May 17, 2013. The number of people who are not allowed to travel abroad because of their debts is growing every year. In 2009, 900 people were denied exit, in 2012 the figure rose to as many as 40,000 people. So far this year, 12,000 debtors were not allowed to leave Russia; their debts totaled to 7.5bn RUR altogether. The 12,000 figure comprises 2,500 people who don’t pay their children’s alimony; their debts amount to 0.5bn RUR. Also, about 4,000 peoples with unpaid loans were denied exit from the country; their debts come to 5bn RUR, Chief Court Officer of Sverdlovsk Region Sergey Shchebekin said at a recent press conference.

According to Shchebekin, about 1 or 2 debtors try to cross the Russian Federation border every week. During holiday season, the number usually goes up to 6.

This year, 6 Sverdlovsk Region-based debtors who were refused the right to get on board their planes, took their cased to court, and not a single claim has been sustained by the court so far; last year, there were 16 such cases.

At the moment, the law says there is no clear and definite debt sum that automatically means the court officer can deny a citizen exit from the country. The decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, and such factors as the malignity of non-paying and the debtor’s trying to avoid payment are taken into account. The exit is primarily denied to the long-time non-payers of chidren’s alimony, irregardless of how much they owe, be it 100,000 RUR or 5,000 RUR.