What is a temporary residence permit?
A temporary residence permit is a document that allows a foreigner to live and work in Russia for three years.
However, after living in the country for at least one year on the basis of a temporary residence permit, you can obtain a residence permit, and only then - Russian citizenship.
After obtaining a temporary residence permit, you can:
work in Russia without obtaining migration patents and permits;
register at the place of residence for the period of validity of the permit;
register as an individual entrepreneur and officially engage in business;
to receive a visa of a temporary resident, which allows one to stay in Russia for three years without a visa (for citizens of countries that have a visa regime with Russia);
no later than 4 months before the expiration of the permit to submit documents for obtaining a residence permit in Russia.
Who can apply for a residence permit?
The Russian government annually determines the quota for issuing temporary residence permits based on applications from the regions, but it decreases annually. In 2022, 18,955 temporary residence permits will be issued in Russia, of which only 1,500 will be issued in Moscow.
Within the framework of this quota, a temporary residence permit can be obtained by almost any foreigner who speaks Russian and has passed a medical examination. As soon as the quota is exhausted, applications for obtaining permits under the quota will not be accepted until the following year .
But some foreign citizens and stateless persons can get a temporary residence permit without taking into account the quota.
You can apply for a temporary residence permit without taking into account the quota if you:
married to a citizen of the Russian Federation. In this case, a foreigner may be granted a temporary residence permit in the Russian Federation, where a citizen of the Russian Federation lives, who is his husband (wife);
you are younger than 18 years old and you have a father ( adoptive , guardian or custodian) who is a foreign citizen who has a residence permit;
over 18 years of age, but recognized as incapable or limited in legal capacity and have a parent ( adoptive , guardian or custodian) who is a foreign citizen who has a residence permit;
is an investor whose share in the authorized capital of a Russian company is at least 10% continuously for 3 years, while the authorized capital of the company must be at least 100 million rubles, and the amount of annual taxes and fees for 3 years - at least 6 million rubles;
joined the military service in the Russian army;
a citizen of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Moldova or Ukraine;
you move to the Russian Federation for a permanent place of residence in accordance with the international treaties of the Russian Federation on the regulation of the resettlement process and the protection of the rights of immigrants;
stateless person, you have a temporary stateless identity card.
What documents will be needed to issue a temporary residence permit under the quota?
A foreigner will need the following documents to apply for a temporary residence permit under the quota:
statement in two copies;
2 photo cards;
Identity document: passport of a foreign citizen or other document established by federal law or recognized by the Russian Federation in accordance with an international treaty as an identity document.
a document issued by the authorized body of the state of permanent residence on the presence (absence) of a criminal record of the applicant - for those who entered the Russian Federation with a visa;
medical documents confirming the absence of the use of drugs or psychotropic substances without a doctor's prescription or new potentially dangerous psychoactive substances and infectious diseases that pose a danger to others, as well as a certificate of the absence of HIV infection;
a document confirming knowledge of the Russian language, knowledge of the history of Russia and the basics of the legislation of the Russian Federation. It is not provided by men who have reached the age of sixty-five, and women who have reached the age of sixty, as well as participants of the state program to facilitate voluntary resettlement to the Russian Federation and family members.
In addition, it is necessary to pay a duty for issuing a permit in the amount of 1,600 rubles. It is not necessary to present the duty receipt, but you can show it on your own initiative.
What documents will be needed to issue a temporary residence permit without taking into account the quota?
If you apply for a temporary residence permit without taking into account the quota, in addition to the above list of documents, you will need additional documents.
For investors:
For spouses of citizens of the Russian Federation living on the territory of Russia:
a document confirming the fact of marriage, issued by a competent authority of a foreign state (if the act of civil status is registered in a foreign state);
Russian passport of husband/wife - a citizen of the Russian Federation.
For those who entered military service:
Where can I apply for a temporary residence permit?
Documents must be submitted to the Multifunctional Migration Center of the Russian Federation.
When submitting an application, you will need to undergo fingerprint registration. Fingerprint registration is taking fingerprints and entering them into a database. For people who receive a temporary residence permit in Russia or a residence permit, the procedure is mandatory.
The term of issuing a temporary residence permit is no more than four months.
What should be done after obtaining a temporary residence permit?
After obtaining a permit for temporary residence, you must submit an application for registration to the local branch of the Federal Migration Service of the Russian Federation ( FMS of the Russian Federation ) at the location of the residential premises specified in the application for the issuance of the permit within 7 working days.
A permanent residence permit confirms that its owner is a foreign citizen, has the right to live in Russia without time limits, freely enter and leave the country, and work in any region of the Russian Federation.
