Russian citizenship in a simplified manner in 2021: grounds and procedure for obtaining

What is accelerated citizenship?

The Federal Law “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation” provides for the right of certain subjects to become citizens of Russia in an accelerated manner. This means that the person concerned is exempt from fulfilling certain conditions that are required when acquiring citizenship in the general manner.

To understand the existing differences, let us turn to Art. 13 of the Law, from which the following conditions arise for obtaining the status of a citizen:

age limit – the person must be 18 years old;
having full legal capacity;
there is sufficient continuous residence time in the country - five years (sometimes one year);
these persons confirm the obligation to comply with all laws of the Russian Federation;
legal source of income;
renunciation of citizenship of another country (unless otherwise established by international agreement);
Compulsory knowledge of Russian.

The accelerated procedure implies the exclusion of certain requirements from this list, which allows people to become full residents of our country much faster. As a rule, the exception affects the time limit of residence on the territory of our state.

Receiving such a state services possible:

in relation to a certain circle of people;
subject to the specifics of the procedure being carried out.

Let's take a closer look at these points.

Russian citizenship: general procedure for obtaining

Subject to certain conditions, any foreign citizen or stateless person can become the owner of a Russian passport.

The algorithm of actions of a foreigner/stateless person in this case is to implement the following sequential steps:

entry into the territory of the state and registration;
obtaining a temporary residence permit;
obtaining a residence permit;
obtaining a Russian passport.

In general, the path to Russian citizenship lasts at least 7 years, with a mandatory condition being permanent residence in the country.

You can speed up the process if there are certain benefits when obtaining Russian citizenship, for example, family ties, a Russian diploma or national roots.

Who can obtain Russian citizenship in a simplified manner?

Persons who wish to acquire citizenship of our state under an accelerated scheme, according to regulations, include:

18-year-old capable foreign citizens or stateless persons who meet certain requirements:

If one of the parents is a citizen of the Russian Federation living in the country.
The person concerned was a citizen of the USSR, and now he lives at the location of this former state. At the same time, he did not receive the status of “citizen” in the “new” country.

If foreigners and people without citizen status living in the Russian Federation:

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They have a settlement within the RSFSR as their place of birth and citizenship of the USSR.
Have been married to a Russian citizen for at least three years.
They have dependent minor children in the absence of a second spouse (died, recognized as such, incompetent, missing, deprived of parental rights).
They have incapacitated or limited adult children (in the absence of another spouse of a citizen of the Russian Federation due to the above reasons).
They became disabled, but at the same time they have children who are already 18 years old - citizens of the Russian Federation.
They acquired an education at a Russian educational institution and worked in the Russian Federation for three years. Here you can also note persons who work according to a special list of professions approved by Order of the Ministry of Labor of Russia No. 446n dated July 13, 2015.
They are individual entrepreneurs and investors who operate in Russia.

Native speakers of Russian.
Participants in the state resettlement program.

Important : for individual entrepreneurs or workers, the transfer of mandatory contributions to the Pension Fund and tax authorities becomes a mandatory requirement.

A special preferential category of subjects are WWII veterans (citizens of the USSR living in the Russian Federation), for whom almost all conditions for obtaining status have been eliminated.

Separately, it is necessary to highlight the rights of children and the disabled in this area. There are also some nuances here. They become citizens of the Russian Federation when they are:

any legal representative of the person;
the child's only parent.

This is also possible if the minor is in an orphanage, and the incapacitated person is in a specialized organization.

How to obtain citizenship with temporary residence permit?

According to the first paragraph of Article 14, a foreigner does not have to comply with the entire structure of obtaining citizenship and live continuously on the territory of the Russian Federation for five years. Having a temporary residence permit can already become the document that will allow you to obtain citizenship. If a foreigner has at least one parent living in Russia who is a citizen of this country and has not violated the law, then he has the right to obtain a temporary residence permit and immediately obtain citizenship. To submit an application, you must contact the Ministry of Internal Affairs for assistance. This may be a local structure. The foreigner submits a package of documents, proves family ties, absence of criminal record, absence of illnesses, invests in Russian real estate and receives the citizenship he needs.

It is also worth noting that if you have a temporary residence permit, a foreigner who has received professional education on the territory of the Russian Federation and has experience can apply for simplified citizenship. You can invest in the country's capital to become a full-fledged candidate.

The procedure for accelerated acquisition of citizenship - where to apply?

