Passing the online exam for Russian citizenship

Russian language exams for obtaining citizenship consist of five test blocks. Each block contains several questions. In order to pass the exams, you will need to pass various tests and answer more than 66 percent of the questions from each block correctly. After reading the article, you will find out who must take the Russian language exam, who is exempt from it, where the exams are taken, what documents you will need to collect, how much Russian language testing costs, what questions will be asked.

Who must take the exam and who is exempt from it

Most categories of foreign citizens who apply for Russian citizenship are required to confirm their knowledge of the Russian language. To do this, you need to pass a citizenship test - state testing, and receive a certificate of completion. Tests on history and knowledge of Russian law are not taken in order to obtain citizenship; they are only necessary to obtain a temporary residence permit and residence permit.

We will describe in detail how to pass the test below, but first we will focus on which categories of foreigners should not take the Russian language exam for citizenship.

The fact is that passing an exam is only one way to confirm your knowledge of Russian. There are many ways to do without it.

Thus, you will not need to take the Russian language test for Russian citizenship if you have:

1. A document confirming education (general, secondary, higher) in the USSR, received before September 1, 1991. A duplicate of such a document will also do. The document can be issued in any country that was part of the USSR at the time of its collapse (including Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, etc.).
2. A document confirming education in Russia after the collapse of the USSR, or a duplicate thereof.
3. A document of education issued in a state in which Russian is recognized as the state language (for example, the Republic of Belarus).

There are categories of citizens who do not have to prove knowledge of the Russian language at all. There is no obligation to pass exams in the Russian language to obtain citizenship for men and women of retirement age (men over 65 years old, women over 60 years old); incompetent; disabled people of group I.

All of the above rules are enshrined in clause 10 of the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation “On approval of the Regulations on the procedure for considering issues of citizenship of the Russian Federation” dated November 14, 2002 No. 1325 (hereinafter referred to as Regulation No. 1325).

In addition, the need to confirm Russian language proficiency depends on the basis on which a foreign citizen receives Russian citizenship. If the procedure for obtaining citizenship is general, then confirmation is required. But for some simplified reasons, proof of Russian proficiency is not required to obtain citizenship.

In particular, the following are exempt from the need to confirm knowledge of the Russian language:

1. Foreigners who receive Russian citizenship under the Russian speaker program. It is assumed that they already know the language, since they have received a decision from a special commission recognizing them as native speakers (clause “g. 1”, clause 14 of Regulation No. 1325).
2. Veterans of the Great Patriotic War who live in Russia and had USSR citizenship (clause “g”, clause 14 of Regulation No. 1325).
3. Participants in the State Program for the Resettlement of Compatriots (clause “z”, clause 14 of Regulation No. 1325).

Before you pay money and take the citizenship exam, check to see if you are exempt from the requirement to prove your knowledge of the Russian language.

Refusal to assign NRN status and methods of challenging

The decision to refuse to assign NRN status is entered into a special protocol, which is issued to the foreigner in the form of an extract. From this moment on, a person is not able to retake the exam for 1 year, and only after 12 months the law allows a repeated application to the Main Directorate for Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

You can challenge the decision if there are signs of bias, especially if you exceed the permissible limit allotted for the interview (30 minutes). The protest process is carried out after requesting the Interview Protocol , which lists all the questions asked by the commission. With this package of documents, a claim is formed and filed in court.

You can appeal the decision only within a 3-month period from the date of the refusal.

Expert opinion

Voitova Anna Anatolyevna

Experience in advising on legal issues of individuals - more than 5 years

To all of the above, I would like to add that everything is written simply on paper, but in practice, citizens (no matter what country) often face arbitrariness on the ground. Remember that every person has not only responsibilities, but also rights. If you believe that you are faced with arbitrariness, there are significant violations in the case, or officials are inactive, you have every right to appeal the actions/inactions of employees.

So, if you discovered a gross error when sending you to the NRN commission or were not notified properly at all, and the migration service employees do not want to correct their mistake, you have the right to file a complaint with higher authorities.

To correctly understand on what basis you can act, study the Code of Administrative Proceedings of the Russian Federation dated March 8, 2015 No. 21-FZ. Since the first instance for complaints about unlawful actions of officials is the prosecutor’s office, I strongly advise you to read Article 10 of the Federal Law of January 17, 1992 No. 2202-1 “On the Prosecutor’s Office of the Russian Federation.” This article sets out the rules governing the procedure, form and timing of consideration of complaints.

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Step-by-step procedure - from choosing a testing center to taking the exam

So, you must take Russian language testing for citizenship. Here is a step-by-step plan for further actions:

• First of all, you need to choose which educational institution to take testing for foreign citizens. Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia “On approval of the list of educational organizations conducting state testing in Russian as a foreign language” dated February 22, 2018 No. 130 determines the list of educational institutions that have the right to conduct testing.

Inclusion in this list of educational institutions is carried out annually by the Ministry of Education and Science. Among the universities today are the State University of Friendship of Peoples - RUDN University, Penza and Pskov State Universities.

It should also be taken into account that official testing centers have the right to enter into agreements with any educational organizations that will administer exams in any city in any region, on behalf of the official center. You can find test centers in many Russian cities;

• We will describe further steps using the example of one of the testing centers. Please note that any center has an official website that contains information about the procedure for taking tests. You will need to sign up for the Russian citizenship exams on a specific date. Let's assume you have chosen the Head Testing Center for Foreign Citizens of Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov. Testing takes place at the address: 117218, Moscow, st. Krzhizhanovskogo, 18, cor. 1, room 23. Phone numbers for appointments: +7 (499) 724-23-21;
• After registering for the test to obtain Russian citizenship, you will need to fill out an application. For example, at the testing center for foreign citizens of Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov uses the following statement:

You can download the application from the link;

• On the selected date, you must come to the testing center and pay for the test. How much does the citizenship test cost is a key question. The price for it is the same throughout Russia. In 2021, the cost of Russian language testing to obtain Russian citizenship is 6,000 rubles. A receipt for payment is issued at the testing center and paid at the bank, so it is recommended to arrive in advance. For citizens of the DPR and LPR, discounts are usually provided - often up to 50%, and sometimes larger;
• pass a comprehensive exam to obtain Russian citizenship. You must take with you: a completed application; original identification document (passport with translation, residence permit, refugee certificate); a copy of the passport and its translation, or the first page of the residence permit; test payment receipt; blue pen;
• After successful completion, you will receive a certificate in the Russian language to obtain citizenship

That's it, you can apply for Russian citizenship.

Where to go

If you decide that it is time to take tests, you come to the address where you will be tested. Russia is large and it is not possible to list all the universities where testing of foreign citizens is carried out.

What can you do in this case? First, ask in thematic groups on VKontakte. Now there are enough communities not only by program, but also by city. Surely there will be those who have already rented in your city. If possible, write in the comments to this article the address of the educational institution where you took the test.

Please note that different educational institutions can accept the exam, but only 5 accredited universities can issue a certificate.

I personally consider the most reliable option for finding a suitable educational institution to be advertisements in your Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. They look like this, as for example for Rostov-on-Don:

Alternatively, you can go to the university website and look for information about how they accept exams of Russian as a foreign language. Universities do not always update information, but at least you will be able to find something.

For Moscow, you can take the exam at the MMC (Multifunctional Migration Center). There it will cost, by the way, 3,500 rubles (1,500 rubles for retaking one subtest and 890 rubles for re-issuing the certificate itself in case of loss or incorrect execution due to the fault of the test taker) and is issued 10 days after passing. Testing is conducted every day, but you need to register before 15:00, as the average exam takes 4.5 hours.

This is important to know: Main Directorate for Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation: checking the readiness of Russian citizenship by region - how to find out whether Russian citizenship was granted online (by last name)

How long does the exam take and what testing blocks are there?

