This is facilitated by the tense international situation, close family ties with citizens of the post-Soviet republics, the return to their historic homeland of ethnic Russians, great opportunities for business development, as well as innovations in Russian immigration laws that came into force in 2014. They made Russian citizenship much more accessible to many categories of foreign citizens, and also expanded the range of potential applicants for a passport with a two-headed eagle.
The procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship
The procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship for foreign citizens differs depending on the status of the applicant on the territory of the Russian Federation and the permits that he already has and the availability of grounds for obtaining Russian citizenship in a simplified manner.
For example, the general procedure implies that a foreign citizen who wants to obtain Russian citizenship must first apply for a temporary residence permit, residence permit and live in Russia for at least 5 years, and only then can he apply for Russian citizenship.
The procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship and issuing a Russian passport for foreign citizens will differ:
- By birthright
- By the right of marriage with a Russian
- For native speakers of Russian
- Foreigners with the status of “Refugees”
- Highly qualified specialists
- People participating in the resettlement program
- CIS citizens
- Born in the Soviet Union or USSR
- Trained in Russia or the former Soviet Union
- Citizenship in general
The general algorithm of actions for all foreigners wishing to obtain Russian citizenship is built as follows:
- You need to determine which category on the grounds for obtaining Russian citizenship you belong to.
- Collect the appropriate package of documents, depending on your status and grounds
- Write an application for admission to the citizenship of the Russian Federation in the migration service of the GU VM of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
- Pay the state duty for Russian citizenship for 3500 rubles (39,10 euro).
- Submit the entire package of documents along with an application for citizenship and a receipt for payment of state duty to government agencies.
- An employee of the department will accept your documents, make an inventory of them and issue a certificate stating that your application for Russian citizenship has been accepted for consideration.
- In case of a positive answer, undergo mandatory fingerprinting and receive a Russian passport.
Where to get Russian citizenship
The issue of issuing and registering citizenship in Russia is dealt with by the bodies of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. You need to submit documents or ask questions at the territorial offices of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or in multifunctional centers (MFC).
Grounds for acquiring Russian citizenship
In addition to the basic main reason for obtaining Russian citizenship by birth, there are many other reasons under which a foreign citizen can obtain a Russian passport. Depending on the basis, a foreign citizen can apply for Russian citizenship in a general or simplified manner.
A foreign citizen can apply for citizenship in the general procedure of Russia in the following cases:
- If a foreigner has lived in Russia for more than 5 years from the date of issue of a residence permit or temporary residence permit of the Russian Federation and also has not left the country for more than 3 months during each year of residence.
- If a foreign citizen wishing to obtain Russian citizenship is a highly qualified specialist, and Russia is interested in him as a professional.
- If the applicant stays in Russia in the status of a migrant (under the program) or refugee. In this case, the minimum period of residence in Russia to apply for Russian citizenship is reduced to 1 year.
Russian citizenship in the general order
It is much more difficult for a foreign citizen to obtain citizenship and a passport of the Russian Federation in the general procedure and takes much longer than in the simplified one. Therefore, before choosing this method, check and make sure that you do not belong to any category of people with a simplified form of issuing Russian citizenship, which we will discuss in the subsequent sections of this article. For example, citizens of Uzbekistan with the right of a simplified form can obtain citizenship of the Russian Federation for 1.5 years and with fewer documents. The general procedure will take 5 years and will require a lot of patience from the person. The Federal Law “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation” provides for the following requirements for a foreigner applying for citizenship of the Russian Federation:
- To live on the territory of the Russian Federation without interruption for at least five years according to the residence permit. Allowable break – 3 months within 1 year. (The only exceptions in terms of residence are people with special merits to their homeland and those who have served in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation for three years or more in the countries of the USSR).
- A foreigner must have a confirmed minimum income sufficient to live in Russia.
- To undertake obligations to fulfill and observe the Law and the Constitution of the Russian Federation.
- Obtain a certificate of knowledge of the Russian language.
- Pass a fingerprint.
The procedure for applying for Russian citizenship
The procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship under general conditions for a foreign citizen takes place in several stages:
- Crossing the border (with or without a visa), obtaining a migration card.
- Migration registration.
- Registration and receipt of a temporary residence permit (Belarusians only need to go through registration).
- Registration and obtaining a residence permit in the Russian Federation.
- Applying for citizenship.
- Obtaining Russian citizenship by a foreign citizen.
When all the documents are on hand (you will find a list later in the article), and you will have 5 years behind you who have lived on the territory of Russia with a residence permit, you can safely go with an application for citizenship of the Russian Federation to the Department of Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for a place of residence and apply for Russian citizenship.
Documents for citizenship of the Russian Federation
To obtain Russian citizenship in a general manner, a migrant must provide the following package of documents:
- two completed applications for obtaining Russian citizenship according to the sample;
- identity document;
- a copy of the residence permit of a foreign citizen, certified by a notary;
- receipt of payment of state duty;
- birth and marriage certificates;
- a photo of the applicant in 4 copies;
- a certificate or other certificate of education;
- if the surname or first name has changed, documents are needed to prove this;
- a document confirming the official source of income in Russia;
- confirmation of knowledge of the Russian language (certificate of the Russian Federation or RSFSR, or a certificate of passing the exam);
- birth certificates of children.