Trip to Moldova and the PMR: a passport is needed, a visa is not required

A small piece of territory, sandwiched between Moldova and Ukraine, represents the same Transnistria, which has remained unrecognized by the world community. Citizens who were on its territory at the time of statehood formation automatically received citizenship of the PMR (Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic). We will try to figure out what other ways to obtain this status exist.

Advantages of Russian for residents of Transnistria

Residents of the PMR are in a certain isolation from the outside world. For the UN, and therefore the main part of states, which includes the Russian Federation, the territory of Transnistria is only a part of Moldova.

The majority of the country's residents are stateless, that is, stateless persons, since they have not received Moldavian passports, and their identity documents are valid only within the state.

In order to be able to visit other countries and generally be recognized in the world, a person needs to obtain citizenship of any country.

It is important to note that according to the Constitution of the PMR, people have the right to have two citizenships. However, not all countries are so inclined.

Russian citizenship is attractive to residents of Transnistria not only due to the proximity and common language, but also a relatively simple form of obtaining citizenship. The latest news focuses on the fact that an increasing number of residents of the PMR are receiving Russian citizenship.

Video: “The procedure for obtaining Transnistrian citizenship has been simplified”

Procedure for acquiring citizenship

Despite the fact that the Russian authorities have always approached the problems of the unrecognized republics with understanding, there are no concessions or privileges for residents of Transnistria.

The procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship is regulated by the sixty-second Federal Law.

In accordance with it, every foreigner must go through a certain procedure before applying for Russian citizenship.

At the same time, options are provided for a simplified process that applies to all foreign residents.

Ordinary

The standard procedure consists of several stages:

1. legal entry into Russia and filling out a migration card;
2. obtaining permission to temporarily stay on the territory of the Russian Federation;
3. acquisition of a residence permit;
4. submission of documentation for citizenship.

A peculiarity of the process is that the very first step - legal entry into the Russian Federation, presupposes the presence of a recognized passport.

These are:

• Russian - its presence reflects the fact that the person already has Russian citizenship;
• Ukrainian;
• Moldavian.

In the last two options, the receipt procedure follows the regulations. If after 91 years of age a person has not chosen any of the nationalities, he has the right to claim the status of a stateless person.

Simplified

The simplified procedure involves preferential waiting periods for the right to obtain citizenship, that is, a person does not need to wait the standard minimum of five years.

Population categories that fall under the accelerated system include:

1. those born in the Russian Federation or whose parents are citizens of our country;
2. spouses of Russians whose marriage was formalized over three years ago;
3. persons paying significant amounts of taxes to the state treasury;
4. native Russian speakers;
5. in the past, citizens of the USSR who did not accept any citizenship after the collapse of the union;
6. Participants in the resettlement program, moreover, will also give money to the child moving under the state project.

Thus, if a resident of Transnistria has not received citizenship of any of the modern states, former parts of the USSR, then he is a person without citizens and has the right to expedited consideration of documents.

What documents are needed

The list of documents has a standard regulated form for residents of the entire planet.

All materials, including the application, are submitted in Russian and require a notarized translation from the national language.

The list of submitted documents is as follows:

• application form on a formalized form in two copies;
• photos;
• copy of residence permit with date;
• all documents, information from which is recorded in the passport;
• other materials confirming long-term residence in the Russian Federation, for example, a work patent or a certificate from an educational institution;
• receipt of payment of state duty;
• passed an exam on knowledge of the Russian language, or a certificate that the person is a native speaker;
• information about consent to renounce current citizenship.

Regarding the last point, as noted above, we are talking about citizenship of Moldova or Ukraine, since the passport upon entry must be one of these countries.

The Transnistrian document has no legal force on the territory of Russia.

For more detailed information, please visit the official website of the Russian Migration Service.

Where to contact

There are two options for submitting documentation to acquire Russian citizenship:

• in the Russian Federation;
• in Moldova.

In the first option, the package of documentation is sent to the Main Department of Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs - the department dealing with migration issues. And those citizens who were born before December 1991, have not accepted any citizenship and live on the territory of the PMR have the right to visit the Russian consulate in Moldova and submit documents for accelerated acquisition of Russian citizenship.

Cost and delivery time

The period for consideration depends on a number of conditions, including the status of the person, his connection with Russia, and so on. Rarely is a decision made faster than six months later.

The state fee for issuing a Russian passport is three and a half thousand rubles. It is worth considering in advance a number of additional costs for notarized translation of documentation, photos, etc.

