s best to carry less than one million rubles in cash and transfer the rest electronically. Even Russian Mir cards still work in Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan, though you may have to look around for an ATM that accepts them.
Several options remain available for transferring money from Russia abroad, including to EAEU countries, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. In summer 2026, the human rights organization Kovcheg recommended the following:
- The IDPay app: Transfers from Russian cards to Armenian cards and vice versa; direct bank transfers to Armenia are also available
- Unistream: A money-transfer system still available in nearly 10 countries
- The Avosend service
- Transfers through Russian Post
- Russian banking apps, such as Sber’s and T-Bank’s
- Cryptocurrencies
Caution: Using some of these channels in jurisdictions outside the countries listed above may be treated as sanctions evasion. Be careful and check thoroughly to make sure you aren’t breaking local laws.
Over what period?
The time frame doesn’t matter; the limit applies to a single border crossing. That means you can take a million out of the country, and then head straight back to Russia for the next one.
With one important exception
The presidential decree does not apply to banks.