Options for obtaining Russian citizenship from a Ukrainian pensioner

The easiest way is if they have a passport from the newly formed republics of the DPR and LPR. In this case, they immediately skip several stages; they do not need to obtain a temporary residence permit (TRP) or a residence permit (RP). After signing the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated April 24, 2019, the procedure takes 3-6 months. Until November 2019, tens of thousands of citizens of these republics, including those of retirement age, were granted Russian citizenship through it.

Other options for obtaining Russian citizenship by Ukrainian pensioners:

1. As a native Russian speaker;
2. Like being born in the USSR;
3. Like being born in the RSFSR.

This is an incomplete list of programs that are available to Ukrainian pensioners for obtaining Russian citizenship. They can be valuable employees even after reaching this age, or they can be honored figures whose creativity or achievements are valuable for the Russian Federation.

A separate case is the acquisition of Russian citizenship by pensioner parents with children. A similar category of people who have retired and apply for a Russian passport in a simplified manner is if their loved ones are already citizens of Russia. This could be parents, spouses, siblings, or other relatives.

In other cases, they will have to undergo a general procedure. The only difference is that they will not need to pass an exam for Russian language proficiency or document it. Accordingly, even on a general basis, it is easier for pensioners to obtain Russian citizenship for the following reasons:

1. The list of documents required to submit an application to the migration department is being reduced;
2. There is no need to incur additional costs for translation and notarization of documents;
3. There is no time investment required for the Russian language exam.

It is important to know! Pensioners who have reached the age of 65 for men and 60 for women do not need to confirm their knowledge of the Russian language.

Those who have directly encountered the process of obtaining Russian citizenship on a general basis believe that these features alone are a powerful advantage. However, the need for older people to go through all stages of the procedure negates these positive features.

Why it should be easier for Ukrainians to obtain Russian citizenship

The initiator of the document was the first deputy chairman of the Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots Konstantin Zatulin . In particular, he proposes to amend Art. 41.8 of Chapter 8.1 of the Federal Law “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation”.

The bill proposes to remove the limitation on the validity period of the Law “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation,” which currently allows legalization only for those who entered the Russian Federation more than 16 years ago - before November 2002, or received a Russian citizen passport before July 1, 2002.

The State Duma said when it will be easier for Ukrainians to obtain Russian citizenship

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RIA Novosti, Natalya Seliverstova | Go to photobank

“The bill provides for the withdrawal from the shadows and legalization of temporary refugees from Ukraine located on the territory of Russia through a “migration amnesty”: it is stated that a citizen of Ukraine who “has overstayed his stay on the territory of the Russian Federation has the right, within 180 days from the date of entry into force of this federal law extend the period of their temporary stay without leaving the territory of the Russian Federation,” says the explanatory note to the bill.

The bill also enshrines “the right of citizens of Ukraine who have a residence permit in Russia to obtain citizenship of the Russian Federation in a simplified manner,” that is, without proof of financial support and passing a Russian language exam. The renunciation of Ukrainian citizenship can be formalized by application.

“We must admit that the events shaking Ukrainian society, which have been going on for five years now, have no prospect of a quick resolution. It is necessary to legislate the legal status of Ukrainian citizens seeking asylum in Russia,” the explanatory note says.

Almost simultaneously, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs announced work to simplify the procedure for obtaining citizenship for Ukrainians. “The task is to systematize and, if necessary, amend the law and regulations and provide preferential, understandable and enforceable conditions for granting citizenship to persons who need it and are forced to leave their places of residence. Igor Zubov said recently . He also emphasized that the living conditions of many Ukrainians are not normal, so they are forced to leave their country.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin , responding directly to the question of refugees from Donbass, stated the need to follow the path of liberalizing the acquisition of Russian citizenship and set the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs the task of regulating the employment of refugees.

Such an initiative can only be welcomed. This problem is really long overdue, since we are talking about a huge number of labor migrants and refugees from Ukraine, who often cannot return to their homeland, where they can expect arrest, forced conscription into the army, or terror from the far right.

In recent years, the media has often flashed news about the deportation of Ukrainian political migrants or former members of the armed formations of the DPR/LPR who violated their stay in the Russian Federation, who are not welcomed at home “with open arms.” Often, Russian law enforcement agencies act in accordance with the letter of the law, without taking into account the likely tragic consequences. Irina Vorontsova recently said in an interview , the problem is that migration authorities often do not want to delve into people’s problems. “The courts don’t want to make the effort, the authorities don’t want to make the effort. After all, then you will have to pick up the documents and evaluate what kind of person he is. The problem is that many migration authorities simply don’t want to work,” Vorontsova said.

In this context, it is worth recalling the tragic story of Marina Menshikova . An Anti-Maidan activist who in 2016 hit a military man at the opera house for participating in the ATO, who then fled to Crimea, after which she was deported to Ukraine under the pretext of the expiration of her 90-day stay. She was arrested in January 2021, and in February she committed suicide in a pre-trial detention center in Dnepr (formerly Dnepropetrovsk). This is one of those tragedies that could have been avoided by simplifying the process of obtaining a residence permit and citizenship by eliminating a number of bureaucratic obstacles.

