Blog · 2024-03-25

News digest for relocating expats

Argentina: Turkish Airlines is turning Russian nationals away at the gate

Numerous travellers report that Russian citizens are being denied boarding on Turkish Airlines flights. The effective ban on the Russian passport applies not only to Argentina but to other Latin American destinations as well. For now, Russian nationals are advised against flying with the carrier.

Hong Kong: the investor residency scheme is back

As of 1 March 2024, Hong Kong has relaunched its programme granting residency through investment, a scheme that had been suspended since 2015. The minimum investment is expected to be around 700,000 US dollars.

Armenia: local banks stop servicing Mir cards

Armenian banks have decided to stop servicing Russian Mir cards from 30 March, citing the risk of falling under US sanctions. VTB Armenia will continue to work with Mir cards.

UAE: Emirates NBD halts rouble transfers and closes Russian accounts

Emirates NBD, one of the UAE's largest banks, has stopped accepting transfers in roubles, closed the accounts of Russian clients and shut down the division dedicated to serving the Russian market. The broad retreat of major foreign banks from Russian clientele stems from the threat of US sanctions.

China: ten Chinese banks stop accepting payments from Russia

Chinese banks have stopped accepting yuan payments from Russia and have begun returning transactions to clients, amid concerns over secondary US sanctions.

Taiwan: changes to immigration policy

The Taiwanese government has adopted a series of key changes to its immigration policy. Among them:

• permission to extend visitor visas;
• more days for foreign nationals to notify the authorities of a change of address;
• a longer window, counted from the date of entry, in which foreign nationals must apply for an alien resident certificate;
• extended validity for certain entry bans.

Egypt: direct flights between Kaliningrad and Egypt resume on 7 April

Direct air service between Kaliningrad and Egypt resumes on 7 April.

FAQ