Citizenship of the Russian Federation for a minor child

There are categories of foreign nationals who may be admitted to citizenship of the Russian Federation under the simplified procedure without obtaining a residence permit (hereinafter, a residence permit). These foreign nationals include minor children in the following cases:

• one of the parents (adoptive parents) is a citizen of the Russian Federation or is acquiring citizenship of the Russian Federation;

• the sole parent (adoptive parent) is a citizen of the Russian Federation or is acquiring citizenship of the Russian Federation;

• the child is under guardianship or trusteeship of a citizen of the Russian Federation or a person acquiring citizenship of the Russian Federation, except for the cases provided for in Part 1 of Article 12 and Part 1 of Article 13 of Federal Law No. 48-FZ of April 24, 2008, “On Guardianship and Trusteeship”;

• the child has been placed in a Russian organization for orphans and children left without parental care, except for the case provided for in paragraph 2 of Article 155.1 of the Family Code of the Russian Federation.

It is important to note that an application for a child’s admission to Russian citizenship may be submitted only by a permanent guardian or trustee whose authority is not limited by any period. This also applies to children placed under the supervision of Russian organizations: their stay in such organizations must not be temporary. Otherwise, the head of the organization or the guardianship and trusteeship authority is not entitled to submit an application for the child’s admission to Russian citizenship.

A child may be admitted to citizenship upon the application of a parent (adoptive parent, guardian, trustee) who is a citizen of the Russian Federation. A parent (adoptive parent, guardian, trustee) may also include the child in their citizenship application (regardless of the grounds for submitting it).

A child aged 14 to 18 must give written consent to admission to Russian citizenship.

Consider the following examples:

A family of Lithuanian citizens moved to Russia under the compatriot resettlement program. The family has two children, one of whom is adopted. One parent obtains a residence permit, while the other applies for Russian citizenship. In this case, the second parent may include both children in their citizenship application.

Suppose a child born in Germany has one parent who is a citizen of both the Russian Federation and Germany, while the other parent holds only German citizenship. In this case, the parent who is a Russian citizen may apply for their minor child to be admitted to Russian citizenship.

To submit an application and the complete set of documents for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation under paragraphs 1, 2 or 3 of Part 5 of Article 16 of Federal Law No. 138-FZ “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation,” the applicant must contact the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation for the constituent entity where they are staying (residing), or for the place where the child is staying (residing). If the applicant is abroad, they may submit an application to a Russian consular office.

To submit an application and the complete set of documents for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation under paragraph 4 of Part 5 of Article 16 of Federal Law No. 138-FZ “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation” (a child has been placed in a Russian organization for orphans and children left without parental care), the applicant must contact the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation for the constituent entity where the organization or guardianship and trusteeship authority is located, or for the constituent entity where the child is staying (residing).

Document package

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

List of documents for applying for Russian citizenship for a child

A child who is a foreign national or stateless person is admitted 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 filing the application for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation.

A child who is a foreign national or stateless person may be admitted to citizenship of the Russian Federation if:

1) one of their parents (adoptive parents) is a citizen of the Russian Federation or is acquiring citizenship of the Russian Federation;

2) their sole parent (adoptive parent) is a citizen of the Russian Federation or is acquiring citizenship of the Russian Federation;

3) the child is under guardianship or trusteeship of a citizen of the Russian Federation or a person acquiring citizenship of the Russian Federation, except for the cases provided for in Part 1 of Article 12 and Part 1 of Article 13 of Federal Law No. 48-FZ of April 24, 2008, “On Guardianship and Trusteeship”;

4) the child has been placed in a Russian organization for orphans and children left without parental care, except for the case provided for in paragraph 2 of Article 155.1 of the Family Code of the Russian Federation.

For reference: child – a person under the age of eighteen.

Applications and documents required to acquire citizenship of the Russian Federation within Russia are submitted by:

a) a parent (adoptive parent) – at the applicant’s place of residence, place of stay or place of actual residence, or at the child’s place of residence or place of stay;

b) a guardian or trustee – at the applicant’s place of residence, place of stay or place of actual residence, or at the child’s place of residence or place of stay;

c) the head of the Russian organization for orphans and children left without parental care in which the child has been placed under supervision, or the guardianship and trusteeship authority performing the duties of guardian or trustee in respect of the child – at the location of the organization, at the location of the guardianship and trusteeship authority, or at the child’s place of residence or place of stay.

An application for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation must be submitted by a citizen of the Russian Federation, a foreign national or a stateless person located outside the Russian Federation to a diplomatic mission or consular office of the Russian Federation.

1. Application – in 2 copies (printed double-sided).

An application concerning a child under the age of 14 is prepared in one copy.

