Legislative regulation
Citizenship of the Russian Federation is acquired by birth, as a result of admission or restoration of citizenship of the Russian Federation, as well as in the event of changes in the state borders of Russia in accordance with an international treaty.
The procedure for acquiring Russian citizenship is regulated by the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the federal law “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation” dated May 31, 2002, the decree of the President of the Russian Federation “On approval of the regulation on the procedure for considering issues of citizenship of the Russian Federation” dated November 14, 2002, and the State Program for Assistance to Voluntary Resettlement to the Russian Federation of compatriots living abroad (approved by decree of the head of state of June 22, 2006) and other legislative acts.
The legislation provides for a general and simplified procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship.
AutoJurist legal assistance
N 62-FZ “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation”, takes the Oath of a Citizen of the Russian Federation (hereinafter referred to as the Oath) in front of the State Flag of the Russian Federation. 2. The taking of the Oath is organized by a territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation or a diplomatic mission or consular office of the Russian Federation, which, in accordance with the established procedure, accepted a person’s application for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation.
President of the Russian Federation V. Putin 1. A person in respect of whom the authorized body in charge of matters of citizenship of the Russian Federation has made a decision to grant citizenship of the Russian Federation on the basis of paragraphs “b” - “d” of Article 11 of the Federal Law of May 31, 2002 .
Status of foreigners in the Russian Federation
Foreign citizens applying for Russian citizenship on the territory of the Russian Federation must have legal status (for example, have a residence permit, residence permit). Persons staying in Russia illegally cannot apply for citizenship. The status of foreigners in the Russian Federation is regulated by the federal laws “On Refugees” of February 19, 1993, “On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation” of July 25, 2002, and the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation “On the provision of temporary asylum to citizens of Ukraine on the territory of the Russian Federation in a simplified manner” » dated July 22, 2014, international treaties of the Russian Federation, etc.
Territorial bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation issue temporary residence permits (TRP) to foreign citizens in Russia for a period of three years. The number of permits is limited within the quota approved annually by the Russian government. Without taking into account the quota, temporary residence permits can receive:
- former citizens of the USSR born on the territory of the RSFSR;
— persons born on the territory of the Russian Federation;
— persons married to a citizen of the Russian Federation living in Russia;
— entered military service in the Russian Federation;
— participants of the State program to assist the voluntary resettlement of compatriots living abroad to the Russian Federation;
- persons with a child who is a citizen of the Russian Federation;
— persons making investments in Russia, in the amount established by the government of the Russian Federation;
- some other categories of foreign citizens who have direct relatives - citizens of Russia.
Along with filing an application for a temporary residence permit, mandatory fingerprint registration of foreigners is carried out.
Six months after receiving a temporary residence permit, a foreign citizen, upon his application, may be issued a residence permit for a period of five years (can be extended many times). The corresponding application is submitted at the place of residence of the foreign citizen to the territorial bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Before receiving a residence permit, a foreign citizen is required to live in Russia for at least one year on the basis of a temporary residence permit. An exception is made for highly qualified specialists, persons recognized as native speakers of the Russian language and members of their families. In addition, a residence permit can be obtained in a simplified manner by foreign citizens who arrived in the Russian Federation “in an emergency en masse”, who were recognized as refugees or received temporary asylum in Russia, and who became participants in the state program to assist the voluntary resettlement of compatriots in the Russian Federation.
Putin signed a new Decree on simplifying the process of obtaining Russian citizenship for foreigners and stateless persons
e) citizens of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Republic of Iraq, the Yemen Republic and the Syrian Arab Republic, born on the territory of the RSFSR and who were former citizens of the USSR, as well as their children, including adopted children, spouses and parents.
a) citizens of Ukraine who do not have citizenship (nationality) of another state, who were born and permanently resided in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, who left these territories before March 18, 2014, as well as their children, including adopted children ), spouses and parents;
General procedure for obtaining citizenship
Under the general procedure, the decision to grant citizenship is made by the head of state; it is formalized by decree of the President of the Russian Federation. The period for reviewing documents is one year. Any competent adult citizen of a foreign state (or a stateless person) can obtain Russian citizenship in the general manner if he has been permanently residing in the Russian Federation for at least five years from the date of receiving a residence permit (during this period it is allowed to leave Russia for no more than three months within one year). The applicant is obliged to comply with the constitution and legislation of the Russian Federation. In addition, he must document the existence of a legal source of livelihood, knowledge of the Russian language, and also renounce the citizenship of another state.