The process of obtaining citizenship in this mode is regulated by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 1325 of November 14, 2002, Order of the Federal Migration Service of the Russian Federation No. 64 of March 19, 2008 and involves the following stages:

Submission of the corresponding application and documents to the registration authority. The application is made to the territorial department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (at the moment it is this department that oversees population migration issues) or to a diplomatic mission/consulate (if the person lives abroad and does not have a place of residence in the Russian Federation).
The information provided by the applicant is being verified.
Appropriate registration cards are issued.
A decision is made. If the option is negative, the person is sent a written reasoned response indicating the reasons for the refusal to obtain citizenship; if the outcome of the case is positive, a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation is issued to the person (the minor child is entered in the main document of his parent).

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Russian speakers

Federal Law No. 62 in the list of subjects identifies such a category of persons as native speakers of the Russian language. Let's try to figure out who these subjects are and what rights they have.

According to Art. 33.1 of the Law, these are those people who speak Russian at a fairly good level and use it every day at home, at work, that is, everywhere. At the same time, it is mandatory for a person to be recognized as such:

pass an interview;
fall under the condition that he or his relatives now or previously lived in the Russian Federation, the USSR, or simply within the borders of our state.

A person confirms his position by a decision issued to him by a special commission.

It is important to know: the act of recognizing a person as a native speaker of the Russian language is unlimited; there is no need to go through this procedure again.

To obtain Russian citizenship, you need:

reside in the state;
strictly comply with the requirements of regulations;
have a source of income;
renounce the citizenship of another state if this cannot be avoided.

Persons without a residence permit

The law also provides a clear list of those who can acquire this status in our country without providing a document such as a residence permit. These include:

WWII veterans living in the Russian Federation;
participants of the state program for the resettlement of compatriots, as well as members of their families;
disabled persons with registration in the Russian Federation as of 2002.

For all of them, with the exception of those who are disabled, it is enough to obtain a residence permit in Russia for a certain period of time and register.

Should I contact a lawyer?

Obtaining citizenship is always a complex process. Many foreigners face problems already when filling out the application form, despite the fact that this is a common form for all foreign citizens. The authorized bodies consider a foreigner’s application for citizenship based on his application, as well as the package of attached documents, and the presence of a stamp on a temporary residence permit in the passport. In order not to violate the current legislation of Russia, it is better to immediately enlist the help of a professional lawyer to correctly translate all documents into Russian and have them certified. At the first consultation, he will talk about the main nuances of obtaining citizenship and will accompany the client until the foreigner receives the citizenship he needs.

Documents for simplified acquisition of Russian citizenship

Acquiring this status is impossible without providing certain documents. The mentioned legislative acts allocate their own package of papers for different types of subjects wishing to obtain citizenship of our country. Common to all foreigners and stateless persons are:

application in the prescribed form (2 copies);
a receipt indicating payment of the mandatory fee (3500 rubles - Article 333.28 of the Tax Code of Russia);
resident card;
information about legal earnings in the Russian Federation;
a document establishing the fact of proficiency in the Russian language by the applicant;
renunciation of the status of a citizen of another state;
three or five photos.

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In some situations, this list may be further shortened or supplemented with other documentation:

passport of the parent - citizen of the Russian Federation;
birth certificate of the applicant;
diploma or certificate from an educational institution;
marriage certificate, etc.

Important : if the application for citizenship is refused, the fee paid by the person is not refunded.

Simplified scheme for obtaining citizenship

Naturalization as admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation at the personal request of a foreigner/stateless person implies the fulfillment of the requirements prescribed by law.

Such conditions in different countries most often are:

qualifying period (the minimum number of years during which you must reside in the country);
legal sources of income;
knowledge of language, laws, traditions;
renunciation of previous citizenship and others.

Foreigners (or stateless persons) who have evidence of the “seriousness” of their intentions can use the simplified procedure for admission to Russian citizenship.

These could be:

marriage with a Russian man/woman;
presence of parents or children who are citizens of Russia;
birth in the Soviet Union, etc.

You must confirm your rights with appropriate documents.

Highly qualified personnel or investors in local enterprises can apply for a simplified method of obtaining a Russian passport. In this way, financial and human resources are attracted to the national economy.

Refugees and internally displaced persons also receive special attention. People who, in difficult times, choose Russia as a refuge can stay here forever, receiving a passport in a relatively short time.

The procedure for obtaining citizenship according to a simplified scheme

Let's consider the procedure for obtaining a Russian passport by a foreigner who has the right to a “preferential” regime. Regardless of the basis for such a regime, the process begins upon entering the country - with migration registration and registration in the selected locality. If necessary, a temporary residence permit and residence permit are issued.