An application for a child submitted together with the parents (adoptive parents), one of the parents (adoptive parents) or the sole parent (adoptive parent), as well as for a child left without parental care, is completed on the application form for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation for the parents (adoptive parents), one of the parents (adoptive parents), the sole parent (adoptive parent), guardian or trustee.

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

All fields of the application that are required to be completed must be filled in, except where the circumstances needed to answer a question do not exist. In that case, the word “no” is entered in the relevant field, or the relevant section is left blank. Answers to the questions in the application form must be exhaustive.

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

The number of the field being supplemented must be written on the addendum sheets, along with 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. Depending on the grounds for admission to citizenship.

Under paragraphs 1), 2), 3):

- the applicant’s passport, if the applicant is a citizen of the Russian Federation (parent, adoptive parent)

or

- an identity document of the applicant, if the applicant is a foreign national (parent, adoptive parent).

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

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

A document confirming the presence or absence of citizenship (a citizen’s passport, a stateless person’s identity document, a temporary identity document of a stateless person in the Russian Federation, a non-citizen’s passport issued by the relevant authority of a foreign state, or documents confirming the applicant’s lack of citizenship of a foreign state, issued by the authorized body of the foreign state in which the applicant was born).

- the fact that the child has a sole parent is confirmed by a court decision declaring the other parent deceased, recognizing them as missing, or depriving them of parental rights, or by the death certificate of the other parent, or by a statement in free form from one parent that they have no information about the whereabouts of the other parent, or by the child’s birth certificate, which does not list the other parent, or by a birth certificate confirming that information about the child’s father was entered in the birth record based on the child’s mother’s statement — additionally, under paragraph 2);

- a document appointing the applicant as the child’s guardian or trustee — additionally, under paragraph 3);

- a document confirming the applicant’s authority (if the application is submitted by the head of the relevant organization);

- a document confirming the grounds for placing the child under supervision in a Russian organization for orphans and children left without parental care — additionally, under paragraph 4).

3. A document confirming the child’s residence in the Russian Federation (the child’s residence permit or temporary residence permit, the residence permit or temporary residence permit for educational purposes of one of the parents (adoptive parents) or the sole parent (adoptive parent), with the child’s details included; migration card, visa or other document confirming the child’s right to stay or reside in the Russian Federation)

4. Migration card and detachable part of the notification of arrival of a foreign national or stateless person at their place of stay – migration registration (for the applicant and the child).

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

5. The child’s birth certificate, as well as the child’s passport (if available).

- a document of adoption (adoption of a girl) if the child was adopted and the birth certificate does not identify the adoptive parent as the child’s parent.

If the application is submitted outside Russia:

- an application for admission to citizenship from the parents (adoptive parents), one of the parents (adoptive parents) or the sole parent (adoptive parent)

- the child’s birth certificate, as well as the child’s passport (if available)

- the child’s adoption certificate if the child was adopted and the birth certificate does not list the adoptive parent as the child’s parent

- a document confirming the legal grounds for the child’s stay outside the Russian Federation.

6. Documents confirming changes to the full name.

A marriage certificate, divorce certificate or certificate from the civil registry office in case of repeated surname changes, or a certificate of name change.

7. Written consent from each child aged 14 to 18. Such consent may be given in free form. The child’s signature must be notarized in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, or certified by the signature of an official and the seal of the authority responsible for citizenship matters, or by the signature of an employee and the seal of a subordinate enterprise (authorized organization), in the child’s presence.

8. Personal photographs, 3 x 4 cm – 3 pcs. (black and white or color),

    4 pcs. – for children over 6 years of age.

The child’s appearance in the photograph must correspond to their age on the date the application is submitted.

9. Receipt for payment of the state fee.

All the 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 presented in the original document. Copies must be made on standard A4 sheets and must not be cut with scissors to match the dimensions 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 checks them against the originals and certifies them with their signature and the seal of the authority responsible for citizenship matters, or the seal of a subordinate enterprise (authorized organization).

The period for providing 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 the application was submitted, 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 the attached documents if:

a) the application and documents have not been properly completed, including containing clerical, typographical or other errors;

b) the documents attached to the application that are required under this Regulation 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 served as grounds for the refusal and how they may be remedied.

At the applicant’s written request, the official shall provide written information about those circumstances and how they may 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 by a notary in the Russian Federation.

                 For countries that are not parties to the Hague Convention:

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

All documents not in Russian must be submitted with a translation into Russian. 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 originals of the Russian translations of the above documents must be returned. Copies are attached to the application; an official checks them against the originals and certifies them with their signature and the seal of the authority responsible for citizenship matters, or the seal of a subordinate enterprise (authorized organization).

If a document not in Russian has all entries duplicated in Russian, it does not need to be translated into Russian.

Under Part 5 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 Matters of Citizenship of the Russian Federation,” “Regulation on the Procedure for Taking the Oath of a Citizen of the Russian Federation”