On what grounds do they give permission for permanent residence
It is possible to issue a permanent residence permit on general grounds and in a simplified manner.
If you have issued a temporary residence permit, then you are applying on general grounds. You need to live in Russia with a temporary residence permit for at least one year.
The following applicants can apply for a permanent residence permit in a simplified manner, without a temporary residence permit:
those who have a birth certificate issued by the RSFSR (not the USSR) and who were a Soviet citizen in the past;
those who have close relatives who are citizens of the Russian Federation (Russian parents or children);
graduates of Russian state universities who studied at the eye department and received a diploma with honors.
Permanent residence permit for citizens of Belarus
If you are a citizen of Belarus, you have a simplified procedure for obtaining a permanent residence permit. In fact, all that is needed is your desire. It is not necessary to issue a temporary residence permit in advance. Bases and quotas will also not be required.
In addition, since the Russian language is recognized as the second state language in Belarus, when obtaining a permanent residence permit, citizens of Belarus are exempted from the need to pass a language proficiency exam. The passport of a citizen of the Republic of Belarus is considered to be proof that a person knows Russian.
What documents are required to obtain a permanent residence permit
Application in two copies.
Four personal photos 35x45 mm.
Passport.
Proof of income and its legal source — you must show that you can support yourself and your family members, your income is above the subsistence minimum, and you will not need government assistance.
A document confirming ownership of residential premises - for foreign citizens who have lived in Russia for three years or more.
References regarding the results of the medical examination. You need three certificates that you do not have dangerous infectious diseases, HIV or drug addiction.
Results of the exam in the Russian language. The exam also tests knowledge of Russian history and laws. The exam is conducted by state universities and a number of educational centers.
Certificate of no criminal record, which must be obtained in the country of permanent residence no earlier than 3 months before the date of submission of the application for a permanent residence permit (for those who crossed the border from the Russian Federation with a visa).
Receipt for payment of state duty in the amount of 5,000 rubles.
Where to submit documents for a permanent residence permit
In Moscow, the residence permit is issued at the functional migration center . In other regions, you can sign up in person or through the Derzhposlug portal .
The procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship for foreign citizens differs depending on the applicant's status on the territory of the Russian Federation and the permits he already has and the grounds for obtaining Russian citizenship in a simplified manner.
The procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship and issuing a Russian passport for foreign citizens will differ:
By right of birth
By the right of marriage with a Russian
For Russian speakers
Foreigners with the status of "Refugees"
Highly qualified specialists
People participating in the resettlement program
Citizens of CIS countries
Born in the USSR
Those who studied in Russia or the former Soviet Union
How to get Russian citizenship under the resettlement program
The program for the resettlement of compatriots has existed since 2007 and was created to help those who previously lived on the territory of the USSR to return to their homeland, as well as to exchange the documents of the Soviet republics for Russian citizenship. The following categories of foreign citizens can become a participant in the program and obtain Russian citizenship under the resettlement program:
Those whose direct relatives lived in Russia.
Those who previously had citizenship of the republics of the USSR, RSFSR.
Those who previously lived in one of the republics of the USSR and had Soviet citizenship.
Those who live outside Russia, but belong to the peoples who lived on the territory of this country, as well as their descendants.
Family members of participants in the resettlement program can take advantage of simplified acquisition of Russian citizenship .
Participants of the program for the resettlement of compatriots have a number of privileges upon obtaining citizenship of the Russian Federation. In particular, as soon as a foreign citizen issues a temporary residence permit and registration at the place of residence, he can immediately apply for Russian citizenship under the resettlement program.
The term for consideration of an application for Russian citizenship for resettlement is only 3 months.
Documents for citizenship of the Russian Federation under the resettlement program
To obtain Russian citizenship under the resettlement program, as a participant in the program, the following documents must be submitted to the state authorities at the place of residence:
two copies of the application - completed forms for citizenship of the Russian Federation under the resettlement program;
temporary residence permit or permanent residence permit in the Russian Federation;
proof of participation in the resettlement program of compatriots (certificate);
3x4 photos of the applicant in three copies;
an identity document;
a receipt for the payment of state duty in the amount of 3,500 rubles;
if a person changed his surname, then a corresponding document confirming the change of surname is required.
Importantly! At the moment, submission of an application for obtaining citizenship of the Russian Federation in electronic form is not provided for. It is necessary to submit an application to the Ministry of Internal Affairs in paper form and in two copies.
How to get Russian citizenship for a native speaker of the Russian language
Native speakers of the Russian language have the right to obtain Russian citizenship in a simplified manner. A foreign citizen can obtain the status of a native speaker of the Russian language in the event of:
If he (she) permanently resides in Russia on legal grounds (with a residence permit).
