Documents confirming Russian citizenship in 2021: how and where to get

Requirements for registration and submission procedure
General list of documents
Documents confirming the availability of conditions for applying for Russian citizenship
Documents confirming the existence of grounds for admission to Russian citizenship in a simplified manner

When submitting an application for Russian citizenship, foreign citizens and stateless persons must also submit all necessary and properly executed documents.

The absence of any document, its non-compliance with established requirements or violation of the procedure for its execution is grounds for the return of the specified application, as well as the entire package of documents.

However, there is one exception - applications on citizenship issues, including admission to Russian citizenship, and documents executed improperly or submitted in violation of the established procedure are subject to consideration if such a decision is made by the President of the Russian Federation. This provision is enshrined in paragraph 8 of clause 12 of the Regulations on the procedure for considering issues of citizenship of the Russian Federation, approved by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of November 14, 2002 No. 1325.

In this article on our website we will consider the list of documents required for admission to Russian citizenship, the requirements for their execution, the currently available exceptions to the general rules, as well as some other issues of preparing and submitting documents for Russian citizenship.

When presenting information, we will make reference to the norms of the Federal Law “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation” No. 62-FZ of May 31, 2002 (hereinafter referred to as the Federal Law “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation”).

What documents confirm citizenship under 18 years of age?

The resident status of a minor is proven by the following documents:

Birth certificate. This is the main confirmation of citizenship if the child was born after July 1, 2002. At this time, Federal Law No. 62-FZ of May 31, 2002, as amended on April 24, 2021, came into force. According to paragraph 1 of Article 12 of this normative act, the baby automatically becomes an indigenous person of the Russian Federation if at least one of the parents has Russian citizenship. If a child was born in Russia, but it is not known who his mother or father is, then he also becomes a resident of the Russian Federation.
Birth certificate with insert or stamp. The first one was issued until February 6, 2007. After that, it was replaced with a mark that proves that the child is a citizen of the Russian Federation. Only the insert can be provided as proof of Russian citizenship.
Russian passport. It is received by teenagers after 14 years of age. An identity card is issued on the basis of a birth certificate. No other papers are required to prove the status of an indigenous person of the Russian Federation.
International passport. An identity card can be issued for children of any age, including newborns. It indicates belonging to Russia, since it looks like a general civil passport, issued by the Federal Migration Service.
General civil, foreign, diplomatic passport of one of the parents. The citizenship of the child is confirmed only by the certificate that contains information about him. If the mother or father did not include information about the baby in the foreign passport, it does not prove that the minor has Russian citizenship.
A paper issued by another state confirming the preparation of an act of registration of the birth of a baby, in which there is a note about citizenship. It confirms resident status if it is accompanied by a translation into Russian with notarization. The stamp of citizenship of the Russian Federation is affixed by legal representatives of the department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for migration issues, consulates, and embassies.

Contacting intermediary companies: advantages and risks

Considering the significant number of foreigners who apply for Russian citizenship, specialized firms that provide various assistance are popular: from “standing in line” to a full range of services for processing documents and transferring them to the migration authorities.

This, of course, has its advantages: connections, knowledge, speed, but many unscrupulous intermediaries take advantage of the naivety of foreigners in this matter, take money and do not perform the stated service.

Following these rules will help you avoid becoming a victim of scammers:

carefully “check” the company (contacts, address information, licenses, constituent documents);
You can trust organizations with “history” more (the more years on the market, the better);
It would be a good idea to ask a representative of private institutions for an agreement on the provision of services;
If possible, stay close to representatives of the company as much as possible, especially when submitting an application.

It is also important to remember that attempting to “buy” a passport or bribe an official for a “faster” processing of documents is punishable by law.

List of documents for persons over 18 years of age

The presence of indigenous status in adults is proven by one of the passports:

Russian domestic;
overseas;
diplomatic;
official

Citizenship is also confirmed by a military ID with an insert containing a mark on citizenship.

If a person has one of these documents, no other documents indicating that he is a resident are required. When officials require the presentation of other evidence, they violate current legislation.

Their actions can be appealed in court. Every person whose rights have been violated can contact the authorized body, but only if there are compelling reasons.

Application for residence permit in Russia sample 2021

APPLICATION FORM 2021

The completed form is sent in paper or electronic form. When filling out there should be no corrections, strikethroughs, typos, inaccuracies, abbreviations, abbreviations, or empty fields. Initials are written only in Russian or Latin letters, the rest of the information is written in printed Russian letters. You can use ballpoint and capillary pens with blue or black ink.

