Obtaining citizenship of the Russian Federation
Citizenship of the Russian Federation is acquired (Article 11 of Federal Law No. 62-FZ):
a) by birth;
b) as a result of admission to the citizenship of the Russian Federation;
c) as a result of restoration of citizenship of the Russian Federation;
d) on other grounds provided for by Federal Law No. 62-FZ or an international treaty of the Russian Federation.
Admission to the citizenship of the Russian Federation of persons is carried out in a general and simplified manner. The general and simplified procedures differ in the grounds, conditions, terms of consideration of the relevant applications and the competence of making a decision.
On applications for admission to the citizenship of the Russian Federation in a general manner, the decision is made by the President of the Russian Federation, in a simplified manner – by the head of the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia at the regional level.
The conditions for admission to Russian citizenship are generally established by Article 13 of Federal Law No. 62-FZ. One of the main conditions is permanent residence on the territory of the Russian Federation with a residence permit for five years continuously.
Admission to the citizenship of the Russian Federation in a simplified manner is carried out subject to the conditions and grounds established for certain categories of persons by Article 14 of the Federal Law of May 31, 2002 No. 62-FZ “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation” (hereinafter – Federal Law No. 62-FZ) :
1. Stateless persons who had the citizenship of the USSR, who lived and are living in the states that were part of the USSR, and who did not receive the citizenship of these states.
2. Foreign citizens and stateless persons who:
a) Were born on the territory of the RSFSR and had citizenship of the former USSR;
b) Have been married for at least three years with a citizen of the Russian Federation residing in the territory of the Russian Federation;
c) Are disabled and have a capable son or daughter who has reached the age of eighteen and who are citizens of the Russian Federation;
d) Have a child who is a citizen of the Russian Federation – if the other parent of this child, who is a citizen of the Russian Federation, has died or by a court decision that has entered into legal force, is recognized as missing, incapacitated or disabled, deprived of parental rights or limited in parental rights;
e) Have a son or daughter who has reached the age of eighteen, who are citizens of the Russian Federation and by a court decision that entered into legal force, recognized as incapacitated or limited in limited in ability, if the other parent of these citizens of the Russian Federation, who is a citizen of the Russian Federation, has died or by a court decision that entered into legal force, he was recognized as missing, incapacitated or disabled, deprived of parental rights or limited in parental rights;
f) Received after July 1, 2002, professional education in basic vocational educational programs that have state accreditation in educational or scientific organizations of the Russian Federation on its territory and carry out labor activities in the Russian Federation in the aggregate for at least one year before the day of filing an application for admission to the citizenship of the Russian Federation;
g) Are individual entrepreneurs and carry out entrepreneurial activities in the Russian Federation continuously for at least three years preceding the year of filing an application for admission to the citizenship of the Russian Federation, in the types of economic activities established by the Government of the Russian Federation. At the same time, during the specified period, the amount of taxes and fees paid by such citizens and persons in each calendar year in accordance with the legislation on taxes and fees and insurance contributions to the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation is at least 1 million rubles;
h) Are investors whose share of the contribution to the authorized (pooled) capital of a Russian legal entity operating in the territory of the Russian Federation in the types of economic activities established by the Government of the Russian Federation is at least 10 percent continuously for at least three years preceding the year of filing an application for admission to the citizenship of the Russian Federation. In this case, the amount of the authorized (share) capital of such a legal entity must be at least 100 million rubles and during the specified period the amount of taxes and fees paid by such a legal entity in each calendar year in accordance with the legislation on taxes and fees and insurance contributions to the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation are at least 6 million rubles;
i) Carry out at least one year prior to the day of filing an application for admission to the citizenship of the Russian Federation labor activity in the Russian Federation in a profession (specialty, position) included in the list of professions (specialties, positions) of foreign citizens and stateless persons – qualified specialists, eligible for admission to the citizenship of the Russian Federation in a simplified manner, approved by the Ministry of Labor of Russia;
j) Have at least one parent who is a citizen of the Russian Federation and lives in the territory of the Russian Federation;
k) Are citizens of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Moldova or Ukraine.
2.1. Permanent residents of the Russian Federation and recognized as native speakers of the Russian language in accordance with Article 33.1 of Federal Law No. 62-FZ;
2.2. Are married to a citizen of the Russian Federation residing in the territory of the Russian Federation, and have common children in this marriage;
3. Are disabled, arrived in the Russian Federation from the states that were part of the USSR, and are registered at the place of residence in the Russian Federation as of July 1, 2002;
4. Are veterans of the Great Patriotic War, had citizenship of the former USSR and live in the territory of the Russian Federation;
5. A child, one of whose parents is a citizen of the Russian Federation, acquires the citizenship of the Russian Federation at the request of a parent, guardian, or trustee;
6. Are participants in the State Program for Assisting the Voluntary Resettlement of Compatriots Living Abroad to the Russian Federation, have received a temporary residence permit in the Russian Federation or a residence permit, are registered at the place of residence in the territory of the subject of the Russian Federation, chosen by them for permanent residence in accordance with the specified State Program, or are registered at the place of stay on the territory of the specified subject of the Russian Federation;
7. Relate to the categories defined by the President of the Russian Federation in accordance with part one.1 of article 29 of Federal Law No. 62-FZ:
– Persons permanently residing in the territories of certain areas of Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine;
– Citizens of Ukraine who do not have citizenship (nationality) of another state, who were born and permanently resided in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, who left the indicated territories before March 18, 2014, as well as their children, including adopted children, spouses and parents;
– Stateless persons who were born and permanently resided in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, who left the specified territories before March 18, 2014, as well as their children, including adopted children, spouses and parents;
– Citizens of Ukraine and stateless persons who have a temporary residence permit in the Russian Federation, a residence permit in the Russian Federation, a refugee certificate, a certificate of temporary asylum in the territory of the Russian Federation or a certificate of a participant in the State Program for Assisting the Voluntary Resettlement of Compatriots to the Russian Federation living abroad, permanently residing in the territories of Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine as of April 7, 2014 and April 27, 2014, respectively, as well as their children, including adopted children, spouses and parents;
– Foreign citizens and stateless persons who themselves or relatives in a direct ascending line, whose adoptive parents or spouses were subjected to illegal deportation from the territory of the Crimean ASSR, as well as their relatives in a direct descending line, adopted children and spouses;
– Citizens of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Republic of Iraq, the Republic of Yemen and the Syrian Arab Republic, who were born on the territory of the RSFSR and were former USSR citizens, as well as their children, including adopted children, spouses and parents.
In addition, citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of Belarus can acquire citizenship of the Russian Federation on the territory of the Russian Federation also in a simplified manner on the basis of the Agreement between the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and the Russian Federation on the simplified procedure for acquiring citizenship of February 26, 1999.
For admission to the citizenship of the Russian Federation, restoration of the citizenship of the Russian Federation, withdrawal from the citizenship of the Russian Federation, for the verification of the determination of the citizenship of the Russian Federation, a state fee of 3,500 rubles is paid. In the event of rejection of the application on issues of citizenship of the Russian Federation on the grounds provided for by Articles 16 and 20 of Federal Law No. 62-FZ, the state fee is not returned to the applicant.