One Way Ticket Finance Team
Transferring money abroad in 2025 means navigating two sets of restrictions: Russian currency legislation and the rules of the receiving country. The landscape shifts constantly, so this guide reflects the situation at the time of writing — May 2025.
Current restrictions for individuals
- •Update: limits on transfers abroad for Russian citizens were lifted on 8 December 2025; banks still check the source of funds and compliance with currency law
- •Cash on departure: capped at the equivalent of $10,000 per person (Decree No. 81/2022)
- •Entering the EU, cash of €10,000 or more must be declared at customs
- •Non-residents: far fewer restrictions
- •Cryptocurrency: regulation is evolving — only with proper tax reporting and after legal advice
Banks working with Russians in 2025
Sanctions have significantly shortened the list of banks willing to serve Russian clients. Still, a number of financial institutions continue to work with them:
- •🇹🇷 Turkey: Ziraat, Vakıfbank, Halkbank (for non-residents with a residence permit)
- •🇦🇪 UAE: Emirates NBD, Mashreq, FAB (with an Emirates ID)
- •🇦🇲 Armenia: Ameriabank, Inecobank, ACBA Bank
- •🇬🇪 Georgia: TBC Bank, Bank of Georgia (now more cautious)
- •🇷🇸 Serbia: Raiffeisen, Unicredit Serbia
- •🇰🇿 Kazakhstan: Halyk Bank, Kaspi Bank
- •🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan: OptionBank, FinanceCreditBank
💡 Tip: open an account in the country where you live or hold residency, complete full KYC, and prepare proof of the source of your funds in advance. Transfer money only through banks and in line with the currency laws of both countries.
SWIFT transfers and the alternatives
- •SWIFT transfers: availability depends on the sanctions status of each bank — we use only banks and transactions that comply with sanctions regimes
- •SPFS (the financial messaging system): for transfers to the CIS, China and India
- •UnionPay: accepted in China, the UAE, Turkey and Serbia
- •Informal schemes ("hawala", P2P via intermediaries): we do not use or recommend them — they risk breaching anti-money-laundering law
“None of these methods is one hundred percent safe without consulting a lawyer. Legislation moves fast, and what worked last month may be unavailable today.”