Russia: New Law to Improve Citizenship Application Routes and Processes

Relaxed procedure for reporting foreign citizenship or permanent residence

• • Russian nationals who obtain another citizenship or permanent residence abroad are expected to continue notifying the Ministry of Internal Affairs within 60 days of the change if they enter Russia during this time period; however, if they have not returned to Russia within this 60-day period, they must file the notification within 60 days of their arrival, up from the current 30 days.
  • Further, Russian nationals remaining abroad will be able to file the relevant optional notification with a Russian consular or diplomatic mission, when currently this must be done in Russia (through a representative).
  • As a transition period when the law enters into force on October 26, 2023, all active deadlines for the notification will be reset to 60 days from this date.

Russian nationals will have additional time and another way to report that they have obtained a foreign citizenship or permanent residence permit when re-entering Russia.

Relaxed residency requirements for citizenship application for those who have resided in Russia for five years

• Permanent residents applying for Russian citizenship who have resided in Russia for five years will no longer have to meet the requirement of uninterrupted residence (staying in Russia for at least nine months per year). Instead, they will only have to remain in Russia for six months per calendar year in order to keep their permanent residence.

Affected residents will be able to remain outside of Russia for longer periods of time and as a result of the relaxed requirements, additional permanent residents may now qualify for citizenship.

Changes to simplified citizenship routes (those that do not require residence in Russia for five years)

Changes to routes for obtaining citizenship, that do not include any residency requirements, will include, but are not limited to:

• • Permanent residents who are married to Russian citizens will no longer be able to apply based on having a marriage of three or more years; instead, they can apply based on having children together (including adopted children).
  • Permanent residents will no longer be able to become acknowledged native speakers of Russian, and will no longer be able to apply for citizenship through such acknowledgement.
  • Permanent residents will no longer be able to apply for citizenship based on being citizens of Belarus, Moldova, Kazakhstan, or Ukraine unless they belong to specific categories outlined by the President of Russia.
  • Permanent residents will not be able to apply for citizenship based on meeting certain criteria for individual entrepreneurs, investors, and “skilled specialists” working in high-demand professions.
  • Permanent residents who have graduated from Russian universities with distinction will be able to apply for citizenship without being required to work for one year, as is currently required. Those graduating without distinction must continue to work in Russia for one year before applying.

• • Certain permanent residents will no longer be eligible for citizenship based on a non-residence route. As such, it is recommended that those individuals who would like to obtain citizenship based on one of these routes that will be canceled should apply for citizenship prior to October 26, 2023.

• • Further, new or easier routes have opened up for some individuals, who can now take advantage of applying for Russian citizenship more easily.

Termination of Russian citizenship

• • Individuals who have acquired Russian citizenship through application (not birth) may face termination of their citizenship if they commit specific crimes, create threats to national security or if their citizenship application has been found to be fraudulent. Currently, they face cancellation of citizenship which involves a different process.

Citizens who have acquired Russian citizenship through application should be aware that their citizenship is conditional upon not violating certain rules.

Shorter processing times

• The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) will begin to adjudicate citizenship applications within three months (which they can extend for an additional three months). Citizenship applications adjudicated abroad by consular posts will be processed within six months.
• Currently, the above measures only apply to “simplified procedure” applications, while “general procedure” applications are processed within one year.

Permanent residents will benefit from the rights offered by Russian citizenship, including the right to vote in elections and the right to choose a place of residence without certain restrictions that exist for foreign nationals.