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Russia Cut Off: Visa, Mastercard Cards Go Dead in Russia After January 1
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Russia’s National Payment Card System (NSPK) is urging banks to withdraw remaining Visa and Mastercard cards from domestic circulation after the security certificates embedded in their chips ceased to be valid on January 1, 2025.
“The reasons are simple and clear: the plastic is becoming unusable. If we talk about cards of international payment systems, since January 1 of this year, the security certificates in all chips have already expired. This is a matter of payment security,” NSPK CEO Dmitry Dubynin told RBC in an interview published on October 8.
He said NSPK is consolidating the position of the market, which will be presented to the Bank of Russia. According to Dubynin, credit institutions will need to determine the timeline within which they will withdraw Visa and Mastercard cards from circulation.
The move follows the withdrawal of Visa and Mastercard from Russia after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Domestic transactions on the cards continued through the NSPK system, established by the Central Bank after the 2014 annexation of Crimea, while foreign payments ceased to function.
In July 2025, the Central Bank of Russia first announced plans to restrict the validity period of expired cards, citing the need to combat fraud. “We will announce the restriction period in advance so that banks can complete their remaining stock of cards,” said Alla Bakina, Director of the National Payment System Department of the Central Bank, in comments to RBC.
Earlier, it was reported that Russia advised BRICS summit attendees that foreign Visa and Mastercard cards do not work in the country and recommended carrying cash or obtaining a Mir card, with UnionPay usable under restrictions.
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