List of documents

The list of documents for obtaining Russian citizenship depends on the reasons for obtaining it. When going through the simplified procedure, papers are submitted proving the right to quickly obtain a Russian passport. Papers for Russian citizenship in the PMR, drawn up in a foreign language, are translated into Russian and certified with an apostille. To obtain a Russian passport, Pridnestrovians present:

• application for citizenship (the form is selected depending on the grounds); citizenship applications (.DOC)
• a document certifying that the applicant belongs to Transnistria - a PMR passport, a Soviet passport (1974 model), a certificate for stateless persons;
• a certificate stating that the applicant has not been caught;
• work book;
• 6 photos;
• a notarized copy of the application for renunciation of Moldovan citizenship.

If a Pridnestrovian issues Russian passports for children, you need to provide documents to obtain citizenship for the child. For each minor, a birth certificate and the consent of the father or mother, a non-citizen of Russia, is submitted to grant Russian citizenship to the child. Information about the child is included in the parent’s application. With the simplified procedure, additional documents are provided - certificates of family relationships, marriage certificates, Russian diplomas, etc.

Can they refuse?

If all the materials are compiled correctly, the list of documents is complete, the information is reliable, and the person has not committed any illegal actions, then the likelihood of refusal is low.

Most often, documents are not reviewed if false information about yourself or blots in the application are provided.

The most common reasons for refusal are:

1. the presence of serious forms of diseases transmitted from one person to another;
2. current criminal record or discovery of violations of regulations of the Russian Federation.

Other reasons are also possible. It is also worth noting that authorized bodies are not required to provide reasons for refusal, although most often they do so.

Possibility of double

In accordance with Russian legislation, in 2021 dual citizenship is permissible only with those countries with which a special agreement has been concluded.

At the moment it is available only with Tajikistan.

However, the authorities of the Russian Federation do not recognize Transnistrian citizenship and consider residents of the PMR to be people without citizenship, and therefore have the right to Russian citizenship without renouncing their national one.

The laws of Transnistria clarify the possibility of having dual citizenship.

Thus, from the side of the Russian Federation, a person will be its full-fledged citizen, and from the position of the PMR, a person with two citizenships.

Review of applications for citizenship issues

The state one is provided by the passport divisions of the Department of Internal Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the PMR, the Commission on Citizenship of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic under the President of the PMR.

Applicants for the provision of public services are individuals. On behalf of the applicant, his legal representatives or a person authorized by the applicant can act on the basis of a notarized power of attorney, issued and executed in accordance with the legislation of the PMR. The result of providing a public service is to inform the applicant about the decision made on his application.

Duration of provision of public services

a) consideration of an application on issues of citizenship considered in a simplified manner - within a period of up to a month from the date of submission of the application and all necessary documents;

b) consideration of an application on issues of citizenship considered in the general manner - within a period of up to three months from the date of submission of the application and all necessary documents.

If the last day of provision of a public service falls on a weekend or holiday, then the end date is moved to the working day following the non-working day.

Comprehensive list of documents required for the provision of public services >>

Requirements for the application and documents.

Documents must be submitted in originals (photocopies of documents must also be provided). The texts of documents provided for the provision of public services must be written legibly in one of the official languages. If the surname is changed and the surname in the documents does not match, documents confirming the change in surname are attached.

If a set of documents is provided in electronic form, by mail, the original documents must be submitted by the citizen before receiving the result of the provision of public services, and the signature of the applicant, in the application for the provision of public services or their authorized representatives, must be personally confirmed.

An application for the provision of a public service submitted to the authorized body is equivalent to the consent of such applicant with the processing of his personal data for the purposes and extent necessary for the provision of the public service.

Appeals, applications and documents executed improperly or provided in violation of the established procedure are not subject to consideration unless a different decision is made by the President of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic.

The cost of providing this public service

For the provision of public services, a state duty is charged in the amount of 0.20 RU MW in accordance with subparagraph k) of paragraph 6 of Article 4 of the PMR Law of September 30, 2000 No. 345-ZID “On State Duty” (SAZSZMR 00-3) in the current edition.

Grounds for refusal to accept documents necessary for the provision of public services:

— absence of an identification document of the applicant or his authorized representative (if applying in person);

— absence of a document confirming the authority of the representative;

- presentation of documents that have erasures, additions, corrections that allow their content to be unambiguously interpreted.

Grounds for refusal to provide public services:

— failure to provide documents required by the Regulations, which the applicant is obliged to provide;

— the text of documents provided in electronic form cannot be read (in the case of submitting an application and a set of documents in electronic form).

