Russia – Land of Opportunity Competition

Residence permit for a finalist or winner of the “Russia – Land of Opportunity” competition

Certain categories of foreign nationals are entitled to apply for a residence permit (hereinafter, “residence permit”) in the Russian Federation and submit the required documents without first obtaining a temporary residence permit. This includes a foreign national who is a finalist or winner of a nationwide competition held by the autonomous non-profit organization “Russia – Land of Opportunity” and who presents a document confirming this status.

Practical example: 

A citizen of Estonia who becomes a winner or finalist of the “Russia – Land of Opportunity” competition may apply for a residence permit by presenting a document confirming their status as a finalist or winner of the competition.

To submit an application and the complete set of documents for a Russian Federation residence permit under subparagraph 15 of paragraph 2 of Article 8 of Federal Law No. 115-FZ of 25.07.2002 “On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation”, a foreign national must apply to the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the constituent entity where they are staying. The application processing period for a residence permit on this basis is three months.

Required documents
The current list of required documents can be downloaded here

List of documents to apply for a residence permit for a foreign national who is a finalist or winner of the nationwide competition held by the autonomous non-profit organization “Russia – Land of Opportunity”

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

The application must be completed electronically or by hand in legible block letters, in black, blue, or violet ink, without corrections, blots, or unofficial abbreviations. All fields that must be completed are to be filled in.

If there is not enough space in the application, additional information may be provided on a separate sheet attached to the application, following the details of the relevant application section and indicating the applicant’s first name, surname, and patronymic (if any).

If the application is submitted on paper directly to a migration department of the Russian Federation, the applicant must sign it in the presence of the official receiving applications.

2. A document identifying the applicant.

(At the time of application, the document must remain valid for at least the application processing period). 

3. Migration card and detachable section of the arrival notification form for a foreign national or stateless person at their place of stay—migration registration.

4. Birth certificate.

5. Documents confirming changes to the full name.

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

6. A document confirming the absence of a criminal record or, if the applicant has one, containing information about the crime for which the applicant was convicted.

To be submitted by foreign nationals aged fourteen or older; the certificate must be valid for 3 months on the date of application.

This document is not required from a foreign national who arrived in the Russian Federation under a visa-free procedure.

(If applying for a residence permit after a temporary residence permit, this certificate does not need to be submitted again).

7. A document confirming that the foreign national can support themselves and their family members in the Russian Federation at no less than the subsistence minimum without state assistance (except for foreign nationals recognized as unable to work), amounting to at least 4 regional subsistence minimums (if submitting a certificate from Sberbank, it must be form 297).*

* Such documents include:

- a certificate of an individual's income and tax amounts (formerly 2-NDFL);

- pension certificate;

- a certificate from the territorial body of the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation confirming that a pension has been granted;

- confirmation of receipt of alimony;

- an income certificate for the person supporting the applicant;

- a bank deposit certificate stating the account number and deposit amount;

- another document confirming income from an activity not prohibited by law or inability to work.

8. Documents confirming that the foreign national does not have drug addiction or infectious diseases that pose a danger to others, as well as a certificate confirming that the applicant does not have HIV infection (a disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus).

9. One of the following documents confirming that the foreign national speaks Russian and knows the history of Russia and the fundamentals of the legislation of the Russian Federation: *

- a certificate of Russian-language proficiency and knowledge of the history of Russia and the fundamentals of the legislation of the Russian Federation at a level appropriate to the purpose of obtaining a temporary residence permit or residence permit;

- a state-standard education document (at a level no lower than basic general education), issued by an educational institution in a state that was part of the USSR before September 1, 1991;

- an education and/or qualification document issued to persons who successfully passed state final examinations in the Russian Federation from September 1, 1991

- a decision recognizing a person as a native Russian speaker, adopted before October 26, 2023 by a commission of the federal executive body responsible for internal affairs or its territorial body for recognizing a foreign national or stateless person as a native Russian speaker.

10. A document issued by the autonomous non-profit organization “Russia – Land of Opportunity” confirming that the person applying for a residence permit is a finalist or winner of a nationwide competition held by that autonomous non-profit organization.

11. Personal photographs, 35х45mm – 4 pcs. (matte, black and white or color).

Stateless persons must submit two photographs.

12. Receipt for payment of the state fee.

13. A document confirming that the foreign national has residential premises on grounds provided for by the legislation of the Russian Federation, where the rights are not registered in the Unified State Register of Real Estate,

- if the foreign national applies for a residence permit more than three years after entering the Russian Federation.

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

Copies of original documents must be of good quality, easy to read, and contain all information shown in the original. Copies must be made on standard A4 sheets and must not be cut with scissors to match the size of the original.

The state service is provided within 3 months.

When residence permit documents are accepted, a certificate confirming that the application has been accepted for consideration is issued.

If acceptance of the residence permit application is refused, a certificate stating the reason is issued.

    • If documents (passport, birth certificate, etc.) contain different spellings of geographical names, documentary proof of the name change may be required. This certificate can be obtained, including by proxy, from the Russian State Library.

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 Federation consular offices abroad or the Consular Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Documents drawn up in a foreign language must be translated into Russian.

If a document is drawn up in several languages and none of them is Russian, a translation from one language chosen by the applicant must be submitted. The accuracy of the translation or the authenticity of the translator’s signature must be notarized in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of the Russian Federation on notaries.

* The following applicants are exempt from confirming their Russian-language proficiency and knowledge of the history of Russia and the fundamentals of the legislation of the Russian Federation when applying:

    • foreign nationals who are legally incapacitated or have limited legal capacity;

    • foreign nationals under the age of eighteen;

    • male foreign nationals aged sixty-five or older;

    • female foreign nationals aged sixty or older;

    • foreign nationals granted participant status under the State Program to Assist the Voluntary Resettlement to the Russian Federation of Compatriots Living Abroad, or family member status under that State Program;

    • highly qualified foreign specialists and their family members applying for the residence permit referred to in paragraph 27 of Article 13.2 of this Federal Law;

    • foreign nationals who are citizens of the Union State formed by the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus;

    • foreign nationals applying for a residence permit who have a parent (adoptive parent, guardian, or custodian), son, or daughter who is a citizen of the Russian Federation and permanently resides in the Russian Federation;

    • foreign nationals who are citizens of Ukraine;

    • foreign nationals referred to in subparagraph 8 of paragraph 3 of Article 6 of Federal Law No. 115 (those who have entered military service) and subparagraph 20 of paragraph 2 of Article 8 of Federal Law No. 115 (foreign nationals who, during the special military operation, entered into a contract to serve for one year in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation or military formations (hereinafter, “military personnel”), and their family members, including in the event of the military personnel’s death. Family members of military personnel are their spouse, children (including adopted children), and parents (including foster parents).

    • The following are exempt from confirming Russian-language proficiency and knowledge of the history of Russia and the fundamentals of the legislation of the Russian Federation when applying for a work permit: highly qualified foreign specialists working in accordance with Article 13.2 of this Federal Law, and foreign journalists working for organizations that produce and publish mass media established specifically to disseminate information in foreign languages.

Pursuant to subparagraph 15 of paragraph 2 of Article 8 of Federal Law No. 115-FZ “On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation