The procedure for acquiring Russian citizenship is established by the Federal Law "On Citizenship of the Russian Federation" dated May 31, 2002, No. 62-FZ. Admission to citizenship of adult foreigners and children under 18 years old is carried out in a general or simplified manner.
The general procedure for the adoption of Russian citizenship assumes that foreigners and stateless persons live in Russia for at least 5 years in a row on the basis of a residence permit (that is, they left the country for no more than 3 months a year), have a legal source of income in Russia and speak fluently in Russian. In addition, those wishing to become citizens of Russia must renounce the citizenships of other states that they have.
Only if these conditions are met, it is possible to obtain citizenship in a general manner.
For those who have refugee status or those who have been granted political asylum in Russia, they can obtain citizenship after living in our country for one year.
A simplified procedure exists for those who have at least one parent - a citizen of the Russian Federation who permanently lives in Russia. A clear list of those who still have the right to obtain Russian citizenship in a simplified manner is enshrined in Art. 14 Federal Law "On citizenship of the Russian Federation".
An application for acquiring citizenship is submitted personally to the bodies of the FMS of the Russian Federation, if the applicant lives in Russia, or to a diplomatic mission and consulate, if the applicant lives in another country.
The application is filled out on a special form, which can be taken from the body of the Federal Migration Service of the Russian Federation or on its official website. The form is filled in by hand or on a computer without abbreviations and corrections in two copies, in Russian.
The application is accompanied by documents confirming the existence of grounds for acquiring Russian citizenship, three photographs (3 x 4 centimeters in size), as well as a receipt confirming the payment of the state fee or consular fee. All attachments must be translated into Russian, and the text of the translation must be certified by a notary.
A child between the ages of 14 and 18 gives their written consent to change their citizenship.
The application form and the list of required documents are established by the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of November 14, 2002, No. 1325.
An application for admission to the citizenship of the Russian Federation in the general procedure is considered by the relevant authority for up to one year, in a simplified manner - up to six months from the date of filing.
The decision of the FMS of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation to reject an application on issues of citizenship of the Russian Federation can be appealed in court. In case of refusal to accept the citizenship of the Russian Federation, the state fee will not be returned to the applicant.
