Obtaining Russian citizenship for pensioners

Citizenship for pensioners is an opportunity to receive a Russian pension and enjoy benefits in Russia. How to get it? Is there a simplified procedure for older people?

There are many elderly citizens in the former USSR republics who would like to move to Russia and receive a pension here. Some have children - citizens of the Russian Federation and grandchildren, some are single, but were born in Russia and want to spend their old age in their homeland. It doesn’t matter what motivates a pensioner who wants to become a Russian citizen. The important thing is how he can complete all the documents quickly and without problems.

What the 2021 legislation says

All issues of granting Russian citizenship are regulated by Federal Law No. 62. It does not provide for special conditions depending on the age of candidates for obtaining a Russian passport, but in some cases it allows you to go through the procedure in a simplified manner.

Citizenship of the Russian Federation is available in a short time to pensioners due to children, by right of birth or by belonging to native speakers of the Russian language. Any basis provides for special procedures and a set of necessary documents, but most applicants will not be able to avoid such mandatory steps as obtaining a temporary residence permit (TRP) and residence permit (RP). In most cases, they are mandatory steps on the way to a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation. Exceptions (those who receive a residence permit without a temporary residence permit) are named in paragraph 2 of Article 8 of Law 115-FZ - these are minor capable children of citizens of the Russian Federation, adult incompetent children, native speakers of the Russian language, highly qualified specialists and some other categories of foreigners. But retired parents who receive Russian citizenship for their children are not included in this list of exceptions.

Transfer of pension from Ukraine to Russia

As soon as the pension file is transferred, the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation will recalculate the Ukrainian pension into the Russian one. The recalculation system is quite complex; all work experience up to 2002 will be taken into account. The actual pension amount may be reduced or increased. Within 10 days from the date of receipt of the pension file, the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation will issue a Russian pension to the applicant.

Using a similar algorithm, it is possible to transfer a military pension. True, in this case, the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation will make a large number of requests to various Ukrainian authorities, which, of course, is quite red-tape. Be prepared for the process to take several months, or maybe even a year. At the same time, you can begin to prepare documents to obtain Russian citizenship.

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Where to go

All issues related to the granting of Russian citizenship are in charge of the migration authorities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Geographically, they are located at each district police station and separately in the form of passport migration centers.

In the case of obtaining a Russian passport by citizens of Ukraine or the unrecognized republics of the LPR and DPR, it would be logical to directly apply to the Russian consulates and embassies located on the territory of these states. But in the DPR and LPR, official Russian diplomatic missions. there are no representative offices. And Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated April 24, 2019 No. 183 stipulates that persons permanently residing in the territories of certain districts of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine submit applications to the territorial bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.

Options for obtaining citizenship for pensioners

Since the procedure for obtaining a Russian passport has nothing to do with the age of the applicant, pensioners, like other foreigners, can become its owners:

in the usual manner with obtaining a temporary residence permit and waiting at least 5 years for a residence permit;
under the program for the return of compatriots, if they have USSR citizenship and were born or resided on the territory of the RSFSR;
according to the Russian native speaker program, if you have USSR citizenship and pass the required exam;
in connection with reunification with relatives living in Russia;
as refugees or internally displaced persons;
as citizens of the LPR and DPR according to the new decree of Vladimir Putin.

Typically, older people do not change their place of residence or country without good reason, and they most often move to live with their children. And the choice of method of obtaining it is obvious to them. But there are other situations. True, the procedure differs only for the accelerated and regular regime of document preparation, regardless of the basis.

For former citizens of the USSR

Clause “a” of Part 2 of Article 14 of the Federal Law No. 62 allows persons who were born in the RSFSR and previously had a Soviet passport to obtain Russian citizenship. Being born in other republics of the Soviet Union does not give such rights.

For spouses of Russian citizens

If a pensioner’s spouse is a Russian citizen or he is married to a Russian (this also happens), he has the right to receive a Russian passport much earlier than those who go through the procedure in the usual manner, and a citizenship pension is assigned to him in the standard manner. But to do this, you must have been married for at least 3 years, and the spouse must permanently reside in Russia. Registration of a temporary residence permit and temporary residence permit remains mandatory, except in the case of having common children - then a temporary residence permit is sufficient.

For WWII veterans

One of the fastest ways to obtain Russian citizenship is provided by law for veterans of the Great Patriotic War. They do not take an exam on knowledge of the Russian language, they have the right not to renounce their citizenship and not to obtain a residence permit.

For residents of the LPR and DPR

A passport from the unrecognized republics of Donbass allows you to become a Russian citizen very quickly and without additional conditions and documents. Today, if the question arises of how to obtain Russian citizenship for a Ukrainian pensioner, the answer is obvious - through a passport of the LPR or DPR. Such a document gives them the opportunity to arrange everything without a temporary residence permit or temporary residence permit and without being in Russia - directly on the territory of the unrecognized republics. The set of documents is minimal.

Such applicants do not need to formalize any exams or renunciations of Ukrainian citizenship.

Citizenship for pensioners with children

Adult children - citizens of the Russian Federation are able to help their parents become Russians in a simplified manner. But you will still have to issue a temporary residence permit, as well as confirm your knowledge of the Russian language. This is provided for in paragraph “c” of Part 2 of Article 14 62-FZ. This method of obtaining citizenship is available to residents of any country, and not just to the former Soviet republics.

Russian citizenship for pensioners with children

A pensioner who has an adult son or daughter with Russian Federation citizenship can obtain Russian citizenship. This right is enshrined in paragraph 2 of Article 14 of the Federal Law No. 62 “On Citizenship” and applies to immigrants from any country, be it Ukraine, Kazakhstan or another state.

Excerpt from Article 14 of Federal Law-62

Let us examine this basis in more detail. To be able to apply for citizenship for a child, the following conditions must be met:

the applicant must be disabled (people of retirement age fit this definition). Note! In Russia, a law was passed according to which the requirement that the applicant is incapacitated for work is removed. That is, both able-bodied foreign citizens and pensioners can apply for adult Russian children. The corresponding changes take effect from October 12, 2020;
It is possible for child pensioners to obtain Russian citizenship if the son or daughter is able to work ;
and the obvious requirement is that the son or daughter must have Russian citizenship .

If your situation fits the conditions described above, then you can become a Russian citizen.

By the way, it doesn’t matter whether your child received citizenship by birthright or acquired a passport as a citizen of the Russian Federation just a month ago. Do you have an able-bodied Russian child? This means that you can begin the procedure for obtaining citizenship.

Please note that an elderly foreigner will still have to a residence permit (RP) But if you have a son/daughter with Russian citizenship, you can skip the temporary residence permit.

The path to a Russian passport for a pensioner with a Russian child will be divided into the following stages:

entry into the Russian Federation. At the border, you will fill out a migration card; indicate “private” in the purpose of the visit;
registration of migration registration - you will have only seven working days ;
submission of documents for a residence permit. By obtaining a residence permit, you receive the right to receive a pension in Russia ;
when you become the holder of a residence permit, the migration authorities will be able to accept your documents for citizenship .

What documents are required to accept a pensioner into the ranks of Russians?

A pensioner applying for a child must provide the birth certificate of his Russian son or daughter, as well as his/her passport . Otherwise, the list of documents may vary slightly, depending on the region in which citizenship was obtained. Here is the list that is required in Moscow in 2021:

Statement. Pensioners applying for citizenship through a son or daughter fill out a standard form.
Three photographs. Pictures can be taken at any photo studio that takes photographs for documents. Dimensions 3x4 cm. Please note that the paper must be matte.
Receipt for payment of state duty. The fee is the same as for all applicants - 3,500 rubles.
Applicant's passport. The document must first be translated, and the translation must be certified by a notary.
Residence permit + copy.
A document confirming knowledge of the Russian language (provided by applicants under 65 years of age (for men) and 60 years of age (for women)).
Birth certificate of a son (daughter), according to which a pensioner applies for Russian citizenship. You can provide the original or a notarized copy.
Russian passport of a son or daughter. The original or a notarized copy must be presented.
A document confirming that the applicant is disabled. This could be a pension certificate, a certificate from the Pension Fund about the accrual of a pension, or a certificate of a disabled person.
If the surname in your son/daughter’s passport is different from yours, then you need to present a document confirming the relationship.
If you changed your full name, you will need documents proving the change.

