Starting from March 2022, after the MasterCard and Visa payment systems ceased operations, holders of bank cards from the Russian Federation were no longer able to pay for goods and services outside the country. Let’s take a look at how payments can now be made abroad.
Three working methods today:
- open a card with a foreign bank;
- pay for goods and services with cards from some Russian banks using the UnionPay payment system;
- pay for goods and services with cryptocurrency.
Foreign bank cards
First, let’s talk about a more universal method — paying with foreign bank cards. This method will allow you to make payments worldwide without restrictions. It is easiest for a resident of the Russian Federation to get a card at banks in countries such as:
Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan.
Republic of Belarus
So, we will tell you about the fastest and cheapest option — getting a Belarusian card.
Compared to other destinations, you will buy the cheapest plane or train tickets to Minsk, and if you have a trusted person in the country, then you can arrange everything remotely.
Which Belarusian bank can you open an account with?
At Alfa-Bank, you can remotely open a bank card. In order to open a bank account in the territory of the Republic of Belarus, you need to obtain a notarized document. The price of such a document is on average 2 000 rubles from a notary. It must be filled out in the name of your intermediary or trusted person (a citizen of the Russian Federation can also act as an intermediary) and the document must be sent to the Republic of Belarus.
Another advantage of Alfa-Bank is that you do not need a local phone number. Russian Federation numbers are accepted.
For opening a personalized package, which includes three separate bank cards in various currencies (Belarusian rubles, US dollars or euros), as a non-resident you will have to pay 250 BYN, which is approximately 7 500 rubles.
Card-to-card transfers are made without a fee at the Bank's internal exchange rate.
There are several packages: Classic, Gold, and Platinum, which differ in the cost of customer service, limits, and other options. You can ознакомиться with the details on the website.
The cost of issuing cards is:
Visa Classic – 8100 rubles
Visa Gold – 8 700 rubles
Visa Gold + Belkart (integrates with the MIR payment system - 10 500 rubles.
At this bank, it will not be possible to issue cards by power of attorney. You will also need to purchase a local phone number.
Each account with a card issuance must be opened with a security deposit, which amounts to 20 000 BYN (600 thousand rubles) + 300 USD/EUR for cards in US dollars or euros. At the moment, there are no multicurrency accounts, so you will have to open a separate account in each currency.
In this case, you can do all operations by power of attorney, but also only with a local phone number.
How much does it cost to issue a Visa Gold card for a non-resident?
135 BYN (for cards in local currency) – 4 200 rubles.
187 BYN (in US dollars or euros) - 5 700 rubles.
Currently, there is a note on MTBank's website about the suspension of issuing these cards to non-residents.
At the bank office, the first product that is opened for a non-resident is an account in local currency. Opening an account for non-residents is possible for a fee of 250 BYN (7 800 rubles), and by power of attorney it is possible for 350 BYN (10 800 rubles). The first account is opened only at the bank office. Using the mobile app to open the second and subsequent account is free of charge. The price of the card depends on its type.
In addition, to open a card it is necessary to have an active number from a Belarusian mobile operator.
Cards of the MasterCard or Visa Gold payment systems are currently available for application. These are cards in the following currencies - BYN, USD, EUR and RUB. The application cost includes the issuance of all cards - 330 BYN (10 150 rubles) as a one-time payment, for the entire validity period of the card. At the same time, no additional payments or fees are предусмотрено.
It is allowed to use a Russian phone number for the application, and the bank will also accept a power of attorney for remote application.
The card issuance period in most banks is approximately the same — from 3 to 10 days. Some banks may charge for urgent issuance and issue the card the same or the next day.
You can get a local mobile operator phone number at any office of a mobile operator. Take your Russian passport and international passport with you on the trip.
Note.
Some banks in the Republic of Belarus are also under sanctions, just like Russian ones, so if you have problems with payment, the reason may be sanctions or the API, if it does not match the country where the card was issued.
In case of an error, try making the payment using the API of the country in which the card was issued. If the problem remains, then most likely these are sanctions restrictions.
Uzbekistan
Non-residents of Uzbekistan can also open accounts in banks in this country, but the process of opening accounts for non-residents is somewhat more complicated, and when applying on your own makes it impossible to use an authorized representative. The trip to Tashkent (most banks open accounts for foreigners only at offices in Tashkent) will cost more, as will accommodation after the influx of tourists in recent months.
The requirements for opening accounts in Uzbekistan are: a local mobile phone number. When obtaining a card at a mobile operator branch, you will need a foreign passport, as well as temporary registration or residence registration (proof of registration can be obtained at a hotel). You should clarify what you need the SIM card for, since tourist ones stop working after some time. Also, at the communications branch you will need to register the IMAI - mobile equipment identifier, which may also be requested at the bank.
You will also need to obtain additional documents: PINFL (personal identification number of an individual), which you can get at public service centers or migration departments of the Tashkent Department of Internal Affairs. You need to have a passport and proof of registration. The processing takes up to 12 hours.
In which banks of Uzbekistan can citizens of the Russian Federation open an account?
This is the bank that serves non-residents exclusively at the head office in Tashkent.
In addition to currency cards (USD and EUR), you can get an Uzcard card in the local currency - you can transfer money from Russian cards to this card.
