Citizenship in Russia

Temporary residence in Russia is a document proving the right of a foreign to reside in this country before obtaining of Residence permit.

Usually the permit for temporary residence is the first step for getting citizenship in Russia. After receiving a temporary residence permit a foreign national has the right to submit documents for a permanent residence permit. The processing time is 6 months.

If a foreign national with a permanent residence permit lives in the country for 5 years permanently he has the right to submit documents for the citizenship in Russia. Residence in the RF is considered to be permanent if a foreign national leaves the RF for no more than three months a year.

In some cases the residence requirements can be reduced to one year. These cases include:

• A person born in the RSFSR (Russian Soviet Federal Socialistic Republic) and previously held Soviet citizenship
• A person married to a Russian citizen for no less than 3 years
• A person who is unable to work but has children reached the age of 18 with Russian citizenship
• A person who has a professional or qualification interest to the RF or who has accomplished great achievements in the fields of science, technology or culture
• A person with a political asylum in Russia
• A person with a status of refugee as stipulated by Federal Law