In terms of paperwork, there are relaxations for pensioners. They do not need to confirm their knowledge of the Russian language (upon reaching 65 years old for men and 60 years old for women). There is also no need to confirm a sufficient level of income - previously it was possible to simply indicate the amount of the pension in the application - in national currency and rubles, and also present a pension certificate. And since July 2020, the need to confirm income has been completely removed from the requirements for applying for citizenship.

What documents to collect

The set of documents required to obtain a Russian passport is practically no different from the chosen option. Only in some special cases less paperwork will be required. Typically, a foreign pensioner requires:

passport (foreign passport) of the country of which he has citizenship;
residence permit (residence permit) or temporary residence permit (TRP);
the applicant's birth certificate;
marriage certificate (other documents confirming the change of surname, if any);
3 photographs (color, size 3x4 cm);
birth certificates of his Russian children (if issued for children);
additional documents confirming relationship with Russian citizens (if choosing this method);
certificate confirming proficiency in the Russian language (not needed for men over 65 years old and women over 60 years old, disabled people of group I and incapacitated persons);
a document confirming a legal source of livelihood in the Russian Federation (a certificate from a bank, a certificate of receipt of income by the pensioner himself or his able-bodied spouse or children);
receipt of payment of state duty in the amount of 3,500 rubles.

You also need to write an application form in two copies. There is no need to worry about missing some documents. Firstly, the same documents are usually required for obtaining temporary residence permits and temporary residence permits, and secondly, migration service employees will clarify in advance what else needs to be brought.

Memo to people from Ukraine

If a Ukrainian citizen wants to be assigned pension payments for the loss of a breadwinner, then he needs to present a document informing about the death of this person and the presence of a consanguineous relationship with the deceased.

Russian citizens who previously lived in Ukraine – a general civil passport of the Russian Federation;
Ukrainian citizens permanently residing in the Russian Federation - residence permit;
refugees - a certificate establishing this status of a Ukrainian citizen;
a pension file containing data on the end of pension payments in Ukraine, which must be received by a Ukrainian citizen in Ukraine at a certain territorial pension authority of Ukraine. If this case could not be obtained before leaving Ukraine, then you need to draw up an application stating the fact of the end of pension payments and the obligation to return all funds to the Russian social security authorities in case of overpayment, if the facts noted in the application are not confirmed;
Citizens of all categories must submit an application for a specific pension.

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The procedure for obtaining citizenship by pensioners

A step-by-step algorithm for going through the entire procedure with obtaining a Russian passport at the end looks like this:

Step 1. To obtain Russian citizenship, a pensioner needs a temporary residence permit and a residence permit.

Step 2. Within the prescribed period (5 years after receiving a residence permit in the usual manner and immediately in a simplified manner), you should collect a package of documents and report to the migration service department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Step 3. Write an application. It is compiled in two copies and looks like this:

Step 4. Once all documents and application have been accepted, the review period is up to 6 months.

Step 5. If the decision is positive, the pensioner will be invited to receive a Russian passport.

How to obtain Russian citizenship for a pensioner

In addition, the period for considering applications for citizenship under a simplified procedure has been reduced. RU — The State Duma on Thursday adopted in the third and final reading a law abolishing an interview on knowledge of the Russian language for citizens of Belarus and Ukraine when acquiring Russian citizenship. At the moment, a special commission for recognizing a foreign citizen or stateless person as a native speaker of the Russian language is determining the level of proficiency in the Russian language, including Belarusian and Ukrainian citizens. The adopted law provides for the possibility of the commission recognizing citizens of Belarus and Ukraine who are fluent in Russian as native speakers of the Russian language without going through an interview, when they personally submit an application for recognition as native speakers of the Russian language. A simplified procedure for obtaining citizenship allows you to obtain a Russian passport without living in Russia for five years after receiving a residence permit, confirmation of means of subsistence, confirmation of proficiency in the Russian language and renunciation of citizenship of a foreign state.

How can retired parents from Ukraine obtain Russian citizenship? Parents (Russian-speaking) are pensioners in Ukraine, my mother was born in Dalny.

Will they give me a passport after I turn 80?

Current legislation does not provide for any age restrictions for accepting Russian citizenship. Becoming a Russian citizen is allowed at any age: both after 80 years and after 90, if such a desire arises.

Moreover, the procedure is simplified for older applicants: they do not need to pass an exam on their knowledge of the Russian language. Also, older pensioners are provided with an accelerated granting of a citizenship pension, taking into account all the allowances provided for octogenarians.