Validity of a residence permit in Russia: extension of the validity of a residence permit

What is a residence permit (RP)

Any person who is not a citizen of Russia, but wants to live and work on its territory, should know what a residence permit in Russia is.

In accordance with paragraph. 7 clause 1 art. 2 of the Federal Law “On the Legal Status...” of July 25, 2002 No. 115, a residence permit is a document confirming the right of a foreign citizen or a stateless person to reside in Russia for a certain time. If a person is stateless, the residence permit becomes a document proving his identity.

After receiving a residence permit, a foreigner acquires the status of a permanent resident in Russia, which in the future will allow him to become the owner of Russian citizenship.

What opportunities does having a residence permit offer?

The status is designed for people planning to stay in Russia for a long time - to live, work, and raise children. Therefore, permanently residing foreigners are entitled to the same rights (with some exceptions) as Russians. A person with a residence permit has the right:

move freely around the country , move for permanent residence to any chosen region, regardless of where you received your status;
receive a pension. Applying for a residence permit will allow a foreigner to receive a Russian pension. Payments are made under the same conditions as for the local population;
to work officially . A company that wants to employ a permanent resident is not required to obtain a permit to employ foreigners. A migrant also does not need a permit to work. Employment follows the same scenario as the admission of Russian citizens. The only difference is that the employer must submit a notification to the Ministry of Internal Affairs;
Children of migrants with a residence permit are accepted into kindergartens, schools, and higher education institutions.

Learn more about the rights of permanent residents.

What does a residence permit look like?

Unlike a temporary residence permit, the fact of issue of which is confirmed by a stamp in the foreign citizen’s passport, a residence permit has the form of a book, externally similar to a Russian passport. The dark green cover of the document depicts the country’s coat of arms, above it is the inscription: “Russian Federation”, and below it is the inscription: “Residence permit for a foreign citizen/stateless person.” All images are painted with golden paint and have a slight relief.

The residence permit contains the following information about the person to whom it was issued:

last name and first name (written in Cyrillic and Latin);
Date and place of birth;
citizenship (if available);
number and date of the decision to issue the document;
validity period of the document;
name of the authority that issued the residence permit.

The document is certified by the signature of the official who issued it, as well as the seal of the unit of the Main Directorate for Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in which it was issued. Each page of the residence permit contains its unique number.

A residence permit is not issued in electronic form (paragraph 7, clause 1, article 2 of Federal Law No. 115). This means that in order to receive services for obtaining a residence permit, a foreigner will have to personally visit the department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation for migration issues. On the website https://guvm.mvd.rf/services/appointment you can make an appointment online. This will allow you to avoid queues and get the necessary services as quickly as possible.

Documents for applying for a residence permit in the general order

Statement

We discussed what and how to write in the application in the instructions for filling out an application for a residence permit. Application printing is double-sided only. Applications must be printed on separate sheets.

Check every letter and number in the form - the filling must exactly match your documents. If your passport does not contain a middle name, then write only your first and last name in the application. The application must be signed in the presence of an inspector.

Photos

You will need four photos. Dimensions 35 x 45 mm. They will accept both color and black and white, but always on matte paper.

Do not cut or paste photographs into the form - the migration department employee will do everything himself. Photo requirements.

Passport

This necessary document must be translated into Russian. Translate all pages, blank ones too (they are copied and filed). The translation is certified by a notary.

Income confirmation

Required stage of applying for a residence permit. They accept various documents: certificate of deposit, certificate of employment, pension certificate, etc.

Learn more about income for a residence permit.

List of documents to confirm income for a residence permit

Medical certificates

Do people with HIV get a residence permit?

Elena Voropaeva
23.03.2020

The foreigner will have to undergo a medical examination and confirm the absence of dangerous ailments. You need to obtain a certificate of absence of HIV, a certificate of health from various doctors, and a conclusion from a narcologist-psychiatrist. The validity period of medical documents is 90 days. When receiving certificates, check the information written on them. There are errors in writing your full name, passport details, and registration address.

How does a medical examination for status take place?

Photos of medical certificates for residence permit

Documents for housing

Applicants who have been living in the Russian Federation continuously for three years provide papers confirming ownership of an apartment, house, other residential real estate, or a rental/rental agreement.

If you crossed the border of the Russian Federation less than three years ago, then such documents will not be required from you.

A document confirming knowledge of the Russian language, history, law

For most, this document is a certificate issued based on the results of passing an exam.

Citizens who graduated from a Soviet or Russian school/university/college, etc. will not have to spend money on testing. They just need to present a document confirming their graduation from an educational institution.

Who does not need to confirm knowledge of the Russian language, history, law

State duty

Payment of state duty for residence permit

Marina Danilova
18.12.2020

The service for reviewing an application for 2021 costs 5,000 rubles. You need to be careful when paying state fees. Errors are often made on receipts. Please check the correct spelling of your full name and registration address. In the line “Document” there should be “passport of a foreign citizen”. In the item “Country that issued the document” there should not be “Russia”, as operators often write, but an indication of your state, for example, “Kazakhstan”.

