Is it possible to obtain a foreign passport at the MFC?
The activities of the multifunctional center (MFC), a socially oriented government institution that provides services to the population, are based on Federal Law No. 210-FZ of July 27, 2010.
The main goal is to maximize the simplification of communication between citizens and the executive branch through remote contact through a single system. The range of services is the widest.
You can get a biometric one or apply for an old-style international passport through the MFC. This possibility is legislatively enshrined in Art. 8 of Federal Law No. 114-FZ of August 15. 1996, defining the procedure for leaving the Russian Federation.
Passports are produced by the division of the State Administration for Migration Issues of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but applications for their initial registration and replacement are accepted at the MFC. From 2021, you will be able to submit an application at almost any center.
Who can do the design?
A parent or legal guardian can apply for a document for traveling abroad. The fact of relationship is confirmed by the child’s birth certificate , which contains information about the father or mother applying for the document on behalf of the child.
In other cases, confirmation of the powers of the guardian, adoptive parent or trustee who is involved in issuing a foreign passport for a minor are special documents - decisions of the guardianship and trusteeship authorities, acts, etc.
We should not forget that parents who have old-style international passports have the right to simply enter a child who is not yet 14 years old into their document. But then the child will be able to go abroad only accompanied by the parent in whose document he is included . Therefore, it is more expedient to make a separate document.
Selecting the type of passport
Russians can choose to receive a foreign passport with or without an electronic chip. A simple comparison of old and new international passports indicates their general identity, with the exception of a few nuances:
- Validity period: the new one is twice as long ─ 10 years instead of five for the old one.
- The number of pages is different: in biometric – 46, in regular – 36.
- Unlike the old one, information about children is not included in a passport with a chip.
To produce a biometric passport, fingerprint equipment is required, which not all multifunctional centers have yet. Therefore, in practice, obtaining a new generation passport is not possible everywhere, although registration is not important. The center’s readiness to provide the service must be clarified in advance: by phone or during a personal visit or through the service of the State Services portal.
What are the advantages of obtaining a foreign passport through the MFC?
Citizens of the Russian Federation can obtain a passport for traveling abroad by contacting the FMS - Federal Migration Service of the Main Internal Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, registering on the electronic portal of State Services or in one of the multifunctional centers. More and more such service centers are opening in Russia - in 2021 their number has increased to almost three thousand.
Many Russians come here to submit documents to obtain an internal passport, paste in a new photograph upon reaching a certain age, change their last name, register or register for a new place of residence, and obtain a child’s birth certificate. Increasingly, people turn to the service center to order and receive a foreign passport - both old and new.
Obtaining and replacing a foreign passport through the MFC has its advantages:
- The centers are open daily from morning until late evening.
- Admission of specialists is carried out on the basis of an electronic queue.
- All copies of documents can be made here, without leaving the building.
- You can pay state duties and taxes at bank branches located in each center.
- The fees for processing documents are the same as at the migration service.
As a result, you can order and receive a passport for yourself and your children in a short time.
Queue entry
The first registration and replacement of a foreign passport through the MFC is carried out in the order in which applications and the full package of documents are submitted.
Registration is carried out in the center itself (including through a special terminal), on its website or by phone. Information about addresses and contact numbers is available on any regional information portal or MFC website.
When submitting an application online, the system requires authorization using Unified Identification and Authentication System (USIA) credentials. To do this, pre-registration on the State Services portal is required.
If this doesn’t work out, you can get a coupon for the electronic queue at the MFC on the day of submitting documents.
Stages of obtaining a foreign passport at the MFC
To submit documents for a passport, you first need to select the MFC in your region on the website. Making an appointment is extremely simple: you just need to call the number provided and tell us the date and time of your visit that is convenient for you. As a result, you will receive a number in the electronic queue. In some cities there is an electronic reception function, but for now it is working in test mode, and not everywhere it is possible to sign up on the website. If you don’t want to act through the website, come directly to the MFC at a convenient time, contact the registrar, and he will give you a paper coupon with a number. Follow the electronic scoreboard and the informant’s messages: as soon as your number is called, go to the specialist in the specified office.
The MFC specialist will require a package of documents from the applicant:
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- internal passport;
- old passport (if you have one);
- check for payment of state duty.
You fill out an application form for a foreign passport at the MFC on the spot, the format of which depends on what type of passport you are applying for.
For a regular passport you need to bring 4 photos, but for a new one you will be photographed with a camera right in the office and your fingerprints will be taken using a special machine. You will also have to fill out an application for a biometric passport.
Design algorithm
To apply for a foreign passport at the MFC, you need to prepare documents, pay the state fee and visit the center at the appointed time without delay.
You must arrive in person and provide the following documents:
- passport;
- questionnaire (2 copies required). It is recommended to download the form from the Ministry of Internal Affairs website. You can fill out the form by hand or type it on a computer. Errors and corrections are unacceptable, the text must be easy to read;
- receipt of payment of state duty;
- international passport (if you have one);
- military ID (men aged 18-27 years);
- three photographs 3.5 x 4.5 cm, black and white or color, always on matte paper. Photos are also needed for each child if you plan to include their details in the passport. For a new type of international passport, you need to take photos in the center.
Taking into account the pre-registration, it is quite possible to submit documents for a foreign passport to the MFC in 5-10 minutes. According to the law, when choosing a passport with electronic media, you must contact the migration authority within 15 days to submit fingerprints.
As a rule, this can be done at the MFC. If it does not have equipment, you will have to contact the Ministry of Internal Affairs department.
When the document is ready, MFC staff will contact the applicant by phone or SMS. To obtain a foreign passport, you must personally visit the Department of Internal Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Where to contact
The service is provided in more than three thousand MFCs located in every region of the country. Most of them, of course, are in the capital - in every district, and they work from 8 am to 8 pm every day.
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For example, obtaining a foreign passport in Moscow is available in the following (by main districts):
- SEAD: st. Zhulebinsky Blvd., 25. Toll-free hotline 8-800-5505030;
- South-Western Administrative District: st. Novocheremushkinskaya, 23, bldg. 5, tel. 8-800-5505030;
- South Administrative Okrug: st. Zagoryevskaya, 10, bldg. 4, tel. 8-800-5505030;
- Central Administrative District: per. Sivtsev Vrazhek, 20, tel. 8-800-5505030;
- Northern Administrative Okrug: st. Viktorenko, 2/1, tel. 8-800-5505030.
The website mfc-moskva.ru, which contains data from all metropolitan institutions, helps to cope with the task of searching and choosing a suitable MFC for Muscovites.
Production time
How long a foreign passport is issued through the MFC is determined by the Administrative Regulations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, put into effect by Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs No. 864 of November 16, 2017. The period for registration or notification of refusal is counted from the date of submission of the application and cannot exceed:
- when applying to the center at your place of residence ─ one month;
- when issuing a foreign passport to a person cleared for classified information, ─ 3 months;
- when submitting an application at the place of residence ─ 4 months.
The processing time for a foreign passport does not depend in any way on the method of circulation. They may be affected by the workload of migration authorities.
Urgent issue
If there is a documented need for emergency treatment, circumstances related to a serious illness or death of close relatives abroad, Russians can quickly obtain a foreign passport.
According to the current regulations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the period for emergency production should not exceed three working days. Expedited issuance is only relevant for old-style passports. A biometric document cannot be produced within such a time frame for technical reasons.
How much does the service cost?
MFCs do not charge citizens for their services. The service is provided completely free of charge. The price of a foreign passport is determined by the amount of the state duty, which was recently increased by Federal Law No. 180-FZ of June 19. 2021 According to this legal act, in Art. 333.28 of the Tax Code were amended to increase the cost of producing biometric passports:
- for an adult ─ up to 5 thousand rubles;
- for a child under 14 years old ─ up to 2.5 thousand rubles.
The cost of an old-style international passport remains unchanged:
- for an adult ─ 2 thousand rubles;
- for a child ─ 1 thousand rubles.
Users of the State Services portal can save 30% when paying state fees via the Internet. A new adult passport with this discount will cost 3,500 rubles, an old one - 1,400 rubles.
There is no duty charged to residents of the Kaliningrad region.
To make changes to your passport, you must pay 500 rubles. This amount does not depend on the reason or place of request for the service. Remote payment is possible on the websites of the State Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
What is the difference between new and old passports?
Currently, you can apply for a passport of both the old and new type - it all depends on your desire, since there is no forced exchange of documents of the previous generation for biometric ones.
Moreover, issuing an old-style international passport through the MFC is just as easy as a more modern version. More familiar to Russians who hold foreign passports is a regular paper document, valid for 5 years from the date of issue. However, currently, more and more citizens of the Russian Federation are receiving passports with an electronic chip on which information about the owner of the ID is stored. Data from this chip is read when crossing the border using special devices.
The fundamental difference between the new type of passport is that when issuing it, you must provide a digital photo and fingerprints, which is why this type of ID is called biometric.
Since the biometric data collection procedure requires special equipment, check with your nearest service center to see if they have the technical capabilities and relevant specialists to issue you a biometric passport.
International passport for a child
Since 2010, children leaving the Russian Federation must have separate travel documents. The document can be ordered even for a newborn.
To obtain a child’s international passport, you can contact the multifunctional center by preparing:
- application (one copy);
- birth certificate;
- the child’s passport, if you already have one;
- parent's civil passport;
- photos.
To obtain a foreign passport for a child, the parent will have to fill out the application form themselves. The deadlines for issuing passports are the same for both adults and children.
Features of obtaining a passport for a child
In 2021, citizens of the Russian Federation will be given the opportunity to obtain any type of foreign passport for children under 14 years of age:
- The old-style document is made without the presence of the child, while to obtain a new one you will have to take the baby with you to take a photo.
- Only parents or legal representatives can act on behalf of minors.
- If the child was adopted, a corresponding court decision will be required. When establishing guardianship - an agreement with the guardianship authorities.
Otherwise, the procedure is no different from obtaining a passport for adults. The only significant difference is that in this case a statement is provided in a different form.
Reasons for refusal
The approved procedure for obtaining a foreign passport does not exclude the possibility of refusal of the service due to errors, incorrect execution of documents or unreliability of the information specified in them.
The following may also be refused:
- persons admitted to state secrets;
- called up for military/alternative service ─ until the end of its term;
- suspected of a crime;
- convicted;
- who have entered into an employment agreement with the impossibility of leaving;
- children who do not have the consent of both parents;
- those who evade fulfillment of obligations determined by the court;
- persons who forged documents.
Deadlines for obtaining a passport at the MFC
Many applicants are interested in how much it takes to obtain a foreign passport through the MFC. Production times depend on where you ordered the document. When you apply at your place of registration, you will receive a passport within 30 days. If you applied to another MFC, for example, at your place of real residence, you will have to wait up to three months for issue.
In some circumstances, a passport may be needed urgently - due to a serious illness or death of a close relative abroad, the need for urgent treatment, etc. In emergency cases, a passport can be obtained within 3 days, of course, having paid for urgency. However, in this case, you will only be issued an old-style foreign passport. The biometric option is not made urgently.
How much does it cost to obtain a passport?
The price for issuing a passport depends on what kind of document you order. For a new type of biometric passport you will have to pay 5 thousand rubles, for a paper version of the old one – 2 thousand. For a passport of a child under 14 years of age, you must pay 1,000 rubles (for an old one) and 3.5 thousand rubles for a biometric document. You can enter a child into the parents’ old-style passport for 500 rubles.
It should be noted that there are exceptions. Thus, residents of the Kaliningrad region, and in some cases, residents of Crimea, are exempt from paying the state fee for obtaining a foreign passport. Taking into account their receipt of Russian citizenship after March 2014, the presence of a Ukrainian international passport, and the application for a passport for the first time in the territory of Crimea and Sevastopol.
The state fee must be paid by the applicant himself, and the fee for a child under 14 years old must be paid by his parents or guardians.
How to obtain a passport through the MFC
The process of obtaining a foreign passport through the multifunctional center for the provision of public services (MFC) consists of several stages:
- Make an appointment at the MFC.
- Providing the required documents.
- Receiving a completed international passport from the Federal Migration Service.
Next, we will analyze in detail all the features and nuances of this process.
Make an appointment
In order to avoid wasted time when submitting documents to obtain or replace a foreign passport at the MFC, we recommend that you sign up in advance for the electronic queue, if such an opportunity is available in your regional centers.
As a rule, you can make an appointment via the Internet on the official website of the MFC in your region and by phone. Addresses and telephone numbers for registration can be found in any information directory and on the MFC website. Be prepared for the system to ask you to log in using your unified identification and authentication credentials - data for accessing the government services portal.
Don't worry if for some reason you can't pre-register. You will be able to receive a coupon in the electronic queue directly at the MFC on the day of submitting documents.
After making an appointment, all you have to do is prepare the documents and go to the selected branch of the MFC at the appointed time. Try not to be late!
Providing documents for obtaining a foreign passport through the MFC
On the day of your appointment, you need to appear in person at the MFC with the following documents (list of documents for issuing an old-style international passport):
- passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation;
- two copies of the completed application for a foreign passport. It is best to download the application form from the official website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation - there are many irrelevant and incorrect application forms on the Internet. The form can be filled out in advance at home or at the MFC by hand or on a computer. The application must not contain any blots or corrections, the text must be readable;
- a receipt confirming the fact of payment of the state duty. The cost will be 2000 rubles, for a child under 14 years old - 1000 rubles.
- an expired passport, if available;
- military ID (for male applicants aged 18 to 27 years living in the Russian Federation)
- three black and white or color photographs measuring 35 x 45 mm on matte paper. If you want to include the details of children under 14 years of age in your passport, prepare a photo for each minor. More information about the requirements for submitted photos can be found in the article Government services: requirements for photos for a foreign passport
The process of submitting documents to the MFC (provided that you have filled out the application correctly and presented all the necessary documents) is quite quick and takes from 5 to 10 minutes, especially in the case of pre-registration in the electronic queue.
Rules for filling out an application
The application for a foreign passport at the MFC can be filled out directly at the center or done in advance. The form is available both on the Internet and from the administrator at the MFC. Moreover, you can fill out the form both by hand and on a computer. The main thing is to carefully check that all fields are filled out correctly, otherwise the application will need to be redone. Two completed applications will be required.
If you fill out a form at the MFC, you can do this while waiting for your turn to come. The advantage is that at any time the center operator will advise the visitor and correct the entered data.
After this, wait for the number indicated on the ticket to light up on the electronic display and go to a specific window.
Receiving a ready-made passport
FMS employees will inform you about the readiness of your international passport via a call or SMS message. You can also do this yourself on the MFC website by entering your Russian passport details.
To receive a foreign passport when it is ready, you will need to personally visit the FMS office. International passports are issued by the Federal Migration Service, regardless of the method of application.
Types of international passports
For 2021, government authorities propose to issue one of two types of international passports: a general civil and a biometric type of ID. The general civil form was circulated in a single form until 2006 and actually did not differ from the passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation. Children under 14 years old fit into a certain section, thereby relieving parents of the need to issue a separate document for their child.
A new type of ID is a biometric passport, the validity of which has been increased to ten years. A modern document is equipped with an electronic chip, which contains information about the citizen and the department of the Federal Migration Service that issued the foreign passport.
Important! According to Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 13, approved on January 19, 2010, minor Russian citizens and children do not have the right to leave the country without foreign passports. It is worth noting that the inclusion of a child in the parents’ general international passport does not cancel the procedure for presenting an identity card for minor children. This provision has been in effect since 2006. Russians can choose any type of foreign passport for themselves and their children.
From user reviews about the biometric passport, it is worth noting that a modern passport does not interfere with registration at hotels and any documentation. It’s worth adding to everything that protection against counterfeiting has become of a higher level. If you lose your passport, finding the owner will not be difficult. The actual difference between the types of document did not change the period for issuing a foreign passport; it remained the same (except for emergency issue). The changes affected only the application form and the cost of the state duty.
