Termination of Russian citizenship is possible for several reasons, the most common of which is the independent withdrawal of a citizen from his legal status. Renunciation of Russian citizenship is a common procedure that requires compliance with many formalities and conditions, without which the revocation of a passport is not permitted by law. Since this issue concerns thousands of Russians every year, we propose to dwell in more detail on the conditions, procedure and timing of independent renunciation of Russian citizenship.
Reasons for renouncing Russian citizenship
Persons wishing to renounce Russian citizenship include:
- Russians planning to immigrate to states that prohibit having a second citizenship.
- Minor children whose parents renounced Russian citizenship.
- Adult Russians who decided to change their citizenship for personal reasons.
A person wishing to renounce his existing citizenship must submit a written statement of his desire. The reasons why a Russian takes such a step are not of interest to the state. A positive decision on renunciation of citizenship is always made by state authorities when there are no obstacles to this.
If the applicant knowingly provides false information about himself, the procedure for renouncing citizenship is immediately terminated, and the applicant himself receives a refusal.
In what cases can a citizen of the Russian Federation be deprived of citizenship?
Termination of citizenship can be a consequence of not only a person’s voluntary decision. The state has the right to carry out this procedure by force if the grounds provided for in Article 18 of the Federal Law “On Citizenship” arise. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that civil rights can be deprived only of those who received them not by birthright, but acquired them in the course of life.
This means that persons born on the territory of Russia and who received citizenship on this basis can only voluntarily issue a refusal. Their rights are protected by the country's Constitution. If a Russian was previously a subject of a foreign power, the Russian state has the right to deprive him of his acquired status if there are compelling reasons.
The law provides for the following reasons for forced deprivation of citizenship:
- Inaccurate information. If, during inspections, the authorized bodies discover that a foreigner has provided deliberately false information about himself and his family.
- Terrorism. Russians of foreign origin convicted of violating Article 205 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, according to the bill adopted in 2021, are deprived of citizenship through the courts. This article implies the conduct of terrorist and extremist activities, as well as the preparation of various socially dangerous acts that pose a threat to the life and health of citizens, or discredit the image of the country.
- For treason to the state. The requirement to revoke citizenship also awaits those Russians who are convicted of espionage, disclosure of state secrets, high treason and other illegal activities in favor of foreign powers.
Risk of failure
Not all residents of Russia are allowed to renounce their citizenship. To avoid problems and delay the process, you should know what possible reasons for refusal exist.
The procedure stops in the following cases:
- The applicant failed to fulfill his obligations to the State.
- The applicant is being charged in a criminal case.
- The applicant does not have a second citizenship and does not have the prerequisites for obtaining it.
The duration of the procedure for renunciation of citizenship takes from 6 to 12 months.
Paragraph 1 assumes that the Russian has no debts on property and legal obligations. This includes the absence of debts on taxes and fees in favor of the state. In order to renounce Russian citizenship, it is useful to clarify in advance that there are no tax debts. A certificate of no tax arrears can be obtained from the nearest branch of the Federal Tax Service. It is prepared within 10 days after submitting the relevant application. The procedure itself is free.
Paragraph 2 assumes that a Russian must be clean before the law, and should not be subject to criminal liability at the present time. And if any charges were brought against him, they must be dropped before the renunciation procedure can continue.
Point 3 operates on the basis of humanistic considerations. It implies that no one should be left without the support of their state.
Exit procedure
The procedure for renouncing citizenship depends on where the applicant lives. For persons who have a Russian passport it is general.
The procedure for renouncing Russian citizenship includes:
- Preparation of necessary documents.
- Submitting an application along with a package of documents.
- Obtaining a certificate of renunciation of citizenship.
What documents need to be provided:
- Statement ()
- A document confirming Russian citizenship.
- Passport of another country.
- Photos 3x4 centimeters – 3 pieces.
- Certificate from the tax office.
- Certificate from the registry office.
A passport of another country must be presented both in its original form and as a photocopy. The copy must be translated into Russian and certified by a notary.
In the absence of a passport of another state, it is necessary to attach to the application a certificate that guarantees the subsequent acquisition of citizenship of another state. It is also translated into Russian and certified by a notary.
A document from the registry office is provided only if the applicant once changed his last name, first name or patronymic. The presence of discrepancies in the spelling of the last name, first name and patronymic also require a certificate from the registry office.
Special attention is paid to the validity period of the applicant’s foreign passport. At the beginning of the procedure, it must be valid for at least another 12 months. If this is not the case, you will need to obtain a new passport before starting the procedure for renouncing Russian citizenship.
Legislation
First of all, we draw the readers’ attention to international legislation. Thus, the main international document guaranteeing the right of a resident of any state to renounce the passport of his own country is Art. 12 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of the United Nations (hereinafter referred to as the UN Covenant).
The basis of Russian legislation regulating issues related to the acquisition and termination of citizenship is Federal Law No. 62-FZ of May 31, 2002 “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation” (hereinafter referred to as No. 62-FZ). In particular, Chapter III of this law defines the grounds for termination of status, the procedure for issuing and renouncing a Russian passport, circumstances preventing such a refusal, as well as other general rules for the procedure.