Here you can download a valid application form for a residence permit for free. Or use the following resources: Public services, portal of the territorial body of the MS.

In what cases is it necessary to confirm citizenship?

Evidence of resident status is required to be provided in the absence of paper proving Russian citizenship, but in situations:

If a person was constantly on the territory of the Russian Federation before February 6, 1992, he did not leave the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation. Despite the lack of documents, a person is determined as a citizen of the Russian Federation, on the basis of paragraph 7 of Article 4 of Federal Law No. 62-FZ of May 31, 2002, as amended on April 24, 2021, taking into account paragraph 1 of Article 13 of Law of the RSFSR No. 1948-1 of November 28, 1991. A person receives the status of an indigenous person of the Russian Federation despite the presence or absence of citizenship of another power, residence in another state, etc.
If a person was born between 02/6/1991 and 07/1/2002. He is a citizen of the Russian Federation if at the time of birth at least one of the parents had Russian citizenship and did not leave the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation. It does not take into account exactly where he was born. A person is assigned the status of a resident of the Russian Federation on the basis of paragraph 7 of Article 4 of Federal Law No. 62-FZ of May 31, 2002, as amended on April 24, 2021, taking into account Article 14 of the RSFSR Law No. 1948-1 of November 28, 1991.
If a person sent an application to acquire Russian citizenship and a positive decision was made on it, but for some reason the applicant was not provided with an answer. There is no statute of limitations on this issue. Even if a person was awarded the status of a resident of the Russian Federation in absentia, the decision is not annulled. An indigenous person can live in Russia or in any other state and obtain citizenship of another power. He retains Russian citizenship.
Permanent residence in another country, expiration of the internal identity card, international passport. Resident status is not canceled if the person has not left the jurisdiction of Russia.

Acquiring the status of a Russian citizen

The majority of Russian citizens received this status by birthright and very often do not even think about having it; another part of Russians acquired it in a different way: they went through a special procedure and received a Russian passport.

Both the first and second are confident that such a task as confirming their citizenship will never arise before them.

As you know, the Basic Law of the country - the Constitution of the Russian Federation - guarantees that the rights of all Russian citizens are the same and each of them has the right to equal protection of these rights by the state, regardless of the method of acquiring citizenship. However, sometimes its presence has to be proven. Then the question arises of how to prove that you are a citizen of the Russian Federation. It is this problem that we will consider in this article.

When citizenship is not required to be confirmed

Evidence of Russian citizenship does not need to be presented if you have one of the documents from the list above. They certify a person's status. Despite this, some officials require other evidence from a person that he is a Russian resident.

Most often this happens when:

obtaining a general civil or foreign passport for the child;
re-obtaining an identity card if the previous red book has disappeared, its validity period has expired, the person has changed his last name, other data;
acquiring a Russian identity card on the basis of a foreign passport issued by the Russian Embassy in another country;
placement of a minor in kindergarten, school, etc.

In these cases, representatives of the authorized bodies do not have the right to demand other evidence of Russian citizenship if one of the documents from the list given above is presented.

If an official refuses to accept an application for consideration due to the lack of papers confirming resident status, he is violating current legislation. The applicant can file a lawsuit against the official or a complaint to a higher authority.

Tips for migrants

Before you begin obtaining citizenship of the Russian Federation, you must first outline an action plan. To do this, you should study information about this issue yourself or seek help from a specialist. This will help determine which option for obtaining citizenship is most suitable in your case.

It is safest and most effective to submit documents to government agencies, since not all companies providing services in the migration field can be trusted. This, on top of everything, is also the most economical option.

One of the most important conditions for acquiring Russian citizenship is strict adherence to the migration regime, while its violation, depending on the severity, may become the reason for which a negative decision will be made.

How to confirm citizenship when receiving a Russian passport

If a person does not have a document proving Russian citizenship, evidence of its presence will be required to purchase an identity card. Without them, an application for a passport will not be accepted for consideration.

To confirm citizenship, you must submit an application to the authorized body to verify the circumstances indicating that the person is a resident of the Russian Federation. In this case, the person must indicate why he should be considered a Russian citizen or provide written evidence indirectly indicating the existence of such circumstances.

