Preparation for certification
It was clear much earlier that residents of the ASEZ (territories of individual districts) of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine would receive Russian citizenship.
In the summer of 2021, it was submitted to the State Duma, and on December 27, 2021, Law No. 544-FZ was adopted. According to this law, the President of Russia is given the authority to determine an entire category of foreigners who will be able to obtain Russian citizenship in a simplified manner. Before this, the President did not have such powers.
He could give citizenship for special merits to one specific person (Depardieu, Roy Jones Jr. and others), but not to an entire region or category of citizens.
The simplified procedure for obtaining citizenship is determined by Article 14 of Law No. 62 “On Citizenship”. Making changes to a federal law takes a lot of time - a lot of approvals, several readings in the State Duma, then the Federation Council, etc.
The average time for a law to be adopted is approximately 8 months. Although with the pensions of Russian citizens and the increase in VAT it turned out faster :)))
Transferring to the President the authority to determine the categories of simplifiers gives more maneuver and significantly reduces the time frame. In fact, the President can prepare and sign a Decree within 1 day, which will immediately come into force. In the same way, such a decree on determining categories of persons can be quickly cancelled, amended or replaced with a new one.
It is very easy and quick to change a specific category of persons by decree. The President wants to establish a simplified period for obtaining Russian citizenship for citizens of Antarctica or Czechoslovakia - just one day and it’s done.
The decree also makes it easy to determine the list and order of documents without lengthy approvals.
The first such Decree on determining the category of citizens for simplified acquisition of citizenship was Presidential Decree No. 183 dated April 24, 2019.
It is the Decree that determines the procedure and list of documents for filing an application.
Latest changes in the migration legislation of the Russian Federation
Any Ukrainian - citizen or stateless person permanently residing in the country - can obtain a residence permit in Russia according to a simplified scheme, without waiting for quotas. This opportunity appeared for residents of Ukraine in August 2021, when Putin introduced changes to the Federal Law regulating the situation of foreigners in the Russian Federation (Federal Law 257). This resolution continues to apply in 2021.
If previously, under a simplified procedure, Russian citizenship was possible for the DPR and LPR in connection with marriage with a citizen of the Russian Federation, as well as for some other categories of citizens, today all residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, without exception, can enjoy the advantage.
After the introduction of appropriate changes to the Law, it became possible to obtain Russian citizenship in a simplified manner for residents of Donbass. That is, the procedure takes place without issuing a temporary residence permit (temporary residence permit) and residence permit (residence permit), passing a Russian language exam and renouncing the previous legal status. Information is available in the decree of the President of Russia dated April 24. 2021.
List of documents for obtaining Russian citizenship
The list of documents for obtaining citizenship is extremely short - an application and 2 documents. The documents are listed in paragraph 6 of Article 2 of Decree No. 183. To obtain Russian citizenship, a resident of the DPR needs:
- Statement
The application form is established by the Decree.
- LPR or DPR passport
It is the passport of one of the unrecognized republics that is the main document. This is very important and strange at the same time. Typically, the applicant must prove his original citizenship with the appropriate passport. In this case it's the other way around.
The decree does not say “LPR passport” or “DPR passport.” The decree says “identity document provided for by Decree No. 74 dated February 18, 2017...”. And Presidential Decree No. 74 of February 18, 2017 equates passports of unrecognized republics with the passport of Ukraine.
Passports of the LPR and DPR differ in the symbols of the republics and color. In the DPR and LPR, passports are red, while the “original” Ukrainian passports are blue.
Please note: “ with registration mark ”.
It is not enough to have a DPR or LPR passport, but you also need to be permanently registered there.
- Ukrainian passport
In Presidential Decree No. 183, a Ukrainian passport is called a “document confirming the presence of another citizenship,” so it could be an expired Ukrainian passport, a certificate of Ukrainian citizenship, etc.
Please note: you cannot obtain Russian citizenship with just one document! In accordance with the decree, both documents must be attached to the application.
- Evidence
Certificates of marriage, change of surname, birth of a child are secondary documents for those who plan to acquire Russian citizenship with the whole family or with a child.
The certificates can be either “original” Ukrainian or issued by the authorities of the republics.
Certificates must be in Russian.
- Photos
An interesting point is that the Presidential Decree does not include photographs of the applicant, but there is a place for the photo on the application. So prepare your photographs - 3 by 4 matte color ones and at least 3 of them: one for your passport, one for your personal file and one in reserve.
How to obtain Russian citizenship for citizens of the Lugansk region
- photo
- child's identification document (if available)
- child's birth certificate
- a copy of the residence permit document, if the child has the appropriate legal status in the Russian Federation
- migration card
- notification of migration registration
- consent of children aged 14 to 18 years
Where to apply for citizenship of the Russian Federation
Citizens of the LPR, citizens of Ukraine who lived in the territory of the Lugansk region, as well as stateless persons who permanently resided in the territory of the LPR and Lugansk region as of April 27, 2021, apply for Russian citizenship in a simplified manner without obtaining the status of temporary residence permit and residence permit . The application can be submitted in the territory of the LPR and Russia. The application must be submitted in person. If you are a citizen of Ukraine, LPR or a stateless person, permanently residing in the territory of the LPR, Luhansk region as of April 27, 2021 and have a temporary residence permit, residence permit, certificate of temporary asylum or certificate of a participant in the State program to assist voluntary resettlement to the Russian Federation compatriots living abroad, in this case the application is submitted at the place of residence or stay in Russia. The application can be submitted jointly with children, including adopted children, spouses and parents.