The opening price is from 5 to 7 BRV. The base calculated value BRV in Uzbekistan is 300 000 UZS (Uzbek sums). As a result, converted into rubles, 5 BRS = 10 000 rubles, and 7 BRS = 14 000 rubles.
Among the special conditions for non-residents there is an insurance deposit. Depending on the type of card selected, it will vary and may be, for example:
Visa Start – 10 USD.
VISA Infinite – 500 USD.
UnionPay GOLD - 50 USD.
You must provide a Russian passport and a foreign passport, proof of temporary residence registration or registration in the country. You will also need a local SIM card and PINFL.
To open plastic cards for individual non-residents, the following documents are required: passport, certificate of temporary registration, and PINFL.
Terms for opening Visa Platinum pay Wave (contactless):
Price – 500 000 UZS (3 350 rubles).
Insurance deposit - 100 US dollars;
Monthly service fee – 50 US dollars.
Initial deposit – 100 US dollars.
In September last year, the banks introduced additional restrictive measures for non-residents. The service is available only to those citizens who crossed the border at least 15 calendar days before visiting the bank. They must have registration, PINFL, and a local SIM card.
Republic of Kazakhstan
To open a bank account in Kazakhstan, non-residents need to use a local IIN (individual identification number) and a SIM card from a Kazakh mobile operator. Be sure to bring a notarized translation of your Russian passport. As of today, you can obtain an IIN at the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Russia by submitting an application in person, or apply for it at Public Service Centers in Kazakhstan.
Banks in Kazakhstan available to non-residents
An undeniable advantage of this bank is that local SIM cards are not mandatory. You will only need the above-mentioned IIN and your international passport.
A multicurrency card can be issued by the bank, for which you will pay 30 000 KZT (Kazakh tenge) — approximately 5 000 rubles.
Today, non-residents can only open cards in the local currency.
The list of required documents is standard: passport, IIN, and SIM card. It is also advisable to have additional grounds for staying in Kazakhstan, for example, a stamp confirming crossing the border of the Republic of Kazakhstan, a temporary registration certificate, and so on.
In the first year, issuance and maintenance of the Kaspi Gold card are free; in the second year — 1 995 KT per year (350 rubles).
ForteBank and Halyk Bank
These banks may open accounts for non-residents, but in addition to the basic package, you must provide one of the documents confirming activity in the country, for example, a document from an educational institution or an employment contract with a legal entity in Kazakhstan.
Armenia
In Armenia, getting a bank account and card as a non-resident is much more difficult than in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. You can visit a bank branch only in person, and you must provide a rental agreement (for at least three months), a residence permit, and other documents. A local operator number is also required.
However, some banks in Armenia make exceptions.
Which banks serve non-residents in Armenia?
Unibank Armenia has an exception to the rules regarding the required documents. To open a multicurrency VISA card, you will only need a foreign passport.
You will have to pay 100 000 AMD (Armenian drams) for annual VISA card maintenance, which is approximately 20 000 rubles. You can pick up the card on the day of application by paying approximately 25 000 AMD (5 thousand rubles) for urgency. In addition, you can get GOLD packages for 200 000 AMD (40 thousand rubles) with increased account limits.
When opening an account at this bank, in addition to a foreign passport, you must provide a rental agreement or registration at your place of residence, as well as an RA SIM card.
The price of opening Ardshinbank in one currency will be 15 000 AMD + 400 AMD for a year of card maintenance. Total about 3 000 rubles.
An identical package of documents that was listed for Ardshinkbank,
Here you only pay for a year of card maintenance 20 000 AMD (4 500 rubles).
With other banks in Armenia, you will no longer manage without an employment contract and additional documents.
Kyrgyzstan
The standard set of requirements includes a Russian passport, an international passport with an entry stamp to the country, and temporary registration. Some banks require a local SIM card.
Which banks in Kyrgyzstan open accounts for citizens who are non-residents of the country?
For Visa Classic, opening a multicurrency KGS/USD or KGS/EUR card will cost you 600 KGS (Kyrgyz soms). This amount is approximately equal to 500 rubles. For Visa Gold - 1 500 KGS (1 300 rubles).
Issuance of the main card is free, each additional card in a separate currency costs 250 KGS (230 rubles), for urgent issuance you must pay 1 000 KGS (900 rubles).
Issuance of cards by these banks is free.
At the same time, the annual maintenance fee for Visa Classic cards is 300 KGS (250 rubles) and for Visa Gold - 1 000 KGS (950 rubles).
At this bank, non-residents of the country must pay 2 000 KGS (1 800 rubles) for issuance of a Visa card. The account balance must be 500 KGS (450 rubles).
Please note that you will not be able to use cards of foreign banks of the MasterCard and Visa payment systems in Russia. When visiting the office, it is worth clarifying the possibility of online payments, sometimes this option is not enabled by default. It is advisable that all plastic cards be physically inserted into an ATM in the country where they were obtained. Sometimes cards will not work without this procedure.
RUSSIAN UNIONPAY BANKING SYSTEMS
Today, there are still banks in the Russian Federation that have not come under sanctions and continue to issue UnionPay payment cards. However, in practice, everything turned out to be not so simple. At present, cardholders are experiencing difficulties when paying for online purchases abroad. As it later became clear, the reason is that UnionPay has a very limited presence outside its home country. And the transaction share of the payment system outside China remains within 2%.
Choose a convenient payment method, and we will make sure that your purchases reach you quickly and at the lowest price!