The appeal is sent to:

to the territorial department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs dealing with migration issues;
to the diplomatic mission of the Russian Federation located in the country in which the applicant is located.

If during the inspection it is determined that a person is a resident of the Russian Federation, a conclusion is made about this. On its basis, you can submit documents to purchase a civil identity card.

The official does not have the right to refuse to accept the application. The citizen will receive a passport after it is issued. The deadline is established by current legislation.

If a person has any paper from the list above, no other evidence is required. In this case, he collects a standard package and sends it for review.

Confirmation of civil status when abroad

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation is responsible for protecting the interests of Russians abroad, and, if necessary, solving their problems.
It is to the representative offices of this organization (embassies and consulates) that you should contact. Naturally, you will need to confirm that your claims are justified. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs represents the interests of Russia and its citizens throughout the planet. If there are no embassies and consulates of the Russian Federation in a remote country, it means that these functions are performed by the diplomatic mission of the Russian Federation in a neighboring country, or the interests of Russia are represented by a mission of another state under an agreement with our country. Find out which organization you need and contact them for help.

Confirmation of a child’s citizenship in Crimea

Russian-style birth certificates have been issued on the peninsula since August 1, 2014. It is proof of being under the jurisdiction of Russia.

If a minor was born before this time, it is necessary to put a stamp in the document indicating the status of a resident of the Russian Federation.

The mark is required when:

registration of maternity capital, children's and other social benefits;
purchasing a foreign passport for a child;
placement in kindergarten, school;
obtaining a general passport when a teenager turns 14 years old;
registration at the place of residence.

You can put a mark in the territorial Office of the Federal Migration Service. If a child was born in Crimea after July 1, 2002, then an application must be submitted for the stamp.

The following documents must be submitted along with the application:

birth certificate - for children under 14 years of age, passport - for persons over this age;
ID cards of mom, dad or single parent.

If Ukrainian-style papers are submitted, they are translated into Russian and certified by a notary.

This is a partial list of the package. In some cases, additional paperwork may be required under the following circumstances:

If one of the parents listed on the birth certificate has changed their last name. A certificate of marriage, divorce, etc. is attached to the papers.
A child is raised by only one parent. The package includes a death certificate, a certificate from the registry office about the absence of the mother, father, from law enforcement agencies about putting a person on the federal wanted list, etc.

Documents are submitted to the territorial department of the Federal Migration Service. In Sevastopol, you can make an appointment in advance by email. The application is made by one of the parents. It is considered within the time frame established by the current legislation of the Russian Federation.

Passport and birth certificate are the main documents confirming Russian citizenship. They are required to enroll a child in kindergarten, school, get a job, apply for a bank loan, etc. If a person does not have them, or there are no other documents indicating the status of a resident of the Russian Federation, he will have to prove Russian citizenship.

Pre-registration for an appointment

It is legally stipulated that you need to contact the relevant government bodies in person regarding Russian citizenship, while many probably remember that an impressive queue of people wishing to submit an application or “just ask” traditionally gathered outside the offices of the responsible department.

With the transfer of functions for issuing passports to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, significant efforts are being directed towards optimizing the process of interaction with citizens.

The emphasis is on online communication and the use of new technologies; a multidisciplinary service is available to foreign citizens, the functionality of which allows you not only to find out as much information as possible on an issue of interest, but also to “communicate” with department staff (ask a question, for example, through a feedback form).

For foreigners who need to know where to go to change their citizenship, a system of information services has been developed, including the “”. During the registration process, from the drop-down list you need to click on the required territorial department of the Main Directorate for Migration, the type of service and type of operation, select the date and enter personal data. Everything happens quickly and comfortably.

Who can apply

Citizens can apply to the relevant authorities on their own behalf, as guardians of incapacitated relatives or minor children. Citizens may be subjects of another state or not have such status at all, but they are required to obtain a residence permit in the Russian Federation and live in the country for 5 years using this document. This rule implies several exceptions, in which case applicants are beneficiaries.

Those applying for citizenship must document:

source of income – official (salary, inheritance, finances from the sale of property, etc.), certified by the relevant authorities;
secession or intention to secede from being a citizen of a foreign state (there are exceptions);
knowledge of the state language at the proper level.

People who have special services to the state, as well as military personnel who have served under a three-year contract while being a foreigner, can apply for Russian citizenship.