The grounds for refusal to renounce PMR citizenship to citizens of the PMR are information regarding those who applied with the application, if these persons:

- have an unfulfilled obligation to the PMR established by law - until the fulfillment of this obligation;

- brought by the competent authorities of the PMR as defendants in a criminal case or in relation to them there is a court conviction that has entered into legal force and is subject to execution - until a decision is made in the criminal case, as a result of which the citizen of the PMR ceases to be an accused, or until the conviction is executed;

- do not have another citizenship and guarantees of its acquisition.

The applicant has the right to pre-trial (out-of-court) appeal against decisions (actions, inactions) taken (implemented) in the provision of public services.

The subject of the complaint is the decisions and actions (inaction) of officials of the Department of Internal Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the PMR, adopted (carried out) in violation of the procedure for providing public services, as well as non-fulfillment or improper performance by officials of official duties established by the Regulations and other normative legal acts governing relations arising in connection with with the provision of public services.

The applicant has the right to file a complaint in writing or in person with the authorized body against the actions (inactions) of specialists involved in administrative procedures.

The applicant may file a complaint, including in the following cases:

— violation of the deadline for registering the applicant’s application for the provision of a public service;

— violation of the deadline for the provision of public services;

— requesting from the applicant documents not provided for by the regulatory legal acts of the PMR for the provision of public services;

— refusal to accept documents, the provision of which is provided for by the regulatory legal acts of the PMR for the provision of public services, from the applicant;

— requesting from the applicant, when providing a public service, a fee not provided for by the regulatory legal acts of the PMR;

— refusal of an authorized body, a specialist to correct typographical errors and errors in documents issued as a result of the provision of public services, or violation of the established deadline for such corrections.

REGULATIONS for the provision of state

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Loss

A person can lose PMR citizenship only in his own country, since for the rest of the world its citizens are citizens of Moldova.

A person living on the territory of Transnistria has two options:

1. obtain citizenship of Moldova (easier) or Ukraine and then move to the Russian Federation and submit documents;
2. acquire the status of a stateless person and boldly act on it.

To obtain Russian citizenship, no ready-made material on renunciation of other citizenship is required; the intention to do so is sufficient.

For example, Romania involves a very lengthy abdication procedure.

Who can become a citizen of the PMR

Any person living on the planet can become a citizen of Transnistria.

The main conditions for acquiring citizenship of the PMR include:

• reaching the age of eighteen;
• be recognized as legally competent;
• live on the territory of the state.

How to obtain Russian citizenship for a parent if one of them is a foreigner? How to obtain Cypriot citizenship? Find out here.

In most cases, the requirement is a minimum period of twelve months of stay in the country.

At the legislative level, there are preferential opportunities for obtaining citizenship based on a shorter required residence time.

The categories of population that are subject to simplified conditions include:

1. people who had USSR citizenship;
2. children of citizens of the PMR, including adopted ones;
3. everyone who was born on the territory of Transnistria;
4. refugees considering the prospect of obtaining political asylum in the country;
5. highly qualified professionals in whom the authorities are interested.

For the above citizens, the period during which they are in the country does not matter, but the fact of residence must be proven.

According to what the law says, it is possible to have dual citizenship, that is, there is no need to renounce your current one.

How to Apply for a Passport

The procedure for obtaining citizenship in the PMR is in many ways similar to the process in Russia and other countries. The key point is the desire of the person himself and the fact of his residence in the country.

The sequence of actions is as follows:

1. upon entering the state, obtain the right of residence;
2. acquire a residence permit;
3. after a year of stay, submit a package of documents to the department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs;
4. Expect a response from the authorized bodies within three months.

The decision to grant or deny citizenship is made by the President.

If his answer is positive, then a special decree is issued, according to which the applicant is given a PMR passport, and he becomes a full citizen of the country.

Speaking about how to obtain PMR citizenship for a citizen of the Russian Federation, it is worth noting that this procedure is carried out on the territory of an unrecognized state, since there is no representative office in Russia.

Is it worth getting

The key advantage of obtaining Transnistrian citizenship is that there is no need to renounce the current one, which is a basic condition in many countries, including Russia.

The main reasons why it is worth getting a PMR passport include:

• the possibility of receiving social benefits in two countries at the same time;
• a simplified path to obtaining citizenship of Moldova (where you can also have two or more), and therefore to EU countries;
• If you have real estate and regularly visit the country, obtaining citizenship is easier than regularly registering.

