Citizenship of the Russian Federation for citizens of Afghanistan, the Republic of Iraq, the Republic of Yemen, and the Syrian Arab Republic who were born in the territory of the RSFSR and previously held USSR citizenship, as well as their children, including adopted children, spouses, and parents (regardless of their citizenship).

A narrow category of persons is entitled to submit an application and the required package of documents for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation, bypassing the stage of obtaining a residence permit, and also without meeting the requirements to prove proficiency in the Russian language and knowledge of Russian history and the fundamentals of the legislation of the Russian Federation. This category includes citizens of Afghanistan, the Republic of Iraq, the Republic of Yemen, and the Syrian Arab Republic who were born in the territory of the RSFSR and previously held USSR citizenship, as well as their children, including adopted children, spouses, and parents (regardless of their citizenship).

The right to obtain Russian citizenship under a simplified procedure for the specified categories of persons is established by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 11 of 04.01.2024 “On determining certain categories of foreign citizens and stateless persons entitled to apply for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation.”

The application and required package of documents are reviewed within three months; where necessary, this period may be extended by a further three months.

Consider an example:

A USSR citizen born in the RSFSR married a citizen of the Syrian Arab Republic (hereinafter, SAR), and moved with him to Syria, acquiring SAR citizenship. They subsequently had children. This SAR citizen, as well as her spouse and children, is entitled to submit an application and the required package of documents for Russian citizenship under the simplified procedure while in Russia.

To submit an application and the complete package of documents for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation under Part 9 of Article 16 of Federal Law No. 138-FZ “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation,” a foreign citizen must apply to the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation for the constituent entity where they are staying.

Document package

The current list of required documents in .pdf format can be downloaded here

List of documents for applying for Russian citizenship under Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 11 of 04.01.2024 “On determining certain categories of foreign citizens and stateless persons entitled to apply for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation”

A foreign citizen or stateless person, including a person who previously held citizenship of the Russian Federation and formally renounced Russian citizenship in accordance with the established procedure, is entitled to apply for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation without regard to the requirements:

1) to reside permanently in the Russian Federation for five years from the date of the decision to issue a residence permit in the Russian Federation until the date of submission of the application for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation;

2) to be proficient in Russian;

3) to know the history of Russia and the fundamentals of its legislation.

namely:

a) citizens of Ukraine who do not hold the citizenship (nationality) of another state, were born and permanently resided in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, and left those territories before March 18, 2014, as well as their children, including adopted children, spouses, and parents (regardless of their citizenship);

b) stateless persons who were born and permanently resided in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol and left those territories before March 18, 2014, as well as their children, including adopted children, spouses, and parents (regardless of their citizenship);

c) citizens of Ukraine and stateless persons holding a document confirming the right to stay (reside) in the Russian Federation (migration card, temporary residence permit, temporary residence permit for educational purposes, residence permit, refugee certificate, certificate of temporary asylum in the territory of the Russian Federation (hereinafter, certificate of temporary asylum), or certificate of participation in the State Program to Assist the Voluntary Resettlement to the Russian Federation of Compatriots Living Abroad (hereinafter, certificate of participation in the State Program), who permanently resided in the territory of Ukraine, as well as their children, including adopted children, spouses, and parents (regardless of their citizenship);

d) foreign citizens and stateless persons who themselves, or whose direct-line ascendants, adoptive parents, or spouses, were subjected to unlawful deportation from the territory of the Crimean ASSR, as well as their direct-line descendants, adopted children, and spouses (regardless of their citizenship);

e) citizens of Afghanistan, the Republic of Iraq, the Republic of Yemen, and the Syrian Arab Republic who were born in the territory of the RSFSR and previously held USSR citizenship, as well as their children, including adopted children, spouses, and parents (regardless of their citizenship).

The application and documents required to acquire citizenship of the Russian Federation must be submitted to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia or its territorial body.

