Grounds for acquiring Russian citizenship: who can apply for a Russian passport

General list of grounds for acquiring Russian citizenship

The main points related to issues of Russian citizenship are spelled out in Federal Law No. 62 . This Federal Law, Article 11, lists the main grounds for acquiring Russian citizenship, including:

• citizenship by birth;
• admission to Russian citizenship;
• restoration of citizenship;
• other grounds provided for by Federal Law No. 62 and international treaties of the Russian Federation.

Let's try to understand each of these points in detail.

By right of birth

If a child was born in the Russian Federation and his parent is Russian, then citizenship is assigned automatically.
Children of Russian citizens (even those born abroad) can acquire citizenship by birth That is, if the mother or couple, or both parents are Russians, then the child is guaranteed Russian citizenship.

Can a child become a Russian if both parents are foreigners? This is possible only in one case - if a child of foreign parents or stateless persons was born within Russia, but is deprived of the opportunity to become a citizen of the parents’ country. For example, for some reason, the state to which the mother and father belong does not grant citizenship to the newborn. Learn more about obtaining citizenship for minors.

Admission to Russian citizenship

Here we are talking about the so-called naturalization - the process of acquiring the status of a citizen based on the voluntary desire of a foreign citizen and stateless person. These are exactly the cases when foreigners come to the Russian Federation and go through the process of obtaining citizenship here, that is, they receive a temporary residence permit, a residence permit, and then get a Russian passport.

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Naturalization can be carried out in two ways: in general and in a simplified manner, we will consider these two points a little later. In addition to naturalization, this paragraph may mean the procedure for granting the status of a citizen of the Russian Federation for special services to the Federation. Each such situation is considered individually, and the decision is made directly by the head of state.

Reinstatement of Russian citizenship

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This clause can be used by a foreign citizen or stateless person who previously held Russian citizenship and even issued an exit from it. The reason for termination of citizenship, however, does not matter. True, this does not mean that everything will be simple, because this method still involves obtaining a residence permit.

Restoration of Russian citizenship generally differs little from the acquisition of citizenship, which foreign citizens undergo. The law does not make any serious concessions for former Russians.

Other grounds

As “other grounds” specified in Federal Law No. 62 and international treaties, one can consider a simple scheme for obtaining a Russian passport by residents of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Belarus (see 4-party agreement of February 26, 1999).

Or, for example, the recent decree No. 187 of April 29, 2019 - it provides easier acquisition of the status of a citizen of the Russian Federation for residents of certain regions of Ukraine and Crimea , as well as citizens of Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen and Syria , who once had passports of the Soviet Union.
Cases with other states must be considered separately.

About dual citizenship

In accordance with Art. 6 of Federal Law No. 62-FZ of May 31, 2002, a citizen of the Russian Federation, if he has another citizenship, is considered by the Russian Federation only as citizens of the Russian Federation. There are exceptions to this when an international treaty or federal law provides otherwise.

An international treaty on dual citizenship was concluded between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tajikistan and allows citizens of the Russian Federation to acquire citizenship of another country without losing their own.

Having a second citizenship in Russia is not prohibited, but its availability must be promptly notified to the territorial body of the Main Directorate for Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.

Grounds for acquiring Russian citizenship in a simplified manner

The basis for obtaining Russian citizenship in general is a five-year period of residence in Russia with a residence permit . That is, a person receives a residence permit and lives in Russia for five years - this will be the basis for applying for citizenship through the general scheme.

For some, the period is reduced to one year. Former Russians who want to restore citizenship in the general manner only need to wait three years after receiving a residence permit, after which they can submit papers for citizenship.

Legal assistance in obtaining temporary residence permit, residence permit and citizenship

Migron, a specialized legal agency for Ukrainian citizens in Russia, can help you obtain:

• RVP,
• residence permit,
• AE status,
• Russian citizenship “turnkey” from the very beginning until receiving a passport,

Over 7 years of work, we have helped more than 3,500 foreign citizens obtain Russian citizenship.

• Address: Moscow, Kurskaya metro station, st. Zemlyanoy Val, building 7, office 219
• telephone: +
• Find out how to obtain Russian citizenship on the website migron.ru.

Grounds for acquiring Russian citizenship in a simplified manner

There are quite a lot of reasons for simplified registration.
As mentioned above, a Russian passport can be purchased either according to the general scheme or in a simpler manner. The last option , of course, is not available to all representatives of other countries. The list below contains conditions that allow you to acquire the desired status while saving time:

• both or one of the parents are citizens of the Russian Federation;
• marriage with a Russian citizen for 3 years;
• marriage with a citizen of the Russian Federation and the presence of a common child (in this case, you can apply for citizenship without a temporary residence permit);
• previously had citizenship of the Soviet Union , and the place of birth is the RSFSR;
• there is a minor or an adult, but incapacitated child, a citizen of the Russian Federation , provided that the other parent for one reason or another cannot fulfill parental responsibilities;
• foreign parents whose adult children have the status of Russian citizen;
• WWII veterans;
• specialists who received their education at one of the Russian universities later than July 1, 2002, and have been working in their specialty for more than a year within Russia;
• citizens who have worked in Russia for more than a year in a profession from the list;
• stateless persons who were previously citizens of the USSR;
• having citizenship of Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Kazakhstan also gives the right to a simplified registration procedure;
• disabled citizens of other states and stateless persons who arrived from the republics of the former Union and registered on a permanent basis in one of the localities of the Federation as of July 1, 2002;
• large investors ;
• individual entrepreneurs who have been working in Russia for 3 years and receive annual revenue of over 10 million rubles;

As you can see, the list of grounds for acquiring Russian citizenship under a simplified scheme is not so small.