Lists of papers for minors and migrants who are registered in a simplified manner are given in the Regulations approved by Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs No. 846 and on the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Who can get a residence permit

Recipients of a residence permit can be:

persons who have citizenship of another state;
stateless persons (stateless persons).

In general, in accordance with paragraph 2 of Art. 8 of Federal Law No. 115, in order to obtain a residence permit, a foreigner must live in Russia for at least one year on the basis of a document called a “Temporary Residence Permit.” But you must submit an application for a residence permit no later than 6 months before the expiration of such a permit (Clause 1, Article 8 of Federal Law No. 115).

Clause 3 art. 8 Federal Law No. 115 establishes a number of exceptions to the rules. The following can obtain a residence permit immediately after entering the country, bypassing the stage of temporary residence:

highly qualified specialists, as well as members of their families (the criteria for classifying a person into this category are determined by the provisions of clause 1 of article 13.2 of Federal Law No. 115);
foreigners who have the status of native speakers of the Russian language (the procedure and grounds for assigning such status to a person are established by Article 33.1 of the Federal Law “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation” dated May 31, 2002 No. 62);
foreigners who arrived in the Russian Federation en masse due to emergency situations on the territory of other states, who received temporary asylum in Russia or were recognized as refugees;
foreigners who are participants in the State Program for the Voluntary Resettlement of Compatriots.

The same benefit is provided for foreigners who are citizens of the Republic of Belarus. With this country, Russia has concluded an “Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus on ensuring equal rights...” dated January 24, 2006, the provisions of which make it possible to obtain a residence permit in Russia under a simplified procedure.

Have a question? We'll answer by phone! The call is free!

Moscow: +7 (499) 938-49-02

St. Petersburg: +7 (812) 467-39-58

Free call within Russia, ext. 453

Rules for submitting notification of residence in the Russian Federation under a residence permit

The migrant is warned about the need to notify the FMS every year when applying for a residence permit, in confirmation of which he puts his signature on the documents.

The general algorithm of actions when submitting a notification is simple:

Check the work schedule of the migration department at the place of registration, temporary registration or where you received a residence permit.
Prepare the necessary documents, including a special form. You can print it out and fill it out in advance, or you can get it from the migration department and fill it out on the spot.

Last year there were favorable changes. Now the notification can be sent electronically, which significantly saves time. You can take advantage of this innovation using the Unified Portal of State Services, which sends documents to the migration authority.

If a migrant does not have a residence permit, but only a temporary residence permit, then it is impossible to send it by mail or electronically. Submission is carried out exclusively in person.

When must notification be submitted?

Currently, it is necessary to confirm a residence permit within a period of no more than 2 months from the end of the year from the date of registration of the residence permit.

Interesting article: Passing a medical examination when obtaining a residence permit

For example, if a foreigner issued a residence permit on February 1, 2021, then the migration authority must be notified between February 1, 2021 and April 1, 2021. Failure to comply with deadlines by even a day, without a valid reason, may result in administrative sanctions.

How to obtain a residence permit

To obtain a residence permit in the general manner, a foreigner must submit the following package of documents to the territorial department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for migration issues:

statement;
4 photographs (for stateless persons – 2 photographs);
identification;
a document confirming that the applicant has a legal source of funds that allows him to independently provide for his needs;
a medical certificate confirming that the migrant does not have HIV infection, other infectious diseases or drug addiction;
a document confirming knowledge of the Russian language, as well as knowledge of the history of Russia and the fundamentals of its legislation (these include diplomas issued by educational institutions located on the territory of the USSR before 09/01/1991, as well as certificates issued by educational institutions located on the territory of Russia after this date );
a receipt for payment of the state duty (its amount, in accordance with clause 18 of Article 333.28 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation, is 3.5 thousand rubles).

Documents for a residence permit according to NNR

The list of documents for a residence permit for Russian speakers is given in paragraph 32 of the Regulations:

Application - you need to prepare two copies of the application form;
Photos - 4 pieces, standard requirements (listed above in this article);
Passport + translation of the passport certified by a notary;
Medical examination;
Certificate of criminal record - if you arrived on a visa;
Receipt for payment of state duty.

In addition to this list they ask for:

decision on recognition of a narcotic drug: original + copy;

Native speakers of the Russian language are not required to confirm knowledge of the Russian language, income, and are also not asked to present a document on the right to use residential real estate in the Russian Federation.

Rights acquired by a foreign citizen after receiving a residence permit

A foreigner can legally stay on the territory of the Russian Federation without obtaining a residence permit. However, obtaining the status of a person permanently residing in the country has a number of advantages that are worth taking advantage of if he plans to live and work in Russia for a long time.