1. Application — 2 copies (printed double-sided)

The application must be completed in Russian, by hand in black, blue, or violet ink, or using electronic means. The applicant must sign each page of the application in the designated field in the lower-right corner. Handwritten text must be legible. Abbreviations and acronyms may not be used when completing the application, except those in common use; corrections and erasures are also not permitted.

All fields of the application that require completion must be filled in, except where the circumstances needed to answer a question do not apply. In this case, enter “none” in the relevant field or leave the corresponding section blank. Answers to the questions in the application form must be exhaustive.

If there is insufficient space in a field to provide all the required information, provide it on additional sheets attached to the application, which form an integral part of the application (hereinafter, an addendum). In this case, write “See addendum” in the corresponding field.

On each addendum sheet, indicate the number of the field being supplemented and provide the required information. All addendum sheets must be numbered. The page number and total number of addendum sheets must be indicated in the upper-right corner of each sheet. The number of copies of each addendum must match the number of copies of the application. The applicant must sign each addendum sheet in the lower-right corner.

2. A document proving the applicant’s identity.

If a foreign citizen does not have such a document: a copy of the finding establishing the foreign citizen’s identity, issued by a territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in accordance with Russian Federation law.

The document must remain valid for at least the application processing period when the application is submitted (we recommend at least 6 months). 

A document confirming the presence or absence of citizenship (a citizen’s passport, stateless person’s certificate, temporary identity document of a stateless person in the Russian Federation, non-citizen’s passport issued by the relevant authority of a foreign state, or documents issued by the competent authority of the foreign state in which the applicant was born confirming that the applicant does not hold that state’s citizenship).

3. For citizens of Ukraine and stateless persons referred to in subparagraphs “a” and “b”:

• a document confirming the right to stay (reside) in the Russian Federation (visa, migration card, temporary residence permit, temporary residence permit for educational purposes, residence permit, refugee certificate, certificate of temporary asylum, temporary identity document of a stateless person in the Russian Federation, or another document confirming the right to stay (reside) in the Russian Federation in accordance with Russian Federation law), or a certificate of participation in the State Program;
• a document confirming birth in the territory of the Republic of Crimea or the city of Sevastopol (birth certificate or an extract from the state civil-status registration book);
• a document confirming permanent residence in the territory of the Republic of Crimea or the city of Sevastopol (extract from a household or farmstead register, copy of an apartment registration card or financial personal account, or another document). These documents need not be submitted if this information is contained in the identity document.

For citizens of Ukraine and stateless persons referred to in subparagraph “c”:

• a document confirming the right to stay (reside) in the Russian Federation (visa, migration card, temporary residence permit, temporary residence permit for educational purposes, residence permit, refugee certificate, certificate of temporary asylum, temporary identity document of a stateless person in the Russian Federation, or another document confirming the right to stay (reside) in the Russian Federation in accordance with Russian Federation law), or a certificate of participation in the State Program;
• a document confirming permanent residence in the territory of Ukraine, issued by the authorized bodies of the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Lugansk People’s Republic, or Ukraine. This document need not be submitted if this information is contained in the identity document.

For foreign citizens and stateless persons referred to in subparagraph “d”:

• a residence permit, or a residence permit and a certificate of rehabilitation issued by a law enforcement body of the Russian Federation, a prosecutor’s office of the Russian Federation, or a court, or a residence permit and a document containing information about the decision on rehabilitation, issued by a law enforcement body of the Russian Federation.

For foreign citizens referred to in subparagraph “e”:

• a document confirming the right to stay (reside) in the Russian Federation (visa, migration card, temporary residence permit, temporary residence permit for educational purposes, residence permit, refugee certificate, certificate of temporary asylum, or another document confirming the right to stay (reside) in the Russian Federation in accordance with Russian Federation law), or a certificate of participation in the State Program;
• a document confirming birth in the territory of the RSFSR and previous USSR citizenship (birth certificate, or, if unavailable, a 1974-model USSR citizen’s passport containing the relevant information).

4. Migration card and detachable portion of the notification of arrival of a foreign citizen or stateless person at their place of stay — migration registration.

