Obtaining Russian citizenship in Crimea in 2021

Obtaining citizenship in Crimea is regulated by Federal Law No. 62-FZ of May 31, 2002 “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation,” which was supplemented after the creation of a new administrative entity within the country. All persons who live on the territory of the peninsula or in Sevastopol can obtain Russian citizenship.

To do this, you need to contact the territorial body of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, where employees will explain how to obtain citizenship in Crimea, what package of documents to provide, how to register at your place of residence, where to pay the state fee for obtaining a passport.

Required documents

Documents that people must collect to become Russian citizens in Crimea include:

• A completed application in special form No. 1P, in which you must indicate your desire to receive a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation. The form can be obtained from the migration service office or downloaded here.

Sample application form No. 1P

• Provide a passport of a citizen of Ukraine, which indicates registration in Crimea or the city of Sevastopol.

• Identity document.
• Birth certificate.

• 2 photographs 3.5 by 4.5 centimeters.

Refusal of a Ukrainian passport

So, according to paragraphs. d) clause 1 of Art. 13 Federal Law No. 62, in order to become a citizen of the Russian Federation, the applicant is obliged to renounce his existing citizenship by sending a corresponding application to the authorized bodies of his old homeland and submitting a response to it. But in 2021, a special refusal procedure was introduced specifically for Ukrainians. According to paragraphs. c) clause 2.1. Art. 14 Federal Law No. 62, it is enough to certify the application for renunciation of Ukrainian citizenship in Crimea in 2021 from a notary and submit such a certified document to the migration authorities. It is no longer necessary to seek a positive decision from the Ukrainian authorities, as well as to expect any response, which actually allows you to save your Ukrainian passport.

With or without registration: features of obtaining

It will not be difficult for a resident of Crimea to obtain citizenship if the Ukrainian passport contains a stamp indicating registration at a specific place of residence on March 18, 2014. In this case, you can obtain Russian citizenship without any problems by submitting your documents to the migration service. Registration takes place without queues, and within a month, maximum two, you can receive a new passport.

If there is no such stamp in the national passport, then the registration procedure will take place in several stages. As a result of fulfilling all legal requirements, it is possible to obtain Russian citizenship in Crimea without registering at the place of residence.

The video talks about obtaining Russian citizenship in Crimea

The procedure follows the following algorithm:

• A person must go to court at his place of residence;
• There, write a statement with a request to establish the fact of residence at a particular address in Crimea.
• Provide a package of documents.

The list of required documents includes:

• A work book, which must contain a record that the person worked in Crimea as of March 2014;

• Statement of persons who can confirm the fact of residence at the specified address;
• Extracts from hospitals or medical institutions stating that the person, during his residence on the peninsula, sought one or another medical care, went to see various specialists, etc.;
• You can provide statements from banking structures, various subscriptions, possibly contracts. The main thing is that they confirm the person’s residence in Crimea in March 2014;
• An application drawn up in accordance with the requirements and regulations;
• Pay for court services, i.e. court fees.

It is difficult to carry out the process on your own, so it is best to contact a lawyer or advocate who can find evidence of residence in the Republic of Crimea and collect the necessary documents and certificates. Only a specialist understands such nuances, which is important for obtaining Russian citizenship in Crimea without registration.

When the court considers the submitted papers and makes an appropriate decision, then you need to go to the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia at your place of residence . All original documents that were submitted to the court must be included there, along with a court order attached to them. Then the procedure will be similar to that provided for people who have a Crimean registration in their passport.

Obtaining citizenship

Every person who actually lived in Crimea in March 2014 could obtain a Russian passport. But the procedure for obtaining new citizenship for people with and without Crimean registration will differ significantly.

If you have a residence permit

To change citizenship, Ukrainians registered in Crimea need to collect the above documents and submit it for consideration to the Federal Migration Service at their place of residence. In the best case, within 30 days you will be issued a Russian passport. The procedure may take up to 60 days.

In the absence of registration

Without registration, obtaining citizenship is somewhat more difficult. You should start by submitting an application to the court at your place of residence with a request to establish the fact of residence at a specific address in the Republic. The following documents must be attached to a properly completed application:

• a work book with a record confirming the presence of employment in Crimea at the time of the annexation of the peninsula to Russia in March 2014;

• statements from neighbors indicating that you have indeed permanently resided in Crimea for a long time;
• other documents confirming the fact of being in the Republic in March 2014, for example, bank receipts, swimming pool passes, purchase and sale agreements, sick leave certificates, etc.;
• receipt for payment of the court fee.