No less significant should be considered the Regulations approved by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 1325 of November 14, 2002, regulating the procedure for considering issues of citizenship. In particular, Section III of the said Regulation clarifies the main points of a Russian citizen’s renunciation of citizenship: the procedure for completing the procedure, the procedure for filing an application, the necessary documents, and so on.
Documents for the child
If renunciation of citizenship is necessary for a minor child, then his parents or guardians must collect the following set of documents:
- Document confirming the identity of the minor. This may be a birth certificate or passport if the person has reached the age of 14.
- A certificate proving the fact that the minor is a citizen of another state.
- Passports of mother and father.
- Photos 3x4 centimeters - 3 pieces,
- Receipt for payment of state duty.
- Parents' request for a minor to renounce Russian citizenship.
If there is no document confirming foreign citizenship, you can provide a document confirming that foreign citizenship will soon be obtained.
In addition, if a person who has reached the age of 13 wants to renounce Russian citizenship, he will have to independently write a written consent to renounce citizenship.
If the petition for the renunciation of Russian citizenship by a minor cannot be certified by the mother or father personally, then this can be done with the help of a notary.
Getting help
If officials do not find grounds for refusal, then the applicant is informed about the positive decision personally. It is also possible to inform by email. A certificate of termination of all ties with Russia is issued at the consulate, in personal presence.
At the same time, the following is confiscated from the applicant:
- internal passport of the Russian Federation;
- Russian Federation international passport;
- insert in the birth certificate.
Rules for filling out an application
The application must be written according to certain rules. The application form must be completed in Russian only; both written and printed letters are accepted. The main criterion is that everything should be well readable. Corrections are not allowed. You can use either black or blue ink. Columns cannot be left blank. If the applicant does not know what to write in the appropriate fields, he is recommended to obtain specialist advice.
You must answer questions concisely and truthfully. The application must be drawn up in two copies. You are not allowed to make a copy of the application; you will have to fill out the form twice.
The established form of application for termination of citizenship under a simplified procedure differs from the application form for the general procedure.
Simplified diagram
A person who permanently resides in another country legally has the right to go through this process according to a simplified procedure. The same applies to Russians who have relatives who are residents of other states.
A child whose parents are citizens of another country can renounce citizenship in a simplified manner.
To obtain permission, you must submit an application to the employees of the Russian consulate, which is located in the country where the applicant is located.
At this point, the applicant undertakes to undergo the deregistration procedure in his homeland and register in the country whose citizenship he wants to obtain. Additionally, he undertakes to provide:
- A document confirming that the applicant has been deregistered in Russia.
- A certificate confirming that the applicant can legally live in another country.
- Receipt of payment of the duty. Its size differs from country to country, but, on average, its size is 40 euros.
Consequences
Loss of Russian citizenship leads to loss of legal and social support from the state.
From the moment of renunciation of citizenship a person:
- issues a visa to visit the country on a general basis;
- is deprived of the opportunity to move freely across Russian territory;
- cannot buy land near the border.
However, for pensioners who renounce citizenship, the right to social benefits remains. If the decision is made before reaching the appropriate age, the pension is not issued.
When the sources of income of a former subject are located in Russia, it is necessary to transfer 13% to the tax service of the Russian Federation. But persons staying in the country for less than 183 days during the year must pay 30%. Non-residents are prohibited from taking special deductions. The exception is citizens of Belarus and partly Ukraine.
How does this happen
An application from a citizen of the Russian Federation who wishes to renounce the citizenship of his country, submitted according to the standard procedure, is considered by members of a special commission. They rarely refuse and only for objective reasons provided for by law. A preliminary decision is made after all the circumstances have been clarified and all the requirements of the procedure have been verified. The final decision is made by the head of state. After signing a special decree, the applicant’s citizenship is terminated.
What is important to remember
Not all Russians who want to live abroad permanently have the desire to completely sever relations with Russia. Many people still have relatives, real estate or businesses in the Russian Federation. For such people, severing legal relations with Russia will be associated with a number of difficulties.
If a person has renounced Russian citizenship under a simplified scheme, then to enter the territory of Russia he will need to obtain a special visa. It is issued on a general basis, as for other foreigners. In addition, the acquisition of border real estate for such persons becomes impossible. This is explained by the fact that it is prohibited to enter into such transactions with foreigners.
Possibility of recovery
A person who wants to restore relations with Russia has such an opportunity. In this case, the applicant undertakes to live in the territory of the Russian Federation for at least 36 months. Travel to the border is allowed, but you can only stay there for 90 days/12 months.
A simpler recovery procedure is also possible. But for this, a person who needs Russian citizenship must have special merits to this state.
The procedure for restoring citizenship is similar to the procedure for refusal. The same applies to those persons who formalized the severance of legal relations with Russia according to a simplified scheme.
