Citizenship for a combat veteran

There are categories of foreign nationals who may be admitted to citizenship of the Russian Federation under a simplified procedure without obtaining a residence permit (hereinafter, a residence permit). These include persons who are combat veterans and whose admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation is petitioned for by a federal government body, federal executive authority, or executive authority of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation that issued them a combat veteran certificate or a certificate (identification document) confirming the right to benefits, the forms of which were approved before 1 January 1992. This category also includes federal government bodies or federal executive authorities that currently perform, within their established areas of activity, the functions of an abolished government body that issued such a certificate (identification document).

This means that combat veterans may, upon presentation of a relevant petition from an authorized body of the Russian Federation, apply for admission to Russian citizenship without obtaining a residence permit. An application on this basis may be filed either in Russia with a Ministry of Internal Affairs body or abroad at a consular office in the country of residence.

The definition of persons considered combat veterans is governed by Article 3 of Federal Law No. 5-FZ “On Veterans.”

Consider an example:

A German citizen is a combat veteran and holds the relevant certificate, obtained for participation in combat operations in Afghanistan. If there is a petition from the military commissariat that currently performs the functions of the USSR military commissariat that issued the combat veteran certificate, this German citizen may apply for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation abroad at a consular office in the country of residence or to a Ministry of Internal Affairs body in Russia.

Document submission procedure

To submit an application and a complete set of documents for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation under paragraph 2 of part 8 of Article 16 of Federal Law No. 138-FZ “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation,” a foreign national must apply to a consular office of the Russian Federation in the country of residence or to the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation for the constituent entity where they reside.

The application review period is three months. If necessary, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs is entitled to extend the review period by a further three months.

Document package

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

List of documents for combat veterans applying for Russian citizenship

A foreign national or stateless person with legal capacity may apply for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation, provided that the foreign national or stateless person undertakes to comply with the Constitution of the Russian Federation and take the Oath of a Citizen 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;

2) to be proficient in Russian;

3) to know the history of Russia and the fundamentals of the legislation of the Russian Federation;

if the foreign national or stateless person concerned is:

a combat veteran whose admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation is petitioned for by a federal government body, federal executive authority, or executive authority of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation that issued them a combat veteran certificate or a certificate (identification document) confirming the right to benefits, the forms of which were approved before 1 January 1992, or by a federal government body or federal executive authority that currently performs, within its established area of activity, the functions of an abolished government body that issued them a certificate (identification document) confirming the right to benefits, the form of which was approved before 1 January 1992.

Foreign nationals or stateless persons outside the Russian Federation submit their application and documents to a diplomatic mission or consular office of the Russian Federation.

In Russia — 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 using black, blue, or purple ink, or using electronic means. The applicant must sign each page of the application in the designated field in the bottom-right corner. Handwritten text must be legible. The application must not contain abbreviations or acronyms, except those in common use, or any corrections or alterations.

All fields of the application that must be completed should be filled in, except where the circumstances necessary to answer a question do not exist. In that case, enter the word "none" in the relevant field or leave the relevant section blank. Answers to the questions in the application form must be exhaustive.

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

The addendum sheets must indicate the number of the field being supplemented and provide the required information. All addendum sheets must be numbered. The sheet 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 bottom-right corner.

2. A document certifying the applicant's identity.

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

At the time of application, the document must remain valid for at least the application review period (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 for a stateless person in the Russian Federation, a non-citizen's passport issued by the competent authority of a foreign state, or documents confirming that the applicant does not hold citizenship of a foreign state, issued by the competent authority of the foreign state in which the applicant was born).

3. A document confirming combat veteran status.(a certificate or identification document confirming the right to benefits, the forms of which were approved before 1 January 1992; a combat veteran certificate; or a disabled person's identification document confirming the right to benefits), as well as a petition drawn up in the prescribed form from the federal government body, federal executive authority, or executive authority of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation that issued the applicant one of the above documents, or a petition from the federal government body or federal executive authority that currently performs, within its established area of activity, the functions of an abolished government body that issued the applicant a certificate or identification document confirming the right to benefits, the forms of which were approved before 1 January 1992.

4. Migration card and detachable part of the notification form confirming the arrival of a foreign national or stateless person at their place of stay — migration registration. (If the application is filed in Russia.)

5. Birth certificate.

6. Documents confirming changes to personal details.

Marriage certificate, divorce certificate, or certificate from the civil registry office if the surname has been changed more than once, or a certificate of change of name.

7. Personal photographs, 3 x4 cm – 3 pcs. (black-and-white or color).

The applicant's (child's, incapacitated person's) image in the photograph must correspond to their age on the date the application is filed.

8. Receipt for payment of the state fee.

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

A copy made from an original document must be of good quality, easy to read, and contain all the information shown in the original document. Copies must be made on standard A4 sheets and must not be cut to the size of the original.

The original 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 in the Russian Federation, or the seal of a subordinate enterprise (authorized organization).

The public service is provided within 3 months.

The period may be extended for the time required to verify the documents submitted by the applicant and the information provided by them when filing the application, and to obtain additional documents and information provided for 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 documents attached to it if:

a) the application and documents are improperly completed, including if they contain slips, typographical errors, or other mistakes;

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

If an application is refused acceptance for consideration, the official returning the application shall indicate, in writing or orally, 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 the circumstances and means of remedying them in writing, 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 certified with an apostille 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 consular offices of the Russian Federation abroad or the Consular Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

All documents not drawn up 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 original Russian translations of the above 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 in the Russian Federation, or the seal of a subordinate enterprise (authorized organization).

If a document drawn up in a language other than Russian duplicates all entries in Russian, it does not need to be submitted with a Russian translation.

Under paragraph 2 of part 8 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" ("Regulations on the Procedure for Considering Citizenship Issues of the Russian Federation," "Regulations on the Procedure for Taking the Oath of a Citizen of the Russian Federation"