After the court has reviewed the submitted documents and made a positive decision, you should contact the Territorial Migration Service of the Russian Federation. It is necessary to provide a mandatory package of documents and originals of all court documents. In 1-2 months the new passport will be ready.

Since last year, a simplified procedure for obtaining citizenship has been in effect on the peninsula. To obtain a new passport you need to go through two stages:

1. Complete temporary registration;
2. Obtain a residence permit, which allows you to submit documents to the migration service bypassing the court.

Important! The maximum time for making a decision is six months.

The simplified procedure is available not only to Ukrainians, but also to other adult, capable foreigners or stateless persons. The advantage of the program is that those wishing to become citizens of Russian Crimea do not have to wait five years after moving to the Republic. But at the same time, there are a certain number of conditions. At least one of them is required:

• one of the applicant’s parents has a Russian passport and permanently resides on the peninsula;
• the person has a USSR passport, but after the collapse of the union he did not take advantage of his legal right and did not become a citizen of any of the union states;
• the applicant has a diploma of completion of a secondary specialized or higher educational institution of the Russian Federation;
• the applicant is legally married to a Russian citizen;
• the applicant is recognized as disabled and has adult children who are citizens of Russia;
• the applicant is a WWII veteran;
• The applicant is participating in a program to promote the voluntary resettlement of former Russians to their homeland.

A person who meets one or more requirements must submit a package of documents to the territorial body of the FMS:

• passport;
• birth certificate;
• marriage certificate (if available);
• a certificate confirming the renunciation of Ukrainian citizenship on the peninsula;
• documents confirming the availability of sufficient finances to live in Crimea;
• test result confirming good command of the Russian language;
• certificate of registration in Crimea;
• receipt of payment of state duty.

Russian citizenship in Crimea without registration: simplified procedure

The country's Constitutional Court decided that it is possible to obtain a new passport using a more simplified procedure, which consists of two stages:

1. Obtain registration of temporary residence on the peninsula.
2. Apply for a residence permit, which allows you to immediately submit papers to obtain Russian citizenship in Crimea. Migration service employees can provide assistance in obtaining it. You just need to write a statement about your desire to obtain citizenship of the Russian Federation.

Application form for a residence permit (), application form for citizenship ().

A similar procedure can be used by those who are citizens of another state and young people who have turned 18 years old, if they are recognized as legally competent.

The opportunity to obtain Russian citizenship under a simplified procedure is provided in the following cases:

• stateless persons who had citizenship of the former USSR, who lived and are living in states that were part of the USSR, and did not receive citizenship of these states.
• were born on the territory of the RSFSR and had citizenship of the former USSR;
• have been married for at least three years to a Russian citizen living in Russia;
• are disabled and have a capable son or daughter who has reached the age of eighteen and is a citizen of the Russian Federation;
• have a child who is a citizen of Russia - if the other parent of this child, who is a citizen of Russia, has died, or has been declared missing, incompetent or limited in legal capacity, deprived of parental rights or limited in parental rights by a court decision that has entered into legal force ;
• have a son or daughter who has reached the age of eighteen years, who are citizens and by a court decision that has entered into legal force, recognized as incompetent or limited in legal capacity - if the other parent of these Russian citizens, who is a citizen of Russia, has died or by a court decision that has entered into force legal force, declared missing, incompetent or limited in legal capacity, deprived of parental rights or limited in parental rights;
• received a diploma of professional education after July 1, 2002 in Russia and have been working for at least a year, a prerequisite is the calculation of insurance contributions to the Pension Fund of Russia;
• are individual and carry out entrepreneurial activity in Russia continuously for at least three years in the types of economic activity established by the Russian Government. In this case, the amount of taxes and fees must be at least 1 million rubles;
• are investors for three years in the types of economic activities established by the Russian Government, and the amount of taxes and fees must be at least 6 million rubles;
• during the year they work in a specialty included in the List of Qualified Specialists;
• have at least one parent with Russian citizenship living in Russia;
• are citizens of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Moldova or Ukraine;
• have a certificate of recognition as native speakers of the Russian language;
• a temporarily or permanently residing citizen is married to a Russian citizen living on the territory of Russia and has common children in this marriage;
• disabled foreign citizens and stateless persons who arrived in Russia before July 1, 2002 and received a temporary residence permit or residence permit in Russia;
• Resettlement Program participants;
• category of citizens determined by the President of Russia;
• veterans of the Great Patriotic War who had citizenship of the former USSR and living in the Russian Federation;

If the applicant meets these requirements, then it is necessary to collect a certain package of documents and submit at the place of residence to the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia:

• Passport;
• Birth certificate;
• Marriage certificate;
• Statement;
• 3 photos 3 x 4 centimeters matte

• The state duty is 3,500 rubles.