Is there a mark on the birth certificate indicating citizenship? How to obtain citizenship for a child through State Services? Find out here.

Who decides issues of Russian citizenship and granting political asylum? Read on.

The price level in the PMR is lower than in the Russian Federation and even more so in European countries, therefore, if you have a source of passive income or remote work, moving to Transnistria is quite attractive.

It is quite simple for Russians to obtain PMR citizenship, moreover, without losing citizenship of their native country.

Not all categories of the population benefit from having two passports from different countries.

However, if there are circumstances that require residence or at least frequent stay in Transnistria, it is worth taking time to obtain citizenship of this country, along with maintaining Russian citizenship.

Procedure for obtaining citizenship

Like citizens of other states, citizens of the PMR have the right to obtain Russian citizenship if there are grounds or according to a quota, according to a general or simplified scheme. You are allowed to submit an application and documents to the Russian Embassy in Moldova, on the territory of Russia and to the Russian Consulate in Tiraspol; registration for citizenship in the PMR takes place electronically.

General - step by step procedure

In general, an adult capable citizen of the PMR has the right to apply for a Russian passport if he:

• resides in the Russian Federation with a residence permit for five years continuously;
• undertakes to comply with the Constitution of the Russian Federation;
• has a legal source of income;
• submitted an obligation to renounce Moldovan citizenship within a year after receiving Russian citizenship;
• speaks Russian.

Step by step procedure:

1. Entry into the Russian Federation indicating the purpose of entry “private” (or any other, there are no special features for residents of Transnistria).
2. Submitting documents for a temporary residence permit, obtaining permission after 60 days, in accordance with Part 8 of Art. 6.1 of the Law on the Legal Status of Foreigners No. 115.
3. After a year of residence, you can apply for a residence permit (the application itself can be submitted after eight months).
4. Residence with a residence permit is five years.
5. Submission of documents for citizenship accompanied by a certificate of income or bank account statement.

Federal Law No. 134-FZ of April 24, 2020 has already been adopted and entered into force on July 24, 2021, which introduced significant changes to Law No. 62-FZ. It excludes the obligation of a foreign citizen to renounce the citizenship of his country and confirm his source of income.

Simplified - step by step procedure

The simplified procedure involves reducing the processing time for documents, including eliminating the need to live under a residence permit for five years.

This is possible if a citizen of the PMR:

• has a parent who is a citizen of the Russian Federation;
• was born in the USSR, lives in the PMR, received citizenship in Transnistria, but is not a Moldovan or other citizen.

For those living in Russia, a simplified procedure is available if the person:

• was born in the RSFSR and had Soviet citizenship;
• three years married to a citizen of the Russian Federation;
• is disabled and has capable children - citizens of the Russian Federation;
• the only parent of a minor Russian citizen;
• parent of an incapacitated Russian citizen;
• received professional education in Russia after July 1, 2002 and officially works in the country for one year (until July 24, 2021 - three years);
• has been working as an individual entrepreneur for three years and has paid taxes and fees of more than 1 million rubles;
• investor;
• has been working on the territory of the Russian Federation for at least a year as a HQS from the state-approved list of professions.

Step by step procedure:

1. Entry into the Russian Federation indicating the purpose of entry.
2. Submitting documents for a temporary residence permit, obtaining permission after 60 days, in accordance with Part 8 of Art. 6.1 of the Law on the Legal Status of Foreigners No. 115 or without obtaining a temporary residence permit if there are grounds for doing so.
3. After six months of residence - apply for a residence permit.
4. After receiving a residence permit, submit documents for citizenship accompanied by a certificate of income or bank account statement. This will also change from July.

Federal Law No. 134-FZ of April 24, 2020 included a new paragraph in Art. 14 of Law No. 62-FZ that citizens of the Republic of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova and Ukraine have the right to submit documents in a simplified manner without observing the period of residence under a residence permit and without taking into account the availability of means of subsistence.

Participants in voluntary resettlement to the Russian Federation also have the right to count on an accelerated program. Documents for participation in the state program and temporary residence permit are submitted at the embassy of the country of residence or in the Russian Federation, and after receiving permission, papers for obtaining citizenship are immediately submitted.

Do I need a quota?

If there are no grounds for applying for a temporary residence permit, then the permit is issued on the basis of quotas allocated annually by the government. There are no exceptions for citizens of the PMR.

The optimal solution for PMR residents to obtain citizenship is to participate in the state program for the resettlement of compatriots.