The period of permanent residence in the Russian Federation required to obtain citizenship in the general manner can be reduced to one year for three reasons:
— the applicant has high achievements in the field of science, technology and culture, or possesses a profession of interest to the Russian Federation;
— receipt by the applicant of political asylum on the territory of the Russian Federation;
- having refugee status.
Persons who have special services to the Russian Federation may be granted citizenship by the head of state without complying with the conditions mentioned above. Military personnel - contract soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (or other Russian military formations) who have citizenship of the former republics of the USSR can obtain Russian citizenship after serving for three years. However, they do not need to present a residence permit.
Obtaining Russian citizenship in a simplified manner in 2021 - 2021
- using language in everyday life;
- living in Russia or who lived on the territory of the Soviet Union within the state border of the Russian Federation, or whose ancestors in a direct line live in Russia or lived in the Soviet Union or the Russian Empire within the state border of the Russian Federation.
- Choosing a suitable basis for admission to citizenship of our state.
- Obtaining the necessary documents (residence permit in cases where it is required, as well as documents on knowledge of the Russian language, absence of a second citizenship, availability of a source of income) and fulfillment of the conditions provided for simplified acquisition of citizenship (for example, carrying out business activities for 3 years and payment of taxes in the amount of at least 1 million rubles per year).
- Collection of supporting documents, preparation and submission of an application for admission to Russian citizenship.
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Simplified procedure
Under the simplified procedure, citizenship is granted without the requirement for a residence permit and residence in the Russian Federation for five years. The period for reviewing documents in this case is no more than six months. For citizens of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, it is reduced to three months, in accordance with the quadripartite agreement on a simplified procedure for acquiring citizenship, signed on February 26, 1999 (came into force on November 4, 2000). The decision to grant citizenship is made by the heads of territorial bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation (in some cases, by the heads of Russian diplomatic and consular institutions abroad).
Currently, Russian citizenship can be obtained in a simplified manner by:
- persons who have at least one parent - a citizen of the Russian Federation living in Russia;
- persons living in Russia and who have been in a registered marriage with a citizen of the Russian Federation for more than three years;
- former citizens of the USSR born on the territory of the RSFSR;
- former citizens of the USSR who lived and are living in the republics of the former Soviet Union and did not receive citizenship of the independent states created in these republics;
— former citizens of the USSR living in Russia and being veterans of the Great Patriotic War;
- persons who received professional education in the Russian Federation under state programs after July 1, 2002 and worked in Russia legally for at least three years (with the employer deducting insurance contributions from their income to the Pension Fund);
- individual entrepreneurs who have worked continuously in Russia for at least three years and have annually paid taxes, fees and payments to the Pension Fund in the amount of at least 1 million rubles;
— investors whose share in the authorized capital of Russian companies specializing in the types of activities specified by the Russian government has been at least 10% for three years. At the same time, the size of the authorized capital of these companies must be at least 100 million rubles, and the amount of taxes, fees and contributions to the Pension Fund paid by them annually for three years must be at least 6 million rubles;
- persons who have worked in Russia for at least three years in a specialty included in the special list of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Russian Federation (it includes 74 professions, including medical specialist, nurse, milling operator, design engineer, etc.), with deduction by the employer from their income of insurance contributions to the Pension Fund;
- disabled persons who have adult able-bodied children - citizens of Russia;
- some other categories of children and incapacitated persons.
In addition, two more categories of foreign citizens and stateless persons can obtain Russian citizenship in a simplified manner (the period for consideration of their applications is three months). The first group includes persons permanently residing in the Russian Federation legally and recognized as native speakers of the Russian language by a special commission formed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs with the involvement of philologists and linguists. At the same time, they must pledge to comply with the Russian constitution and laws, have legal income, and also renounce foreign citizenship (for citizens of Ukraine, it is enough to submit a notarized copy of the application for renunciation of citizenship sent to the diplomatic mission of this country).
