Estonia stops recognising non-biometric Russian passports
Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs
20.03.2025
Starting from 31 March 2025, the Republic of Estonia no longer recognises non-biometric foreign passports issued by the Russian Federation. People who have a residence permit from Estonia or another European Union member state and are currently using a non-biometric Russian passport, have until 30 September 2025 to apply for a biometric passport.
Russia issues both biometric and non-biometric passports. The non-biometric foreign passports issued by Russia are not in line with the recommendations of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and they entail various security risks. Non-biometric foreign passports do not contain electronic data carriers, which is why it is not possible to compare the personal data of the passport holder with the data on the microchip. Unlike with the biometric passport issued by Russia, the issuing institution of the passport is not that easy to determine, which makes it harder to identify non-recognised documents (i.e., those issued in occupied areas). Russian passports (including biometric) issued in non-recognised regions are not accepted as travel documents by the Schengen countries.
As of 20 March 2025, non-biometric Russian passports are not recognised or recognised conditionally also by Denmark and Czechia.
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