If the direct relatives of this person live or once lived in the territory of Russia, the USSR , etc. Such relatives include parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and so on.
That is, in order to obtain the status of a carrier, the applicant must not only speak Russian, but also live on the territory of Russia, or have relatives in the direct ascending line who lived in Russia.
Special commissions under the Ministry of Internal Affairs have the right to recognize a person as a native speaker of Russian.
In order to acquire the status of a native speaker of the Russian language, a foreign person must not only complete all the necessary documents, but also pass an interview at this commission.
After the migrant is recognized as a native speaker of Russian, he has the right to obtain citizenship of the Russian Federation as a native speaker of Russian according to a simplified procedure.
The deadline for obtaining citizenship of the Russian Federation by a native speaker
On average, the procedure for acquiring citizenship of the Russian Federation by a native speaker of the Russian language takes from 6 months to a year.
Russian citizenship documents for Russian speakers
The following documents will be required for this:
application (standard form for citizenship) in two copies;
residence permit of the Russian Federation;
ID;
3 photographs of the applicant;
check for payment of state duty;
a document proving the existence of a legal source of income;
a certificate of granting the status of a Russian speaker;
a document indicating a change of name and surname, if such a fact has occurred.
Application for citizenship of the Russian Federation for carriers
Importantly! At the moment, it is not possible to submit an application for simplified citizenship of the Russian Federation in electronic form, so you will have to submit an application to the Ministry of Internal Affairs in paper form in two copies.
How can a foreigner get Russian citizenship through marriage
Marriage with a citizen of Russia is the basis for which a foreign citizen has the right to obtain citizenship of the Russian Federation in a simplified manner.
To apply for Russian citizenship, a foreign citizen must be married to a Russian citizen for at least 3 years.
Documents for obtaining citizenship of the Russian Federation in marriage
The list of documents for Russian citizenship by marriage looks like this:
marriage certificate;
two applications for citizenship of the Russian Federation of the prescribed format;
spouse's passport - a citizen of the Russian Federation;
residence permit in the Russian Federation;
a receipt confirming the payment of the state duty for citizenship in the amount of 3,500 rubles;
certificate of registration at the place of residence;
documents confirming the source of income sufficient for living;
three photos of 3 by 4 cm format.
How to get Russian citizenship for a person born in Russia
A child born in the Russian Federation acquires Russian citizenship automatically if both parents are Russian citizens. In other cases, acquiring citizenship of the Russian Federation from birth has its own peculiarities and difficulties.
Automatic acquisition of Russian citizenship by birth occurs in the following cases:
acquisition of citizenship of the Russian Federation by birth is guaranteed if one of the parents is a citizen of the Russian Federation, and the other does not have citizenship or is unknown.
obtaining Russian citizenship by birth is also provided if one of the parents is a citizen of the Russian Federation, and the other is not, but the child was born in the Russian Federation.
citizenship of the Russian Federation is also assigned to a child born in Russia if his parents are unknown and do not appear within six months from the day the child was discovered.
How to get Russian citizenship after a permanent residence permit
Obtaining Russian citizenship after a residence permit is the main and longest method of obtaining Russian citizenship in general.
You can get Russian citizenship after a residence permit only after living in Russia for at least 5 years.
Important! As of July 24, 2020, the procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship was simplified for citizens of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova, and Ukraine. Now, upon receiving a residence permit in the Russian Federation, they will immediately be able to apply for Russian citizenship. They do not need to comply with the five-year residence permit conditions.
Citizenship documents after residence permit
The following package of documents is required:
two completed applications for obtaining citizenship of the Russian Federation according to the sample;
an identity document;
a copy of the residence permit of a foreign citizen, certified by a notary's signature;
renunciation of citizenship of the previous state (in two copies);
receipt for payment of state duty;
birth and marriage certificates;
photo of the applicant in 4 copies;
diploma or other certificate of education;
if the surname or first name changed, documents proving this are required;
a document confirming the official source of income;
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, if any.
Where to get Russian citizenship
The issue of issuance and registration of citizenship in Russia is dealt with by the bodies of the Main Directorate for Migration (GUVM) of Russia. Documents must be submitted in territorial offices of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or multi-functional centers.
In Russia, it is not forbidden to have dual citizenship, which is enshrined in Article 62 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation: a citizen of the Russian Federation can have the citizenship of a foreign state (dual citizenship) in accordance with a federal law or an international treaty of the Russian Federation.
Russia has two international treaties, according to which citizens of those countries can have dual citizenship. The first is with Turkmenistan. But the agreement that gives the right to obtain dual citizenship with this republic ceased to operate in 2015.
The second agreement is with Tajikistan. Currently, the agreement with the republic is valid.
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