To carry out various transactions with movable and immovable property, banking transactions, which have become an integral part of everyday life, you are required to provide an identification document. As a rule, in most cases it is a passport. However, there are other certificates that can be used to replace it. Let’s try to figure out what kind of documents these are.
Other documents proving the identity of a citizen of the Russian Federation
The legislation also provides for other documents that can verify the identity of a citizen.
These are:
- Temporary identity card issued in form 2P. The document is restrictive and temporary. It is issued, as a rule, when replacing the main document (passport).
- Identity card of a Russian military personnel.
- Military ID of a soldier, sailor, sergeant, sergeant major, warrant officer, midshipman, reserve officer.
- Identity card and military tickets issued by the command of military units and military institutions.
- Service identification, for example, if you must provide a document when purchasing alcohol or tobacco products.
- Refugee certificate, residence permit in the Russian Federation, temporary residence permit, certificate of temporary asylum in the Russian Federation. These documents do not always prove the identity of foreign citizens, so you should contact the relevant authorities with them to obtain Russian citizenship and a Russian passport. If it is not possible to issue a basic identification document, then you can use the specified documents. For example, they can be displayed in a store if you decide to purchase alcohol or cigarettes.
- Passport of a foreign citizen. It will certify the identity of a foreigner entering the territory of the Russian Federation.
- A diplomatic document giving the right to enter or leave Russia.
- Service passport, if you need to verify the employee’s identity.
Almost all of these documents can be provided to institutions and government bodies in order to obtain any service.
For example , if you need to issue a compulsory health insurance policy, tax documentation, certificates and papers from the migration service.
Even if you don’t have a document, this is not a problem - specialists from the authorities should tell you how and where to get it, and where to apply. You will not be fined for missing any paper.
Identification
There is no clear definition of the term “identity card” in Russian legislation.
Nevertheless, the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation “On approval of the Regulations on the passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation...” dated 07/08/1997 No. 828 clearly states that for all Russians over 14 years old, such a document is a passport.
It is this that is asked to be presented first when performing any legally significant transactions: applying for a loan, buying real estate, buying a car, getting a job, registering at the place of residence, obtaining a foreign passport, applying for benefits, pensions and other payments.
It is worth mentioning another important identification document other than a passport - a birth certificate, which performs a similar function mainly for Russians under 14 years of age.
It is important to know that law enforcement agencies have the right to check the identity documents of citizens and officials if there are sufficient grounds to suspect them of committing a crime or administrative offense.
By default, for citizens of the Russian Federation, such a document is an internal passport, so for people who are not so well versed in the laws and are afraid to carry the original with them, it is important to know whether a photocopy of the passport is an identity document. Any lawyer will give a negative answer to this: it is invalid, even if certified by a notary. Moreover, the absence of an original passport can cause a person to be detained for up to several days. Therefore, it is advisable to have this document with you, and if it is lost or stolen, immediately report it to law enforcement agencies.
If, nevertheless, the passport was lost or stolen, and also if the deadline for its replacement has approached, then, upon personal application, a temporary identity card of a citizen of the Russian Federation can be issued instead of a passport; it is usually issued upon contacting the migration service as soon as possible, usually not exceeding 10 minutes.
We recommend that you read more about the information.
In addition to Russian citizens, a large number of persons with citizenship of other states permanently reside in our country. A detailed list of documents proving the identity of foreigners on the territory of our country is set out in Article 10 of the Law “On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation” dated July 25, 2002 No. 115-FZ. But more on this a little later, first let’s look at what else there is that can confirm an identity.
List of documents proving the identity of a citizen of the Russian Federation outside the country
When traveling abroad, Russians must have identification documents with them:
- Foreign passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation. It can be designed according to the old or new model. There are differences in them - the new one contains biometric personal data. We wrote about how to apply for a new passport.
- Diplomatic passport.
- Service passport.
- International passport of a citizen of the former USSR. Recall that it must be valid. If its validity period has expired, you will have to obtain a new document.
The rules in different countries are different. We have listed the documentation that is basic and can confirm your identity outside the Russian Federation.
Situations when a foreign passport can replace an internal passport
You can use your passport:
- for personal identification in the bank;
- to confirm the age of a citizen;
- when exchanging currencies;
- when purchasing air and train tickets;
- to perform other similar operations.
The law also allows the use of a foreign passport for identification at the request of a police officer. That is, a foreign passport can be used instead of a regular one in cases where there is a need to verify a person using a photograph. This may be sufficient, since the document contains the following information:
- last name, first name and patronymic;
- date and place of birth;
- serial number.
This data is entered into a unified register, which, if necessary, is used for identification or verification of information provided by the citizen, as well as in situations where a person applies for a new passport to replace a lost one.
What documents are not identification of a Russian citizen?
Documents confirming a person’s status, but not identifying him as a citizen of the Russian Federation, are:
- Certificates of law enforcement officers, FSB, police, Ministry of Emergency Situations, etc.
- Lawyer's certificate.
- Government employee ID.
- A notarized copy of a Russian internal passport.
- Foreign passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation. Can only prove identity outside of Russia.
- Student ID or grade book.
- Pensioner's ID.
- Veteran's ID.
- Document confirming disability.
- Certificate of honorary donor.
- Certificate of a member of the Cossack society.
- Employment history.
- A certificate in the established form issued to Russians who are in places of detention, in places of deprivation of liberty, or who have served their sentence and been released from prison.
- Driver's license or driver's license. In the main legal acts, a driver's license is not an identity document. However, some acts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, as well as the Definition of the Civil Code of Ukraine 06-1016 of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation state that a driver’s license contains all the details that allow one to verify the identity of a citizen. Please note that some government services cannot be obtained with a driver’s license.
- Compulsory medical insurance policy.
- TIN.
- SNILS.
The above documents will only confirm your status. It is not possible to perform legally significant actions with them.
It may be possible to buy alcohol or tobacco products in a store, but nothing more.
In what situations will presenting a passport be useless?
There are a number of restrictions for a foreign passport. It is prohibited to use a document for personal identification in the following cases:
- conducting operations involving real estate (purchase/sale, registration, etc.);
- registration of an individual entrepreneur or legal entity;
- concluding civil transactions;
- apparatus employed;
- conclusion and dissolution of marriage relations;
- receiving government benefits.
A foreign passport is not allowed to be used for identification when going to a hospital. There are exceptions to this rule: medical service employees are required to provide emergency assistance to any person. The remaining actions are carried out subject to the provision of a compulsory medical insurance policy. And patients with a general passport or the previously provided documents, which, according to the law, are used for personal identification, have the right to request data from the medical history.
On what grounds can extradition be refused?
An unambiguous reason for refusal may be the fact that the applicant had previously been issued a general civil document. The registration is not primary, so a foreign passport cannot be used for this procedure.
In addition, authorized persons of government bodies may refuse to issue a passport if:
- an incomplete package of required documents has been provided;
- the application is not completed properly;
- photographs are not up to standard;
- a document drawn up in a foreign language has not been translated into the state language;
- The Russian translation is not notarized.
Where to go
A Russian can obtain an internal identity card only on the territory of the Russian Federation. It is not possible to complete this procedure by contacting a diplomatic institution abroad. Registration of a Russian passport using a foreign passport falls under the competence of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. These functions are assigned to the Main Directorate for Migration Issues. The applicant has the opportunity:
- contact the GUVM unit in the place where he lives or is actually located;
- use the services of a multifunctional center (MFC);
- submit an application online through the government services portal.