In most regions, to accept an application, the Ministry of Internal Affairs requires a stamp in the residence permit confirming registration at the place of residence.

5. Birth certificate.

6. Documents confirming changes to the applicant’s full name.

Marriage certificate, divorce certificate, or a certificate from the civil registry office in the event of multiple surname changes, or a name change certificate.

7. Medical documents confirming the absence of use of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances without a doctor’s prescription, or new potentially dangerous psychoactive substances, and the absence of infectious diseases posing a danger to others, as specified in the list approved by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.

These documents are not required from foreign citizens and stateless persons holding a temporary residence permit, a temporary residence permit for educational purposes, a residence permit, a refugee certificate, or a certificate of temporary asylum, or from citizens of Ukraine and stateless persons referred to in subparagraphs “a”–“c.”

A certificate confirming the absence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

The certificate is not required from foreign citizens and stateless persons, children, and legally incapacitated persons also referred to in subparagraphs “a”–“c,” or from foreign citizens and stateless persons holding a temporary residence permit, a temporary residence permit for educational purposes, a residence permit, a refugee certificate, or a certificate of temporary asylum.

8. Personal photographs, 3 x4 cm — 3 pcs. (black and white or color).

The image of the applicant (child or legally incapacitated person) in the photograph must correspond to their age on the date the application is submitted.

9. Receipt for payment of the state fee.

All listed documents must be submitted as photocopies together with the ORIGINALS.

Copies made from original documents must be of good quality, easily legible, and contain all the information present in the original. Copies must be made on standard A4 sheets and must not be cut to the size of the original.

The originals of the applicant’s identity document and other required documents submitted by the applicant must be returned. Copies of these documents are attached to the application; an official verifies that they match the originals and certifies them with their signature and the seal of the body responsible for citizenship matters of the Russian Federation, or the seal of a subordinate enterprise (authorized organization).

The period for provision of the state service is 3 months.

The period may be extended for the time required to verify the documents submitted by the applicant and the information provided when submitting the application, and to obtain additional documents and information stipulated by this Federal Law,  but by no more than three months.

An application will not be accepted for consideration and will be returned to the applicant together with its attachments if:

a) the application and documents are not properly completed, including if they contain typos, misprints, or other errors;

b) the documents required under this Regulation and attached to the application have not been submitted in full.

If an application is refused acceptance for consideration, the official returning it shall state, orally or in writing, the circumstances that formed the basis for the refusal and how they can be remedied.

At the applicant’s written request, the official shall provide written information about those circumstances and how they can be remedied, including a list of missing documents.

All official documents issued by foreign authorities in a foreign language must be legalized, translated, and notarized.

For countries party to the 1961 Hague Convention:

• The original document must be apostilled in the country where it was issued.
• The document and the apostille affixed to it must be translated into Russian.
• The translation must be certified by a notarial endorsement from a notary in the territory of the Russian Federation.

                 For countries that are not parties to the Hague Convention:

• Documents must undergo consular legalization through consular offices of the Russian Federation abroad or the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia.

All documents not in Russian must be submitted with a Russian translation. The accuracy of the translation or the authenticity of the translator’s signature must be notarized in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.

The original Russian translations of the specified documents must be returned. Copies are attached to the application; an official verifies that they match the originals and certifies them with their signature and the seal of the body responsible for citizenship matters of the Russian Federation, or the seal of a subordinate enterprise (authorized organization).

If a document made in a language other than Russian has all entries duplicated in Russian, it does not need to be submitted with a Russian translation.

Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 11 of 04.01.2024 “On determining certain categories of foreign citizens and stateless persons entitled to apply for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation”

Under Part 9 of Article 16 of Federal Law No. 138-FZ of 28.04.2023 “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation”

Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 889 of 22.11.2023 “Issues of Citizenship of the Russian Federation” (“Regulation on the procedure for considering issues of citizenship of the Russian Federation,” “Regulation on the procedure for taking the Oath of a Citizen of the Russian Federation”