Territories of the RSFSR, the Russian Empire, or the USSR

Residence permit through a direct-line ascendant born or permanently residing in the territory of the RSFSR or in a territory that was part of the Russian Empire or the USSR, within the State Border of the Russian Federation

Certain categories of foreign nationals are entitled to apply for a residence permit (hereinafter, a residence permit) in the Russian Federation and submit the required documents without first obtaining a temporary residence permit. These include foreign nationals who have direct-line ascendants born or permanently residing in the territory of the RSFSR or in a territory that was part of the Russian Empire or the USSR, within the State Border of the Russian Federation.

For the purposes of this ground, direct-line ascendants mean the applicant’s mother, father, grandfather, grandmother, great-grandfather, great-grandmother, etc., when applying for a residence permit on the basis of subparagraph 7.1 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”.

In addition to personal documents and documents confirming the relative’s birth or permanent residence in the specified territory, the applicant must documentarily confirm their family relationship with that relative by providing a complete chain of documents proving the relationship.

Practical examples:

A foreign national wishes to apply for a residence permit on the basis of their father, who was born in Primorsky Krai in 1968. They will need:

• the father’s birth certificate indicating his place of birth in the RSFSR;
• their own birth certificate, in which the applicant is listed in the “father” field.
  If the documents show different surnames (for example, Ivanov I.I. in the father’s birth certificate, but Petrov I.I. in the “father” field on the son’s birth certificate), an additional document confirming the surname change (a marriage certificate or a name-change certificate) must be provided.

A granddaughter intends to apply for a residence permit on the basis of her grandmother, who was born in Samara Oblast in 1936. In this case, a documentary chain of kinship must be established from the grandmother’s maiden name, as stated on her birth certificate, to the granddaughter’s surname. The following will be required:

• the grandmother’s birth certificate;
• the birth certificate of the granddaughter’s parent (for whom the grandmother is the mother);
• the granddaughter’s own birth certificate;
• documents confirming every change of full name in this chain (if any).

Document submission procedure: To obtain a residence permit on this ground, the foreign national must apply to the territorial office of the Main Directorate for Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in the constituent entity of the Russian Federation where they are actually staying.

Processing time for an application for a residence permit on this ground is 4 months from the date of submission of the documents.

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

List of documents for a foreign national applying for a residence permit who has direct-line ascendants born or permanently residing in the territory of the RSFSR or in a territory that was part of the Russian Empire or the USSR, within the State Border of the Russian Federation

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

The application is completed electronically or by hand, legibly in block letters in black, blue, or violet ink, without corrections, blots, or unofficial abbreviations. All fields requiring completion must be filled in.

If the application does not provide enough lines, additional information may be included on a separate sheet attached to the application, following the format of the relevant application field and stating the applicant’s first name, surname, and patronymic (if any) on the attachment.

When submitting a paper application directly to a migration unit of the Russian Federation, the applicant must sign in the presence of the official receiving applications.

2. Document certifying the applicant’s identity.

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

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

4. Birth certificate.

5. Documents confirming changes to personal details.

(Marriage certificate, divorce certificate, or certificate from the civil registry office if the surname was 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 offense 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 entered the Russian Federation under a procedure that does not require a visa.

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

7. 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 recourse to state assistance (except for foreign nationals recognized as unable to work), in an amount of at least 4 regional subsistence minimums (if the certificate is from Sberbank, it must be Form 297).*

* Such documents include:

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

- pension certificate;

- certificate from a territorial office 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 supporting the applicant;

- certificate confirming a bank deposit, 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 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

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: *

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

- state-issued education document (at least basic general education) issued by an educational institution in a state that was part of the USSR before 1 September 1991;

- education and/or qualification document issued to persons who successfully passed state final assessment in the territory of the Russian Federation from 1 September 1991

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

10. One or more documents confirming that the applicant has direct-line ascendants and that they permanently resided in the relevant territory (birth certificate, marriage document, adoption certificate, relative’s death certificate, residence permit, extract from the house register, copy of the apartment registration card, document containing military registration details, military ID, or other document(s). If the documents listed above are unavailable, applicants must provide archival certificates, extracts from archival documents, copies of documents from the Archives Fund of the Russian Federation and/or other archival documents.

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

Stateless persons must provide two photographs.

12. Receipt for payment of the state duty.

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

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

Copies made from 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 original’s dimensions.

The period for providing the public service is 4 months.

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

If an application for a residence permit is not accepted, a certificate stating the reason is issued.

    • If documents (passport, birth certificate, etc.) contain different spellings of geographical names, documentary confirmation of the renaming may be required. Such a certificate can be obtained, including by power of attorney, 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 from 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 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 notarial practice.

* The following applicants are exempt from confirming proficiency in Russian and knowledge of the history of Russia and the fundamentals of the legislation of the Russian Federation when submitting an application:

    • foreign nationals lacking legal capacity or whose legal capacity is limited;

    • foreign nationals under the age of eighteen;

    • male foreign nationals aged sixty-five or older;

    • female foreign nationals aged sixty or older;

    • foreign nationals who have obtained participant status in 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 who have applied 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-FZ (those who enlisted for military service) and subparagraph 20 of paragraph 2 of Article 8 of Federal Law No. 115-FZ (foreign nationals who, during the special military operation, entered into a one-year contract to serve in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation or military formations (hereinafter, a servicemember), and their family members, including in the event of the servicemember’s death. The servicemember’s family members include their spouse, children (including adopted children), and parents (including adoptive parents).

    • When applying for a work permit, highly qualified foreign specialists working under the procedure established by Article 13.2 of this Federal Law, and foreign journalists working for organizations established specifically to produce and publish mass media content in foreign languages, are exempt from confirming proficiency in Russian and knowledge of the history of Russia and the fundamentals of the legislation of the Russian Federation.

Pursuant to subparagraph 7.1 of paragraph 2 of Article 8 of Federal Law No. 115-FZ “On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation