Russian citizenship

How to obtain Russian citizenship

As of March 2017, the procedure for obtaining citizenship Russia is spelled out in the law "On Citizenship" and of the Russian Federation is determined in the decree of the President of Russia of November 14, 2002 "On Approval of the Regulation on the Procedure for Considering Citizenship Issues of the Russian Federation."

Thus, Russian citizenship is acquired at birth if one of the parents of the child is a citizen of Russia.

Also, Russian citizenship can be obtained by application, but for this you need to live in Russia for at least five years from the moment you receive a residence permit. Sometimes the president of Russia can also grant citizenship by decree.

2023

Simplification of the procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship for citizens of Moldova, Belarus and Kazakhstan

In December 2023, the president Russia Vladimir Putin signed a decree simplifying the procedure for obtaining a Russian passport for citizens, and Moldova. Belarus Kazakhstan

Citizens of these countries will not have to take exams in the Russian language, knowledge of the basics of history and legislation of the Russian Federation. The condition of five years of residence in the country will cease to operate.

Criteria for obtaining a residence permit in Russia by foreign investors approved

In January 2023, Prime Minister Russia Mishustin approved the criteria for obtaining a residence permit in Russia by foreign investors. To issue a residence permit in exchange for investments, a foreigner needs to invest from 15 million (rubles about $200,000) in socially significant projects in the regions, or 30 million in the capital of a Russian legal entity. Other options are to register a company in the Russian Federation and for two years of work pay at least 8 million rubles in taxes, or buy new real estate of any purpose in Russia with a cadastral value of 25 million rubles (c - To Moscow from 50 million).

2022

4306 people refused Russian citizenship

During 2022, 4306 people refused Russian citizenship against 4055 a year earlier and 3877 in 2020. This is evidenced by the data of the Department of Information and Press of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of the Russian Federation, which were published on February 8, 2023.

As RBC writes with reference to the materials of the department, the number of those who renounced Russian citizenship in 2022 turned out to be a record in three years. As explained in the Foreign Ministry, the indicators of 2020-2021 could be influenced by restrictions in the work of foreign institutions due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, but there are no special changes in the dynamics of the number of requests abroad. At the same time, within Russia, only 40 people refused Russian citizenship in 2022, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported. It did not specify how many such statements were a year earlier.

In 2022, 4,306 people renounced Russian citizenship

After the start of the military special operation of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, several Russian businessmen announced that they had renounced their Russian citizenship. Among them are the former owner of Three Dialog Ruben Vardanyan, venture investor Yuri Milner, founder of Tinkoff Bank Oleg Tinkov.

In January 2023, the Russian embassy in Estonia announced the termination of the acceptance of applications from Russians to withdraw from citizenship. The Foreign Ministry also explained that the reason for such a suspension is "hostile actions of the Estonian authorities, deliberately impeding the functioning of the Russian diplomatic mission and its consular department"

To get out of citizenship, you must submit the following documents to the authorized body:

• Extract from registration (statement of loss)
• correction from the tax service about the absence of debts to Russia;
• documents confirming the fact of your permanent stay in another country (passport, residence permit without a limited validity period) in Russian. It is necessary to translate such a document either through an interpreter at the Russian consulate, or to assure the translation from a Russian notary.^[1]

The issuance of Russian citizenship in Russia decreased by 6.4%

In 2022, more than 691 thousand foreigners received Russian citizenship, which is 6.4% less than a year earlier (735 thousand people). This is evidenced by the data of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, which were disclosed at the end of January 2023.

As RBC writes with reference to the materials of the ministry, most of those who became Russians in 2022 are citizens. Ukraine They accounted for almost 43% of the total number of decisions to acquire citizenship - almost 297 thousand. In the statistics of the Ministry of Internal Affairs from January to December 2022 DPR LPR , residents are counted separately (Russia recognized the independence of the republics on February 21, 2022) - 4891 residents of the DPR and 1991 residents of the LPR received citizenship during 2022.

The number of foreign citizens who received Russian citizenship in 2022 decreased by 6.4%

In second place are citizens of Tajikistan with an indicator of 174 thousand. This is followed by Armenia (45 thousand decisions on citizenship), Kazakhstan (42 thousand), Uzbekistan (27 thousand) and Azerbaijan (23 thousand).

The most sharp drop in the number of people acquiring Russian citizenship was noted among immigrants from Belarus (15 thousand in 2022 against 24 thousand in 2021), Georgia (a little more than 3 thousand against 5 thousand), as well as Moldova (15 thousand against almost 24 thousand) and Turkey (988 against 1388).

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in 2022, 141.3 thousand foreigners received ideas about the non-permission to enter Russia, while in 2021 this figure was 176.3 thousand people. At the same time, TASS, citing the Ministry of Internal Affairs, clarifies that in 2022 the 40 of Russians issued a withdrawal from citizenship in the country.

It is also reported that in 2022 299,569 foreigners issued visas,  174,243 temporary residence permits and 286,220 residence permits were initially issued. The number of facts of registration of foreigners for migration was 16,870,094, in the same period of 2021 this number was 13,392,897.^[2]

Visa-free entry to 118 countries

Russia took 49th place out of 109 in the ranking of visa-free passports at the end of 2022. Citizens Russia are allowed visa-free entry to 118 countries.

Russia has simplified the registration of a residence permit

Previously, people moving to Russia on the basis of a resettlement permit had to first issue a temporary residence permit (RVP), and only then received the right to apply for a residence permit (residence permit). Now, from August 2022, they can start issuing a residence permit immediately after moving.

2021

Rating of countries by the number of citizens receiving Russian passports

In 2021, an absolute record was set for granting Russian citizenship - 735.4 thousand foreigners received it. This was announced in early April 2022 by the analytical service of the audit and consulting network FinExpertiza based on the migration statistics of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

A little more than half of the "new Russians" in 2021 came from Ukraine (51.1%, or 376 thousand people). Relatively large shares were also natives of Tajikistan (14.1%, or 103.7 thousand people) and Kazakhstan (6.8%, or 49.9 thousand people).

Much less often, but still come across immigrants from non-CIS countries. Among them are 481 residents of Germany, 388 US citizens, 226 Italians, 183 Greek, 167 French, 163 Poles, 99 British, 98 Cubans, 83 Chinese, 24 Dutch and Finn, 21 Swiss, 19 Australians, 17 Belgians, 16 Danes, 11 Koreans and Portuguese, 8 Irish, 7 Norse, 6 New Zealanders, 3 Japanese and 2 Indonesian. Natives of Bahrain, Gambia, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Paraguay and several other countries received one Russian passport.

As noted in the study, most Russian passports in 2021 have traditionally been issued in the Rostov region, bordering Donbass: 42.3%, or 310.8 thousand people, received citizenship there. It is in this region that the bulk of refugees from the DPR and LPR apply for citizenship. This is followed by the Moscow region (7.1%, or 52 thousand people), Moscow (4.9%, or 35.9 thousand people), St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region (total 3.9%, or 28.5 thousand people), Krasnodar Territory (2.7%, or 20 thousand people), Kaluga Region (2.2%, or 15.9 thousand people), Novosibirsk (1.9%, or 14.1 thousand people), Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug (1.7%, or 12.4 thousand people), Tula Region (1.6%, or 11.7 thousand people) and the Chelyabinsk region (1.6%, or 11.6 thousand people).^[3]

The issuance of Russian citizenship increased by 12%, to 735,385 cases

The issuance of Russian citizenship in 2021 increased by 12% compared to 2020. In total, 735,385 foreigners received citizenship in 2021 against 656,347 people, according to data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, published on January 25, 2022.

According to the estimates of the department referred to by TASS, the number of foreigners registered for migration has also increased in 2021. So, if for 12 months of 2020 there were 9,802,448 people, then a year later - 13,392,897.

At the same time, foreigners from visa countries began to enter Russia less. In 2021, 216,442 visas were issued to foreign citizens and stateless persons against almost 225 thousand people in 2020. In 2021, 263.3 thousand invitations to foreigners to enter the country were issued in Russia against 138.2 thousand in 2020.

The issuance of Russian citizenship in 2021 increased by 12%, to 735,385 cases

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in 2021, citizens of Ukraine, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Armenia became citizens of Russia more often than others.

Work permits in 2021 were issued by 93 thousand foreigners against 62.6 thousand a year earlier. Including 46.6 thousand highly qualified specialists and 6.8 thousand qualified (20.5 thousand and 7.6 thousand, respectively, in 2020) were registered. Patents for work received 2.2 million foreigners, in 2020 - 1.1 million.

In total, the Ministry of Internal Affairs in 2021 received 1.6 million notifications on the conclusion of employment contracts with foreign citizens and stateless persons, in 2020 there were 1.3 million.

In December 2021, President Vladimir Putin submitted to the State Duma of the Russian Federation a new version of the law "On Citizenship of the Russian Federation." The new basis for acquiring citizenship will be "option" - the ability for a foreigner to obtain a passport after "changing the state border of the Russian Federation." Representatives of all factions of the State Duma as a whole approved the initiative of the head of state.^[4]

2020: The number of foreigners who became citizens of Russia increased by a third to 563 thousand people

In 2020, 563 thousand foreigners received Russian citizenship, which is 32% more than a year earlier. Such statistics are provided by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.

The ministry linked the rapid growth with the simplification of the procedure for acquiring Russian citizenship by certain categories of foreigners, primarily residents of the DPR and LPR. According to the ministry, every sixth foreigner in Russia has a residence permit or temporary residence permit.

More than 560 thousand foreigners received Russian citizenship in 2020, which is 32% more than in 2019

The number of foreign citizens in Russia in 2020 decreased to 6 million people, of which 1 million people live with a temporary residence permit or a residence permit. Before the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, there were from 9 to 11 million foreigners in the country annually, TASS reports the Russian Information Agency, citing data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

In December 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he intends to discuss with colleagues from other states, from where labor migrants arrive in the Russian Federation , issues of the safety of these people.

We need to discuss this - and I will do it - with colleagues from those countries, from which labor migrants go to us, so that, what is called, on distant approaches, already provide maximum security for themselves, working at these facilities, give them the opportunity to earn money, give them the opportunity to develop construction, but also for our citizens who are associated with this complex, - said the Russian leader.

Until the summer of 2021, it is planned to extend the decree allowing foreigners to remain in Russia even if the legal terms of their residence in the country have expired. About this writes "Parliamentary newspaper" with reference to the representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Federation Council. By that time, the department may already submit to the State Duma draft new laws in the field of migration, parliamentarians expect.^[5]

2018: Passport strength

Data for 2018

2016: More than 100 thousand Ukrainians received Russian citizenship (+ 49 %)

In 2016, 265,319 people received Russian citizenship - 209,799 people in 2015.

More than 100 thousand Ukrainians received Russian citizenship in 2016. For the second year in a row, Ukraine is the leader among the CIS countries in the number of Russian passports received. This was written by RT with reference to the data of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.

According to this information, 100,696 Ukrainians became holders of Russian passports in 2016, this figure is 49% more than in 2015 (67,400 people).

The second place in the list of those wishing to obtain citizenship is occupied by Kazakhstan - 37,837 people (in 2015 - 32,070).

This is followed by Uzbekistan (23,216) and Armenia (22,264^[6] Russian ^[6].

The number of people wishing to obtain Russian passports from these countries has also increased compared to 2015.

In the period from 2014 to 2016, almost 170 thousand Ukrainians received Russian citizenship. However, it is not known from which territories of Ukraine they left. This was reported by the first vice-speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Irina Gerashchenko with reference to the data of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

See also

• Russia
• Population of Russia
• Russian economy

Notes