Previously, one of the requirements for obtaining citizenship was documentary evidence of renunciation of citizenship of another country. However, in practice, obtaining such a document from the relevant Ukrainian authorities is by no means easy. To do this, you need to collect a number of documents, pay a $210 fee, and contact the Ukrainian representative office. Then, the Commission under the President of Ukraine on Citizenship Issues, within one year, is obliged to consider the received petitions of citizens to renounce Ukrainian citizenship and make proposals to the President of Ukraine for making appropriate decisions. The date of termination of Ukrainian citizenship is the date of publication of the corresponding Decree of the President of Ukraine. In other words, this red tape can drag on for years and not give the expected result. In total, during the period from 2014 to 2021, Poroshenko, by his decrees, deprived only 19,000 people of Ukrainian citizenship.

In order to understand why the liberalization of obtaining a residence permit (RP) and citizenship is long overdue, it is enough to visit the checkpoints on the Russian-Ukrainian border. A significant part of the people standing in line are forced to leave the Russian Federation once every three months and, turning around, enter back.

© RIA Novosti, Vladislav Sergienko | Go to photobank

For many migrants and refugees from Ukraine, the norm of passing a language exam also seems absurd, since the overwhelming majority of them have an excellent command of the Russian language since childhood, unlike, for example, migrants and refugees from far abroad. However, the law is the same for everyone.

The norm on confirming material income for obtaining a residence permit caused no less trouble to refugee families. This is especially true for large families, since the cost of living had to be confirmed for each family member, and in order to earn these funds, you must have either a temporary residence permit or a residence permit. For example, refugees from the territories of Donbass, thousands of whom live in the Rostov region, cannot officially find employment, receive free treatment or obtain a bank card without obtaining a residence permit. In addition, we are talking about people who are predominantly loyal to the current authorities of the Russian Federation - it is this loyalty that has become for many the main reason for migration or even flight from Ukraine. In Russia as a whole, we are really talking about millions of people whose lives are extremely complicated by bureaucratic obstacles.

Poklonskaya said that the FMS of Sevastopol could deprive her of Russian citizenship

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RIA Novosti, Konstantin Mikhalchevsky | Go to photobank

As Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavel Klimkin at a meeting with the Ukrainian community in Canada, about three million Ukrainian citizens permanently reside in Russia. At the same time, in 2014, 24.1 thousand Ukrainians became citizens of Russia, in 2015 - 67.4 thousand, and in 2016 - 100.7 thousand, in 2021 85,000 citizens of Ukraine. And most of them, most likely, are not refugees and migrants, but people who have reunited families, that is, acquired citizenship as a result of marriage or moving in with their parents or children.

Thus, we see that millions of former residents of Ukraine are “stuck” in the Russian Federation in a “semi-legal” state. Their legalization is also a matter of bringing a certain part of income out of the shadows and inclusion in social and political life. It is no secret that the countries of the former USSR and Eastern Europe have been experiencing a so-called “depopulation trend” since the 1990s, that is, a population decline due to migration and a sharp decline in the birth rate. The legalization of millions of migrants and refugees from Ukraine who speak Russian could, to some extent, “reverse” this trend in the Russian Federation.

As for Ukraine, people will continue to flee and migrate from the country, at least until the economic and political situation in it radically changes, for which, unfortunately, there are no prerequisites yet. According to new UN forecasts, by 2050 the country's population will decline to 36 million people. And this is taking into account that the UN relies in its forecasts on official statistics, and this, in turn, takes into account millions of citizens of Ukraine who, in fact, have not lived in their homeland for a long time. They have been waiting for years for the opportunity to be legalized and obtain citizenship, regularly standing in long lines at the border in both heat and cold to leave and immediately enter.

How to obtain Russian citizenship for pensioners: algorithm of actions

You need to collect the necessary package of documents and contact the migration service.

The procedure begins with registration. After this (or at the same time), you need to contact the migration department to obtain a temporary residence permit in Russia. The application may be processed within 3-6 months.

After receiving a temporary residence permit, you must obtain a residence permit within two months. It is recommended to submit the application immediately after registration of the temporary residence permit.

The final stage is submitting an application for Russian citizenship. The appeal is also submitted to the migration service. The answer will be given after 6 months.

What documents need to be prepared?

The first two documents - a passport of your country and a migration card - will always be with you if the candidate arrived in the Russian Federation legally. Otherwise, he will not enter the country. He will present the same documents to the application for a temporary residence permit, attaching copies of them.

Other documents that will be required at all stages of obtaining citizenship:

1. Photos 30×40 mm – 3 pcs.;
2. Birth certificate;
3. RVP – upon receipt of a residence permit;
4. Residence permit – upon receipt of citizenship;
5. Receipt for payment of state duty;
6. Notarized translation of documents submitted along with the application, if they are issued in Ukrainian.

For reference! Until 2021, Ukrainian citizens had to submit a written renunciation of their previous citizenship. Now all you need to do is draw up the necessary document from a Russian notary.

Additionally, proof of knowledge of the Russian language will be required if the pensioner has not reached the appropriate age. The parameters for men and women are indicated above.

In addition, if citizenship is obtained through some simplified procedure, you need to document the existence of such an opportunity. For example, obtaining Russian citizenship for pensioners with children means that they need to present the children’s birth certificate and copies of their Russian passports. Other certificates and acts may be required, for example, about changing the last name, first name and patronymic.