When the qualification period comes to an end, you can collect documents to apply for Russian citizenship using the simplified option.

Their full list depends on the grounds for the preferential procedure, but in most cases you will need to confirm knowledge of the Russian language and the presence of legal sources of income.

Just at the preparatory stage, you should take care of obtaining a certificate for knowledge of the Russian language (if you do not have a Russian diploma). The certificate is not required when applying for Russian citizenship in a simplified manner to a participant in programs to assist the voluntary resettlement of compatriots living abroad and members of his family.

In addition, the following are exempt from Russian language testing:

incapacitated persons, as well as persons whose legal capacity is limited;
children under 18 years of age;
men over 65 years of age and women over 60 years of age;
participants of the Great Patriotic War.

Depending on the grounds, the stages of preferential acquisition of Russian citizenship differ slightly.

In general, the procedure looks like this:

arrival on the territory of the state, registration with migration authorities;
obtaining a temporary residence permit and residence permit;
residence during the qualifying period depending on the grounds;
obtaining the necessary certificates and certificates, work experience, employment - that is, everything that needs to be done before obtaining Russian citizenship under a simplified system, in a specific situation;
collecting documents and submitting them to the relevant authorities;
waiting for notification and receiving a Russian passport.

Below we will consider in more detail some of the nuances of this procedure.

What documents need to be prepared

Before you start talking about what documents are needed for admission to Russian citizenship in 2021 using a simplified form, you need to determine the individual reasons for the preferential procedure. After all, the contents of the folder with papers will depend on your personal situation. For example, to acquire citizenship by marriage, a marriage certificate will be required, and when applying for a passport through parents, a birth certificate will be required. Students must provide a diploma and proof of three years of work experience.

The main list of documents for acquiring Russian citizenship in a simplified form includes:

statement;
Residence permit (or temporary residence permit in cases specified by law);
a document confirming sources of income (work record book, bank statement, etc.);
renunciation of previous citizenship;
a document confirming knowledge of the language (certificate, diploma from a Russian educational institution);
receipt of payment of state duty.

These documents are accompanied by certificates and certificates confirming the “benefits”.

The list of documents may also include:

internal passport of Russian relatives;
court decisions;
USSR passport;
pensioner's ID;
certificates of incapacity for work, etc.

Responsible authorities

The collected package of documents is submitted to the territorial office of the Main Directorate for Migration Issues of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.

Officials will talk about how to obtain citizenship in a simplified manner at the Main Department of Migration Affairs of the Federal Migration Service of Russia, help with filling out the application and advise on the paperwork.

You should take into account the workload of individual departments, as there may be queues. Thus, traditionally many people turn to the capital’s migration authorities.

The northern capital is also traditionally in demand. Several GUVM branches serve foreign citizens wishing to obtain a Russian passport.

Pre-entry

Taking into account the workload of the offices, as well as saving time for applicants for Russian citizenship, the migration department organized an online appointment. Anyone can fill out an application on the website of the Main Directorate for Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation by selecting the desired department and a convenient time.

Consideration times and price

For most categories of foreigners, the period for consideration of an application for admission to Russian citizenship in a simplified regime is six months.

The following categories of citizens are required to make a decision within three months:

native Russian speakers;
participants of the State Program for the Resettlement of Compatriots;
citizens of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan (by international agreement).

Regardless of how much it takes to obtain a Russian passport, a foreign citizen must pay a tax to the state - 3,500 rubles.

Language level

The current law on citizenship clearly stipulates the criteria on the basis of which a foreigner can be recognized as a native speaker and subsequently be simplified to issue a new passport as a citizen of the Russian Federation. Such criteria and features include:

Ability to speak Russian without a pronounced accent.
Ability to speak fluently and spontaneously.
Understanding speech on an intuitive, natural level.
Knowledge is passed on from parents and in the family.
The applicant for citizenship has spoken Russian since childhood.

That is, a person can be recognized as a native speaker only if Russian is his native language. But for foreigners who spoke another language since childhood and subsequently learned Russian, it will be problematic to obtain the status of a native speaker, and accordingly they will need to choose other programs and opportunities to obtain Russian citizenship.

Capable stateless persons who had USSR citizenship, lived and live in the CIS

Such persons do not need to reside for 5 years continuously before submitting an application in order to obtain Russian citizenship.

They need to submit the following documents for a simplified procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship:

resident card,
a document confirming the existence of a legal source of livelihood,
a document of education not lower than the basic general education (not required for disabled people of group 1 and the elderly),
one of the documents confirming that the applicant had USSR citizenship in the past (birth certificate, etc.).