The situation is easiest for residents of the former Soviet republics and foreigners who have relatives in Russia. Students studying full-time in the Russian Federation have a good chance of acquiring Russian diplomas.

Read more about simplified acquisition of citizenship.

• GCitizenship

Restoration of citizenship

The regulation on the procedure for considering issues of citizenship also provides for the assignment of citizenship by restoring previously lost citizenship due to its acquisition in another country. In legislative terminology, restoration of residence is called renaturalization. In the basics of Russian citizenship, this term is listed as re-entry into citizenship.

If you have such a right, a simplified scheme is provided for acquiring citizenship of the Russian Federation. This means that instead of the required five years, a representative of a foreign state who was previously a citizen of the Russian Federation will have to live on the territory of the Russian Federation for at least three years. That is, the required period for obtaining residency is automatically reduced by two years.

A clear example of the restoration of citizenship is a person’s residence in Russia at the time when it was part of the USSR. But at the same time, the person had to have USSR citizenship. With the collapse of the Union, citizens could choose their country of citizenship from the former republics of the USSR. If, for example, a person chose Ukraine, but after 10 years he wanted to become a Russian citizen again, then he will undergo a simplified procedure for restoring residence.

Let us recall that the choice of citizenship in the countries that were part of the USSR is called an option. Today the option is not very common. It is possible only if the state is divided into several countries or becomes part of another, as was the case with the Crimean peninsula, which in 2014 passed from Ukraine to Russia.

In what cases does it stop?

The grounds for termination of Russian citizenship in accordance with Article 18 of Federal Law No. 62 include:

• voluntary renunciation of citizenship;
• cancellation of the decision on admission of citizenship;
• other cases provided for by law and international treaties.

Other cases include a situation where, during the transformation, the territory of the state has changed, and persons living in a territory other than the Russian Federation have the right to maintain or change citizenship.

General requirements

In order for a resident of another country - a former republic of the USSR to be granted citizenship in a simplified manner, he, according to the law, must meet the following requirements:

• Have a residence permit. It is worth noting that this document allows you to live on the territory of the Russian Federation on legal grounds for an unlimited amount of time, but if you have it, you cannot stay outside the Russian Federation for more than 6 months in total during a calendar year, since this will be grounds for cancellation of the residence permit.
• Be registered in the state. This does not mean temporary, but permanent registration on the territory of the Russian Federation.
• Have the means to live in this country. It is worth noting that the source of income must be legal and must be documented.
• Have a good command of the Russian language.

Regarding language proficiency, it is worth noting that the applicant for citizenship must be fluent in the Russian language, both orally and in writing. This means that the applicant must be able to read, write and communicate fluently in that language.

According to the norms of Federal Law No. 62, this rule applies only to female representatives under 60 years of age and male representatives under 65 years of age. Also, this requirement is not imposed on disabled people of group 1.

Appealing decisions

The possibility of appealing against unlawful decisions of government bodies or actions of their representatives is provided. This also applies to issues of citizenship, as is directly stated in the relevant law. An appeal is made by filing an application with the following authorities .

Higher or controlling authorities in the order of subordination

They have the right to make decisions on the actions of officials within a month, in particular if documents for obtaining citizenship were refused (Article 40 of Law No. 62-FZ).

We invite you to read other articles about Russian citizenship:

• Features of acquiring Russian citizenship for children.
• Termination of Russian citizenship.
• What are the grounds for acquiring and terminating Russian citizenship?
• What is the list of documents confirming Russian citizenship?
• When is proof of Russian citizenship required?
• Basic concepts and principles of Russian citizenship.

Where to contact

To carry out the procedure for terminating citizenship of the Russian Federation, apply to the local branches of the FMS. Citizens who live outside the Russian Federation submit an application to the Russian consular mission or diplomatic institutions located in the country of residence.

The termination procedure is regulated by the state and follows the following algorithm:

1. An application is submitted. It is issued on a special form for renunciation of citizenship. Forms that are completed without violating the rules (no blank areas, no errors, no corrections) will be accepted for consideration. Fill out the form using a pen.
2. Consideration. The applicant is awaiting notification of loss of citizenship status. The notification is sent by mail.
3. Return of passport and birth certificate.
4. Obtaining a certificate indicating the deprivation of a Russian passport.

Set of papers

To apply for deprivation of citizenship of the Russian Federation, collect a package of papers:

• Civil passport of the Russian Federation.
• Statement. .

• A certificate that proves that another state accepts or is ready to accept the applicant as its citizens.
• 3 photographs. Photos 3x4 cm are accepted. Photos in black and white or color are accepted.
• A certificate from the tax office confirming that the applicant has no debts to the state (unpaid taxes, contributions, loans). This paper is one of the main ones. A certificate is issued at the local tax office. To receive it, submit a written request. Please note that registration takes 10 days, starting from the day of submission.

Sample tax payment request

• A receipt indicating payment for the service (the approximate cost of the fee is 2,000 rubles).

If there has been a change in personal data, the applicant submits certificates that confirm this. In addition to the original certificates, a photocopy of each document is attached. All certificates are prepared in Russian, in accordance with registration standards.

How to register

In order for the application to be accepted for consideration, all certificates must comply with the general rules:

• Display truthful and up-to-date information.
• No damage.
• Have a neat appearance.
• Prepared in accordance with the basic requirements for filling out forms.