Thus, a person who has received a residence permit can:

register at your place of residence in any region of the country;
freely change your region of residence;
leave Russia and return back without completing additional documents;
become a home owner and register in it;
get a loan;
become a participant in the compulsory health insurance program;
study for free in state educational institutions;
obtain the right to receive a pension;
get an official job or open your own business without obtaining a separate work permit or applying for a patent;
stand as a candidate in elections of members of local self-government bodies, as well as vote in such elections;
submit an application for Russian citizenship.

But a foreign citizen who has received a residence permit of the Russian Federation does not have to serve in the Russian army - such an obligation arises only with the receipt of citizenship. He will not be able to participate in elections at the federal level, or hold certain positions (for example, work on a naval ship).

Thus, a residence permit gives a person the right to perform certain actions on the territory of Russia that are not available to foreigners who have a temporary residence permit or who have entered the country for a short period on the basis of a visa.

Documents for residence permits for Belarusians

The mandatory list of documents for a residence permit for citizens of Belarus is given in paragraph 40 of the Regulations:

Application in two copies;
Photos - 4 pieces;
Passport of a citizen of the Republic of Belarus + notarized translation;
Income;
Medicine;
State duty - 5,000 rubles;
A housing document is needed if a Belarusian has lived in Russia for the last three years and has never traveled outside its borders.

Applicants from Belarus will not have to confirm their Russian language. This is stated in Article 15.1 of Federal Law-115 “On the legal status...”.

Instructions for obtaining a residence permit for Belarusians.

Duration of residence permit

According to paragraph 3 of Art. 8 Federal Law No. 115, the duration of the residence permit is 5 years from the date of its receipt. Persons who have the status of a native speaker of the Russian language can obtain a residence permit, which is valid for 3 years (clause 3.3, clause 3.1, article 8 of Federal Law No. 115).

The residence permit can be extended for a specified period of time (5 years and 3 years, respectively), and this can be done an unlimited number of times. To extend, you must submit an application to the territorial office of the migration service with a corresponding request. This must be done no later than two months before the date of termination of the existing residence permit. Otherwise, the document will be canceled and will have to be reissued.

A residence permit can also be canceled if the migrant who received it was absent from the country for more than 6 months. Moreover, such a sanction is applied only if during this time he was abroad continuously: the total number of days spent outside the country during the year is not taken into account.

What to do if your residence permit is lost

You can lose a document, without which your presence on Russian territory becomes illegal, for various reasons - it can be lost, stolen or destroyed. Regardless of what happened to the residence permit, it can be restored, although this event will take some time and require additional material costs.

The procedure for obtaining a new document is as follows:

Within 10 days from the date of loss of the residence permit, contact the department of the Main Directorate for Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs with a corresponding application. The document must be accompanied by 2 photographs, as well as a receipt for payment of the state duty in the same amount as is paid upon initial receipt of the document or its renewal. After receiving the application, a representative of the department issues a certificate, which serves as confirmation that its holder is in the country legally.
Within 7 from the date of receipt of the application, the foreigner will be issued a new residence permit containing a note that the document is a duplicate.

Notification methods

In this part of the article, we will examine in more detail the methods of confirming residence under a residence permit. There are currently three of them:

through the migration department of the territorial Department of Internal Affairs/Ministry of Internal Affairs (Internal Affairs Authority/Ministry of Internal Affairs);
by sending by mail;
through the Unified State Services portal.

Submitting a notification through the Ministry of Internal Affairs

A foreigner residing under a residence permit in the territory of the Russian Federation has the right to submit a completed residence notification form through the territorial department of the Department of Internal Affairs, at the place of registration or registration.

What is your registration?

Registration at the place of residenceRegistration at the place of stay

Migration department employees check the availability of documents and their correct completion. After this procedure, the migrant is given a detachable part of the form, which serves to confirm the fact of annual notification.

It is important to know that every fifth year of residence in the Russian Federation, a migrant must personally come to the territorial police department, bypassing methods of sending documents such as mail and the Unified Portal of State Services.

Submitting notification via mail

A migrant who resides under a residence permit, and not under temporary registration, has the right to provide documents by post. In this case, you must provide documents to your local post office. The employee is required to hand over the detachable part of the notification form, which will serve as confirmation of the residence permit.

Interesting article: Photo requirements for residence permit 2021

However, it is worth paying attention to the following points:

Post offices sometimes delay sending parcels and letters, so you may not meet deadlines (if you choose this method, try to submit documents in the first days);
There may be some inaccuracies in the preparation of documents, which will require the personal presence of a foreign citizen.

Submitting a notification through a single portal of State Services

At the moment, in 2021, it is not possible to send a notification to the migration authorities by using the State Services website. Last year there was such a function on the service. Whether the service will return to the site in the future or not is unknown.

At this time, there is no way on the website to notify authorities about residence under a residence permit:

Currently, the website does not have the column “Annual confirmation of a migrant’s residence in Russia with a residence permit.” Some migrants confuse it with “Extension of residence permit in the Russian Federation,” but this is not the same thing. The second section is necessary for those who received a residence permit before the adoption of the law on its unlimited validity, when it was issued for a certain time.