Ukrainians can travel to Russia in 2021 using their civil or foreign passports, without applying for a visa, after which they are required to fill out a migration card at the border.
In addition, deputies decided that Ukrainian passports will be valid on the territory of the LPR until the adoption of the law on the passport of a citizen of the LPR. Also, deputies of the Supreme Council of the LPR took an oath of allegiance to the people of the Lugansk People's Republic at the session.
When will residents of the DPR and LPR receive Russian citizenship?
In the oath, they undertake to comply with the constitution and laws of the LPR, and also undertake to perform duties in the interests of their compatriots. Information and analytical publication. How Ukraine is being Ukrainized using the Ukrainian language. How the Crimean issue was raised in Chernigov. How the day went: news of November 8.
Despite this, the head of the department for citizenship, migration and registration of individuals assured that ultimately all documentation of the Republic will have a legal basis not only on the territory of the LPR, but also beyond its borders.
Deadline for issuing Russian citizenship
The period for consideration of an application for Russian citizenship of any citizen of these republics will be only 3 months. Just a month longer than the application for temporary residence permit.
To be honest, it’s even kind of enviable.
Russian citizens who do not live at their place of registration, if they lose their passport, sometimes go without documents for several months and cannot restore the lost document. Including due to poor interaction between departments of the Department of Management from different regions. Yes, and the statutory period is 4 months.
And then give citizenship in 3 months. And there are more than 2 million possible applicants! Will they cope?
Denial of Russian citizenship to residents of the LPR and DPR
The question immediately arises whether Russian citizenship can be refused. They can and will refuse. And there will be thousands of refusals. Or even dozens.
The Presidential Decree does not contain a direct indication of the categories of persons who may be denied, but in the application for admission to citizenship there is a receipt stating that the applicant does not belong to the persons listed in Art. 16 Federal Law “On Citizenship”.
This article lists the grounds for refusal:
- Clause a of Article 16 is a threat to the security of Russia.
- Clause b Article 16 – terrorism,
- clause in Article 16 – extremism,
- paragraph g of Article 16 – a current ban on entry, undesirability of stay, expulsion or deportation.
We do not know for sure the number of supporters of radical movements among residents of the LPR and DPR, but we know for sure that the number of deportees from the DPR and LPR is many tens of thousands.
Many residents of these regions fled from war and unemployment to Russia, but taking into account the complex Russian legislation in the field of migration, they became illegal immigrants - some did not renew their refugee status, some were unable to obtain it, some went without registration, some then he worked for pennies without a patent. The result is the same for everyone - expulsion and a ban on entry.
And until the expiration of the ban on entry or expulsion, such applicants will not receive citizenship. Despite humanitarianism, rights and freedoms, principles and norms of international law.
What innovations came into force in April 2021
This spring, the President of the Russian Federation issued two decrees concerning residents of Donbass. The first - No. 183 - established that Ukrainian citizens registered and living in the LPR and DPR can take advantage of a simplified scheme for obtaining Russian citizenship. And very much simplified. Indeed, in accordance with this law, a citizen of Donbass is not required to obtain a temporary residence permit or residence permit in order to obtain a Russian passport. In addition, he does not need to come to Russia at all - everything can be done from the territory of the DPR/LPR. And the period for making a decision on his application cannot exceed 3 months .
Later, changes were made to Decree No. 183 , according to which not only Ukrainian citizens, but in general any holders of LPR or DPR passports permanently residing in the territory of the republics could apply for citizenship in a simplified manner.
The second decree - No. 187 - affected former residents of the Ukrainian Donbass. Initially, it was also intended only for immigrants from the LPR and DPR. But due to the changes, it now covers citizens who lived as of April 7, 2014 in any city/town in the Donetsk region and as of April 27, 2014 in the Lugansk region, and who are now living in Russia. They are also guaranteed an easier way to acquire Russian citizenship in 3 months. But such citizens must have some kind of status in Russia, for example, temporary residence permit.
To register under Decree 187 you must have status in Russia
How do the conditions for acquiring citizen status differ between persons from Decree No. 183 of April 24, 2019 and persons named in Decree No. 187 of April 29, 2019? The first are issued from the territory of the LPR, the second - from the territory of Russia. The list of required papers also varies.
Legal assistance in obtaining citizenship
Do I need to contact a lawyer to obtain citizenship?
Definitely not.
Applicants under this program are maximally exempt from unnecessary bureaucratic procedures. NO NEED:
- undergo a medical examination,
— pass the Russian language exam,
- obtain a certificate of no criminal record,
- pay the state fee
Residents of the LPR and DPR are freed from all this. You need to take a photo, fill out an application and submit it.
A lawyer or advocate may only be needed if the applicant has been subject to deportation or has and wants to lift an entry ban.
Without this, residents of the DPR cannot obtain Russian citizenship.
