Parent is a Russian citizen

 Residence permit through a parent who is a Russian citizen permanently residing in the Russian Federation

Attention!
Since November 5, 2025, Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated 05.11.2025 No. 821 “On the temporary procedure for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation and issuance of residence permits in the Russian Federation”* has been in force.

Certain categories of foreign citizens are entitled to submit an application and the required set of documents for a residence permit (hereinafter, “residence permit”) in the Russian Federation without first obtaining a temporary residence permit. These include people who have a parent who is a citizen of the Russian Federation and permanently resides in its territory.

Practical example: 

An adult citizen of France has a mother who is a citizen of the Russian Federation and registered as residing in Saratov Region. In this case, he is entitled to apply for a residence permit to an authorized territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. Documents may be submitted in the constituent entity of the Russian Federation where the applicant is temporarily staying and is physically present (for example, Krasnodar Krai), regardless of the parent’s place of registration.

Important: The parent does not need to be present in person when the documents are submitted. However, you must provide the original of their internal passport as a citizen of the Russian Federation, bearing a stamp confirming registration at their place of residence, as well as documents proving the family relationship (for example, the applicant’s birth certificate).

Next steps: After obtaining a residence permit on this basis, the foreign citizen is entitled to apply for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation in accordance with subparagraph 3 of paragraph 2 of Article 16 of Federal Law No. 138-FZ dated 28.04.2023 “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation”.

Important advantage: When applying for a residence permit and, subsequently, for citizenship of the Russian Federation on this basis, the foreign citizen is exempt from having to prove proficiency in Russian, knowledge of Russian history, and the fundamentals of the legislation of the Russian Federation.

How to submit documents: To obtain a residence permit, a foreign citizen must apply to the territorial body of the Main Directorate for Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia at their place of actual stay.

*Under Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated 05.11.2025 No. 821 “On the temporary procedure for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation and issuance of residence permits in the Russian Federation,” able-bodied male foreign citizens and stateless persons aged 18 to 65 applying for a residence permit in the Russian Federation on the grounds specified in paragraph 4 of Part 2 of Article 8 of Federal Law No. 115-FZ dated 25.07.2002

may do so only if one of the following conditions is met:

a) entering into a contract for military service in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation or the rescue military formations of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations for a term of at least one year;
б) discharge from military service on the grounds provided for in subparagraphs “a”–“г” of paragraph 1 of Article 51 of Federal Law No. 53-FZ dated 28.03.1998 “On Military Duty and Military Service”;
в) being found unfit for military service upon entering into a contract for such service.

This requirement does not apply to citizens of the Republic of Belarus.

Document package
The current list of required documents can be downloaded here

List of documents for a foreign citizen applying for a residence permit who has a parent (adoptive parent, guardian, or custodian) permanently residing in the Russian Federation and holding Russian citizenship (registered at their place of residence)

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

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

If the application does not have enough lines, additional information may be provided on a separate sheet attached to the application, formatted in the same way as the relevant field of the application, and the applicant’s first name, surname, and patronymic (if any) must be indicated on the attachment.

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

2. Document proving the applicant’s identity.

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

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

4. Birth certificate.

5. Documents confirming changes to the applicant’s name details.

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

6. Document confirming the absence of a criminal record or, if applicable, containing information about the crime for which the applicant was convicted.

To be submitted by a foreign citizen aged 14 or over; the certificate must be valid for 3 months on the date the application is submitted.

This document is not required from a foreign citizen 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 citizen can support themself and their family members in the Russian Federation at no less than the subsistence minimum, without relying on state assistance (except for foreign citizens recognized as unable to work), in an amount of at least 4 regional subsistence minimums (if providing a certificate from Sberbank, it must be form 297).*

* These documents include:

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

- pension certificate;

- 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;

- income certificate for the person on whom the applicant is dependent;

- certificate showing a bank deposit, including 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 citizen 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 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

9. The following are exempt from proving proficiency in Russian, knowledge of Russian history, and the fundamentals of the legislation of the Russian Federation when applying for a temporary residence permit or residence permit:

    • foreign citizens 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.

10. Passport of the parent, a citizen of the Russian Federation, bearing a stamp confirming registration at their place of residence

- parents’ marriage certificate (if applying through the mother and she changed her surname upon marriage).

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.

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

Copies of original documents must be of good quality, easy to read, and contain all the 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 processing period is 4 months.

When documents for a residence permit are accepted, a receipt confirming acceptance of the application 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.) show different spellings of geographical names, documentary confirmation of the renaming may be required. Such a 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 consular offices of the Russian Federation 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 Russian is not among them, 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.

Pursuant to Article 8, paragraph 2, subparagraph 4 of Federal Law No. 115-FZ “On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation