The main responsibility of Russian citizens in relation to their passport is to carefully store and use it. If anything happens to your primary identification document, such as your toddler deciding to use it as a sketchbook or pages being torn out, your passport may be considered invalid. Whether they will be required to pay a fine for damaging a passport and what its amount will be in 2021 will not be superfluous for every Russian to know.
Briefly about the passport
The Russian Federation passport is the main document of general civil use, which performs several functions:
- proves identity;
- contains key information about its owner;
- allows you to travel to countries whose migration regime allows the entry of Russians using internal passports.
You should start preparing this document at the age of 14. After which he and. From a Russian passport you can find out the following information:
- Full name of the citizen.
- Date and place of his birth.
- Floor.
- .
- Having military service.
- Number and age of minor children.
- Family status.
According to the program developed several years ago, in 2020 a mass replacement of passports will begin, which will serve as a universal passport and store information about other basic documents on a special electronic chip.
First steps after washing your passport in the machine
If your passport has been washed in a washing machine, the first thing to do is determine the extent of its damage. The status of the certificate at the end of the process will depend on the set washing mode and the washing powder used. After all, the longer he was in the water, and the stronger the chemical effect, the more likely it was that the seals began to flow and the words lost readability.
If you washed your passport in a washing machine, the procedure should be as follows:
- Carefully remove the ID.
- Examine the extent of damage to the document.
Scroll through the pages of the ID and pay attention to the condition of the stamps and records. If the ink has not flowed and the words remain legible, then there is a real chance to restore the document.
- Separate the pages from each other and place plain white paper or a paper towel between them so that the sheets do not stick together and ink does not bleed onto other pages of the ID.
- Leave your passport until it is completely dry.
This is important to know: The procedure for drawing up an application for the loss of a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation
The paper towel or paper placed between the pages must be changed from time to time (every 30 - 60 minutes) so that moisture is absorbed as efficiently as possible.
- When the ID is completely dry, close it and place it under the press to straighten the pages.
You can use a thick and heavy book or several books as a press. Leave the structure in this position for a day.
Attention! What you don’t need to do is dry your passport on a radiator. As a result of this drying, the pages will take on a wave-like shape, which is quite difficult to correct.
How to change your passport if it has been damaged
It is necessary to start replacing the damaged one as quickly as possible, even if in your opinion the document is quite suitable for further use. In this case, you can use paragraph 12 of the “Regulations on the Russian Passport”, approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 828 of July 8, 1997, as a guideline.
It states that a passport can be considered unusable if one of the following grounds occurs:
- wear;
- mechanical damage that may affect the clarity of the recorded information, other important details of the passport;
- violation of the integrity of the form;
- inaccurate information;
- making your own notes on the document.
In this case, the passport must be replaced within 30 days after it was damaged, or from the moment you discovered it.
To reissue a passport, you will need the following documents:
- Statement.
- Damaged passport.
- Receipt of payment.
- 2 photos.
- Documents, information from which will need to be displayed in a new form.
If the data in your passport cannot be read, you will need to take it with you.
As for administrative punishment for careless handling of a document, the amount of the fine for damage to a passport during replacement, as well as its imposition in general, depends on whether the damage was caused intentionally or not.
Before going to the migration service, in order to better understand what the process looks like, it will be useful to find out in more detail how it goes.
The fine for a damaged passport
Table 1. Sanctions for damage or loss of a document
Rule of law | The essence | Sanction for the violator and how much the fine will be |
Art. 19.15 Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation | Residence with an invalid passport | Fine from 2,000 to 3,000 rubles. |
Art. 19.16 Code of Administrative Offenses | Intentional damage or destruction of a document, as well as careless storage, which led to its loss | A warning or a fine in the amount of 100 to 300 rubles. |
If an administrative violation under Article 19.15 of the Code of Administrative Offenses was committed in Moscow or St. Petersburg, the punishment will range from 3,000 to 5,000 rubles.
Will the punishment change in 2021?
The amount of sanctions under administrative articles regarding careless or intentional damage to an identity card will not change in 2021. Also, a warning will remain as an alternative punishment under Article 19.16 of the Code of Administrative Offences.
This is interesting! Until 2007, the fine for damaging or destroying a citizen’s identity card ranged from half to three times the minimum wage. Until 2007, the penalty for living with an invalid document was from 15 to 25 minimum wages for all citizens of the Russian Federation. The location of the offense did not play a role
.
From 2007 to 2013, the amount of the fine ranged from 1,500 to 2,500 rubles
.
How much will you have to pay
First, let's figure out what deliberate damage is. This concept includes deliberate actions that lead to damage to the document, which makes the entries made in it unreadable. Do not forget that an employee of the Main Department of Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs may include the loss of a passport due to negligence as such actions, for example, when you constantly keep your ID in the glove compartment of a car. Always remember that paragraph 17 of the above-mentioned Passport Regulations obliges Russians to take care of their identity card.
Before finding out what fine a negligent citizen is entitled to for careless storage of a passport, it is necessary to remember that Article 19 of the Code of Administrative Offenses regards actions of this nature as an administrative offense. But provided that they were committed intentionally.
The responsibility of bringing citizens to administrative responsibility is assigned to employees of the migration service. But in order for them to be able to do this, they will have to prove that your actions were intentional.
Most often, if you immediately appear at the Main Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and admit your guilt, representatives of the authority will meet you halfway and simply issue you a warning.
If your guilt is nevertheless obvious or even more so proven, then on the basis of the mentioned Code of Administrative Offenses you will have to be punished.
How much will the fine be in 2021 if a child tore a passport, you washed the document or erased it to such an extent that some of the information in it is simply impossible to read, is also stipulated by law. Today the amount ranges from 100 to 300 rubles.
Be prepared for the fact that most often representatives of the authorized body do not neglect the opportunity to hold citizens accountable, while referring to the article mentioned above. To reduce all disputes with officials to nothing, always remember the presumption, which relieves you of the obligation to prove your innocence.
Do not forget that unpaid penalties may result in your not being able to travel abroad.
What to do if lost in Russia
If you lose your passport, you will need to get a new one. First, the citizen contacts the police with a statement about the loss of his passport. It is not recommended to delay in order to prevent fraudsters from using your passport for personal gain.
After the application is accepted, the citizen is issued a certificate of loss of the passport. It must be presented when applying for a new document. No later than 7 days, a lost passport is invalidated.
After this, they begin to design another:
- It is possible to restore a foreign passport after its loss at the department of the Department of Internal Affairs (formerly called the FMS) of your city.
- If your passport is lost in another city, it can be restored after returning home, provided that the trip is short.
- If a citizen lives in another city on a permanent basis and does not have registration at the place of residence, then he should apply for a passport at the place of residence.
After submitting the application, a notification will be sent to your permanent residence address, the document will be declared invalid, and then you will be able to obtain another passport.
Where can I restore it?
It is possible to obtain a foreign passport through the MFC, the department of the Federal Migration Service (UVM), through State Services. The procedure is standard: a person collects all documents and brings them to the MFC or UVM. After a set time, he comes and picks up the completed passport.
To receive it via the Internet, you need to register on the State Services portal (gosuslugi.ru), fill out a form in your personal account, transfer the state fee and wait for a call from the Department of Internal Affairs.
A citizen is given the right, at his own discretion, to issue either a new type of international passport with a validity period of 10 years, or an old one (for 5 years), and it does not matter what the lost document was.
There is no legal penalty for losing a passport.
Preparation of documents
In order to obtain a new passport, you will need to provide the following documents:
- Application requesting a new passport. A special form is filled out and issued by the FMS. It can be downloaded on the Internet.
- Russian Federation passport.
- A certificate from the police about the loss of your passport.
- Birth certificate (for the child).
- A copy of the work book.
- Color or black and white photographs 35x45 mm (2 pcs. for new passports, 3 pcs. for old ones).
- A receipt indicating that the state duty has been paid.
- Military ID (if available).
If a Russian citizen previously changed his first name, surname or patronymic, then a corresponding certificate is attached. Military personnel will need permission from the unit's command.
For a biometric passport you need to give your fingerprints and take a photo there.
How much does restoration cost?
Citizens over 14 years of age will need to pay a state fee of 5 thousand rubles when receiving a new type of international passport, 2 thousand rubles for an old type. When registering through State Services, the cost is paid with a 30% discount. The price of an old passport for a minor child under 14 years old will be 1 thousand rubles, a biometric one - 2.5 thousand rubles.
There is no penalty for the loss of a foreign passport or its damage (damage), since a foreign passport is not considered a mandatory document for Russians. But there is no need to delay contacting the police, even if traveling abroad is not part of your immediate plans.
Recovery time
The timing of receiving a new document depends on the availability of permanent or temporary registration at the time of loss of the passport:
- 1 month – for persons with permanent registration;
- 1-4 months - for citizens with temporary registration or in the absence of registration at all.
You can add 3 to 7 days to this period before the passport is invalidated. Sometimes the processing time is extended due to technical reasons. But usually the passport is restored in 20-30 days.
Payment Methods
You can deposit funds for a damaged Russian passport during restoration in a variety of ways. First, you will need the details of the recipient of the money. You can get them at the migration service department, where you will contact with questions.
To transfer funds you can use:
- bank services - through the cash desk of the nearest branch;
- bank services through Internet banking;
- via terminal;
- on the State Services portal if you plan to submit an application electronically.
All of the above methods (except the last one) do not exclude the payment of a commission.
What are the consequences of refusing to pay a fine?
Considering the fact that the GUVM employees will still have to prove the legality of the penalty imposed on you, we can say that there is no point in rushing to pay the receipt, unless, of course, you are full of remorse and admit your guilt.
If the penalty is justified against you, then it is better to pay it. You have exactly 60 days to do this. If payment is not received, you will face another administrative penalty for refusing to fulfill your obligations towards the fatherland. As a rule, in this case, you will be charged a double fine for a passport that has become unusable, which does not cancel the payment of the first receipt.
Thus, if you were fined 300 rubles and you did not pay it on time, then add another 600 to it and you will receive a total check for payment of 900 rubles.
And do not forget that a separate penalty is provided for using an invalid document or if the period of 30 days allotted for its re-issuance is exceeded. Such an oversight can already cost 3-5 thousand rubles.
What to do if lost abroad
If the international passport of a Russian citizen staying abroad is lost, the procedure is a little more complicated. The main condition when discovering a loss is to calm down, not to panic, to act carefully and calmly, even if all the documents are lost.
Foreign passports are legally restored on the territory of the Russian Federation, the person will have to return, and without a passport he will not be released from another country and will not be allowed into his native one. Therefore, you need to act according to a different scheme than at home.
Where to go
The first step when abroad is to contact the police. It is recommended to report that the document was stolen, as a claim of loss is not always accepted. Then the citizen needs to call or go to the Russian consulate or embassy. In emergency situations, you do not need to make an appointment with the consul in advance. Here they will help you obtain permission to travel and cancel your lost passport.
In the absence of other documents, a person needs to be prepared for the fact that he will have to confirm his identity for a long time and persistently, since the consul has no right to take your word for it, without the appropriate documents or witnesses.
Foreigners staying on the territory of the Russian Federation, if they lose their passport, are also required to contact the consulate of their country.
Submission of documents
You can obtain a certificate to return home if you lose your passport according to the usual procedure. 2 4x6 photographs are sent to the consulate.
The purpose of the certificate is to enable you to cross two borders without problems - the host country and the Russian Federation; you cannot travel with it to the territory of other states. The certificate is valid for 15 days. Therefore, it is recommended to shorten the travel time, buy a ticket and return home before it expires.
What to pay attention to:
- The certificate can be obtained within 2 working days. Having a Russian passport will help speed up the procedure.
- If you do not have documents, you can bring two people with you to confirm your identity.
- When a person does not have a single document to prove his identity, and there are no witnesses, then an additional check is carried out. This takes approximately 27-30 days, after which a travel certificate will be issued.
When a Russian citizen who has lost his international passport has come to a foreign country for a long time or has a residence permit, he can be issued a new passport without returning to Russia.
This is done by contacting the consul with photographs and identification documents: a photocopy of a lost international passport, a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation or a driver’s license, or any other documents with a photograph.
After arriving home with this certificate, you need to contact the migration service department, three days are given for this. You need to contact the address where you previously received your passport.
Price and terms
To obtain a travel certificate, there is no fee to pay; you will need to pay a consular fee ranging from $20 to $100. There are no fines.
It is necessary to take into account the working hours of the consular service: the working day lasts from 9-00 to 17-00, plus or minus 1 hour, depending on the country. Weekends – Saturday and Sunday. Accordingly, if you are planning to leave home on Monday, it is recommended to call the consul on Thursday or even Wednesday.
A certificate is sometimes issued immediately, if you have a Russian passport. If there are no documents for the certificate, you have to wait 2-3 days, sometimes more than two weeks.
Is it possible to challenge a charge?
If you do not agree with the actions of government officials, you have every right to challenge their actions. To begin with, you can write a complaint addressed to the head of the department where you are applying.
If this step does not have an effect, you can go higher and appeal the actions of the authority to the district administration, which will definitely order an inspection and punish the perpetrators. If the resolution of the issue is delayed, and you are being “fed” with vain expectations, feel free to go to the prosecutor’s office.
The best option to resolve this issue would, of course, be to contact the migration service office in a timely manner immediately after you discover that your document is unsuitable for further use.