The second category includes participants in the state program to assist the voluntary resettlement of compatriots in the Russian Federation and members of their families. They must be officially registered in the territory of the subject of the Russian Federation chosen by them for permanent residence.
If an application for Russian citizenship is rejected, the applicant may apply again after a year.
Amendments to the Law “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation”
On December 28, 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed amendments to the federal law “On Citizenship.” The document gives the head of state the right to determine, for humanitarian purposes, categories of foreign citizens and stateless persons who have the right to apply for the acquisition of Russian citizenship in a simplified manner. This makes it possible to grant Russian citizenship, first of all, to those who live in countries with a difficult socio-political and economic situation, where armed conflicts or unconstitutional changes of political regime occur.
In addition, the law simplified the procedure for participants in the state program to assist the voluntary resettlement of compatriots in the Russian Federation. They are no longer required to have registration at the place of residence in the subject of the Russian Federation they have chosen for residence. To obtain citizenship in a simplified manner, it is enough to be registered with the territorial bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs at the place of residence in the Russian Federation (if you have a temporary residence permit or residence permit). These amendments to the citizenship law came into force on March 29, 2021.
Presidential Decree 2021 On Acquiring Russian Citizenship in a Simplified Procedure
The Kommersant newspaper explains Putin’s decision to expand the geography of issuing Russian passports to Ukrainians by the large number of applications for Russian citizenship. Another 20 thousand applications were written by refugees and holders of other migration statuses who had already left the territory of Ukraine.
Our website uses cookies to provide you with personalized information. Details are in the Personal Data Protection Regulations. From now on, the procedure for simplified acquisition of Russian citizenship also applies to residents of Donbass areas controlled by Kyiv. Russian President Vladimir Putin has increased the number of Ukrainian citizens who can obtain Russian citizenship in a simplified manner. The corresponding decree number was published on the official Internet portal of legal information on Wednesday, July 17. In accordance with the document, Ukrainians who lived not only in “certain regions of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine”, that is, in the self-proclaimed “Donetsk” and “Lugansk people’s republics,” but also residents of the Donbass regions, can now apply for Russian citizenship in a simplified manner. controlled by Kyiv. On April 24, Putin signed decree number allowing residents of the “DPR” and “LPR” to obtain Russian citizenship in a simplified manner “in order to protect human rights and based on generally recognized principles and norms of international law.”
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Grounds for refusal to grant Russian citizenship
Applications for admission to Russian citizenship are rejected if the applicant:
- advocates a violent change in the foundations of the constitutional system or through other actions creates a threat to the security of the Russian Federation;
— participated in international, interethnic, interterritorial or other armed conflicts;
— participated in terrorist and extremist activities that pose a threat to the national security of the Russian Federation;
- used false documents when submitting an application or provided knowingly false information;
- convicted, has an unexpunged or outstanding criminal record, is being pursued by Russian law enforcement agencies, etc.
The decision to acquire Russian citizenship is subject to cancellation in the following cases:
- if the fact of the applicant’s use of forged documents or knowingly false information is established in court;
- if the purpose of acquiring citizenship was to carry out activities that pose a threat to the foundations of the constitutional system of the Russian Federation;
- the applicant’s refusal to take the oath.
Oath
Persons receiving Russian citizenship are required to take an oath. Its text reads: “I, full name and full name, voluntarily and consciously accepting citizenship of the Russian Federation, swear: to comply with the constitution and legislation of the Russian Federation, the rights and freedoms of its citizens, to fulfill the duties of a citizen of the Russian Federation for the benefit of the state and society, to protect the freedom and independence of the Russian Federation , to be faithful to Russia, to respect its culture, history and traditions.” Persons under 18 years of age, incapacitated or limited in legal capacity, and those exempt from this obligation in accordance with decisions of the President of the Russian Federation are exempt from the oath.