Before testing for Russian citizenship begins, the examiner will give all the necessary instructions that will allow you to understand how the test is taken. The total testing time is 3.5 hours. The whole procedure is divided into 5 stages:

1. Reading.
2. Letter.
3. Vocabulary. Grammar.
4. Listening.
5. Oral exam.

Each stage of linguodidactic testing will take the following amount of time:

Russian language testing procedure

The testing procedure is determined in the Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia “On approval of the form and procedure for state testing in Russian as a foreign language” dated June 18, 2014 No. 667 (hereinafter referred to as Procedure No. 667).

Based on clause 5 of Order No. 667, the exam is accepted by a commission headed by the chairman. It must consist of at least 4 people who have higher education in the specialties of Philology and Linguistics, with more than 5 years of work experience. The test consists of the blocks that we wrote about above, and based on the results of passing it, a certificate of knowledge of the Russian language is issued to obtain citizenship.

Important! The law does not establish specific questionnaires; they are compiled by testing organizations. To obtain Russian citizenship, you must know the Russian language at a level not lower than basic.

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All 5 mandatory testing blocks are taken on the same day. The exam is comprehensive, so examiners can understand how well a foreigner speaks Russian. Each block is aimed at testing a particular skill:

1. The reading block allows you to determine whether a foreign citizen can read and understand the meaning of what he read.
2. The writing block allows examiners to determine how well a foreigner can write, and whether he can write at all, and how well he can express his thoughts.
3. The vocabulary/grammar block allows you to check how developed a foreigner’s vocabulary is, whether he can construct phrases by connecting words familiar to him according to their meaning.
4. Listening allows you to determine whether a foreign citizen can understand a speech spoken in Russian and reproduce it in his own words.
5. An oral exam (speaking) allows examiners to communicate with the examinee orally, check how he can conduct a conversation in Russian, and answer questions asked.

You cannot use reference books or dictionaries during testing. In addition, mobile phones, laptops, etc. are prohibited. Talking during testing is also strictly prohibited; all information about the test is given during instruction; asking questions to the examiners during the test is prohibited. After the time for completing each block has expired, the completed tests with answers are handed over to the examiners.

Violations may result in cancellation of test results, and the Russian citizenship exam will be repeated for a fee.

More nuances

There is a practice of passing the residence permit exam bypassing the TRP level. That is, if you are applying for a temporary residence permit, then you can immediately apply for a residence permit and use the certificate essentially twice, although not every inspector agrees to accept such documents. However, this definitely cannot be done with the citizenship exam. The fact is that Russian, history and law are taken for all intermediate levels, but only Russian is taken for citizenship. This is a separate test and will require a separate certificate.

This is all you need to know about the Russian citizenship exams (2018) and questions for testing your knowledge of the Russian language. As you can see, no matter what citizenship tests you are asked, they are not difficult and you can easily pass them, even without online preparation. If you have already received a certificate and know where to take the tests in your city, please share this in the comments to help others.

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Citizenship of the Main Directorate of Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation: checking the readiness of Russian citizenship by region - how to find out whether Russian citizenship was given online (by last name)

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Knowledge assessment system and retake option

In order to pass, you must score at least 66% correct answers for each block. There are times when this cannot be done. In this case, it is possible to retake a separate block, but for a fee - 50% of the cost of the test (3000 rubles, if there are no benefits).

If 2 or more blocks are not passed, then the entire exam must be retaken. In this case, you will have to pay the cost of the tests again in full (6,000 rubles if there are no benefits).

Important! You can retake it not only at the selected testing center, but also at any other (we provided the list for review at the beginning of the article, but in practice there are many more of them, because each of them enters into agreements with other centers that take exams on behalf of official centers) .

If the exam is passed, a certificate is issued within 10 days. It is this that must be provided along with other documents for Russian citizenship when submitting them to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for migration issues.

Thus, to successfully pass the Russian language exam for Russian citizenship, you will need to select a testing center, pay 6,000 rubles (if you are not eligible for a discount), sign up for testing, prepare the necessary documents, and successfully pass 5 test blocks. Those who pass the test are issued a certificate of passing the test, which must be presented to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for Migration Issues to obtain citizenship, along with other necessary documents.