Russia Denies Mass Border Refusals Over Passport Photos
The Russian Tourism Union (RST) has not confirmed reports of mass refusals by Russians to travel abroad due to photos in their passports, according to the organization's press service.
Consensus
- The Russian Union of Tourism Industry (RST) denies that there is a mass problem with Russian citizens being denied exit from Russia due to passport photos.
- The RST states that even if the reported data is accurate, the number of cases is small compared to the overall volume of outbound tourism.
- The RST emphasizes that passport photo discrepancies are not a widespread issue and there is no basis for claiming a mass problem.
- Tur operators may warn travelers about photo issues, but this does not guarantee border clearance.
- Final decision on border crossing rests with state authorities, not tour operators.
Points of divergence
- The RST mentioned that even if the published data is true, the number of cases is relatively small in the context of a multi-million outbound tourism flow. — vesti
- The RST stated that no complaints about such incidents have been received from tourists or tour operators. — interfax
Coverage (2 sources)
- RST refutes data about mass problems with exiting due to photos in passports — Вести
- RST did not receive requests about refusals to travel abroad due to photos in passports — Интерфакс