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13:20, 16 August 2025
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Russia Is Testing a Migration Control App That Tracks Foreigners’ Location Data

Starting next year, Moscow will require foreign visitors to use a new app that automatically shares their location with police. It’s part of a sweeping push to digitize migration control in Russia.

Moscow has begun testing a new mobile app called Amina, designed for foreign citizens living or working in Russia. The service allows users to quickly notify the Ministry of Internal Affairs about their residential address and report any changes. A more controversial feature: the app automatically transmits geolocation data from users’ smartphones directly to law enforcement.

Beginning September 1, 2025, the app will be mandatory for foreigners arriving in Moscow and the surrounding region without a visa for work. It will also apply to those entering Russia for more than 90 days for non-work purposes, according to Anton Ignatov, head of the state-run Multifunctional Migration Center, who spoke to Russian news agency RIA Novosti.

Officials argue that Amina will streamline communication between foreign nationals and government services while reducing bureaucratic overhead. But the rollout is also part of a broader, more ambitious surveillance plan.

Earlier, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said: "in the future, Russia will introduce a set of measures to strengthen migration control."

The plans include creating an electronic card with personal data of foreign citizens, their fingerprints and genome. Law enforcement officers will be able to check the data online.

Future plans could go further: officials are considering a system of status indicators on migrants’ digital profiles, marked with color codes. Green would mean no legal violations, yellow would flag a person suspected of a crime, and red would indicate someone wanted by law enforcement.

The launch of Amina signals not just a new app, but a milestone in Russia’s strategy to digitize —тand intensify — migration control.

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