How to obtain Russian citizenship by marriage in 2021: list of documents

What you need to know about obtaining Russian citizenship by marriage

This article will talk about those who apply for citizenship only on the basis of marriage with a citizen of the Russian Federation. For those who have a common child (children) with a Russian spouse , other conditions for obtaining citizenship apply. In another article, read about obtaining citizenship by marriage and child.

Some foreign citizens believe that just having a Russian spouse is enough to immediately, without any preliminary steps, apply for citizenship. It's a delusion.

Simply marrying a Russian or marrying a citizen of the Russian Federation is not enough for you to be immediately issued a Russian passport.

Family migrants go through the same stages as others. Namely, first they get a temporary residence permit, then they get a residence permit. And only after passing these two mandatory steps does a person receive the right to obtain Russian status.

The second point concerns the duration of the marriage. Documents for Russian citizenship by marriage will be accepted from you only if the union is already 3 years .

Excerpt from Article 14 of Federal Law 62 “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation”

Let's look at examples. A citizen of Kazakhstan married a Russian. The family lived in Kazakhstan for five years and then moved to Russia. The wife began the process of obtaining Russian citizenship: she received a temporary residence permit and a residence permit. Since her union with a Russian citizen is already more than three years old, immediately after receiving a residence permit, she submitted papers for Russian citizenship by marriage. In this case, she did not have to wait any period of time before proceeding to obtain Russian status.

Example No. 2. A Ukrainian married a Russian citizen. Immediately after the wedding, he received a temporary residence permit, and a year later he was given a residence permit. Since the official union was only one year old at the time of receiving the residence permit, the man was not able to immediately apply for citizenship. In this example, the Ukrainian needs to wait another two years before he can apply for Russian citizenship.

One more nuance: documents for Russian citizenship on the basis of marriage will be accepted from you only if your Russian spouse has permanent registration in the Russian Federation. If your husband/wife only has temporary registration, then you will not be able to register on this basis.

What the law says

The first thing you need to know is that the mere fact of creating a family, sealed in the registry office, does not lead to a change in the citizenship of one or both spouses. It is only the basis for going through a simplified legalization process.

Please note that, according to Russian law, an unregistered marriage is not a basis for assigning civil status to a foreigner. The union must certainly be sealed in the civil register of residents of the Russian Federation on Russian territory and confirmed with a special certificate.

Marriages concluded outside of Russia, as well as those concluded on the basis of the laws of another state, are not recognized on the territory of the Federation. This means that the newlyweds must legalize their union at the local registry office or initially conclude it in Russia.

Obtaining a temporary residence permit for family migrants

For migrants who have a union with a Russian man or woman, there is a simplification. They will not have to receive a quota for temporary residence permits.

Marriage to a citizen of the Russian Federation gives the right to a quota-free temporary residence permit.

Extract from Article 6 of Federal Law-115 “On the legal status of foreign citizens in the Russian Federation”

RRVP

TRP for marriage: features of obtaining

Elena Voropaeva
10.02.2021

Therefore, you can collect documents and immediately bring them to the migration division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. You can make a temporary residence permit even immediately after the registry office. At this stage, it does not matter how long ago the marriage took place.

Note! Documents for permission must be submitted in the region in which your Russian husband (wife) has permanent registration (stamp in the passport). If, for example, a Russian husband lives in St. Petersburg under temporary registration, but is permanently registered in Novorossiysk, then his wife will apply for a temporary residence permit in Novorossiysk. In St. Petersburg, her application will not be accepted. This requirement is specified in the law and has been in effect since 2021.

Excerpt from Federal Law-115

If a foreign citizen has a child with Russian citizenship, then you can skip the TRP stage and immediately apply for a residence permit.

Specifics and advantages of a Russian residence permit

A residence permit in Russia by marriage or on any other basis gives a foreigner almost the same rights as citizens of the Russian Federation. The only exception is the right to participate in elections and referendums - this requires citizenship. But, by the way, a continuous residence permit is required as a basis for an application for citizenship. And if this document can be canceled after the marriage is declared invalid, then deprivation of citizenship is a much more complex and rare procedure.

What is a residence permit in Russia by marriage for foreigners? This is a document that indicates the personal data of the owner, date of issue and validity period. Since November 2021, most foreign citizens have been issued an indefinite document, although until recently the validity of a continuous residence permit was limited to 5 years. Now the only thing you have to do is change your residence permit when your personal data changes and you reach a certain age.

As we have already said, you can get a residence permit in 2021 in Russia by marriage or on other grounds. For example, permits are issued to highly qualified specialists who come to work in the country by invitation. Moreover, not only they, but also their family members receive permission. However, in this case, the residence permit is not unlimited, but is limited to the validity period of the work permit. In the case of obtaining a residence permit through marriage to a citizen of the Russian Federation, the document will be valid as long as the marriage is considered valid.

There are many reasons to apply for a permanent residence permit if you plan to live and work in the Russian Federation. Among them we can mention:

Opportunity to work and do business freely in any region.
The ability to freely change your place of residence within the country without notifying the Ministry of Internal Affairs (as required by a temporary residence permit).
The ability to freely stay in the country for an unlimited time.
No need to obtain a patent or work permit.
The right to obtain health insurance and free medical care in government institutions.
Possibility to issue an invitation to enter for relatives, partners and friends.
Possibility of lending in Russian banks.

Finally, in the future, you will be able to apply for citizenship. Please note that obtaining a residence permit through marriage to a Russian citizen requires that you first obtain a temporary residence permit. In the case of citizenship, there are also no concessions. If you want to become a Russian citizen, you will first have to obtain a residence permit on one basis or another.

How to apply for Russian citizenship by husband or wife

Registration takes place through the migration department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs - where you are registered. In the capital, to submit documents, you need to contact the Multifunctional Migration Center - popularly called Sakharovo.

Migrants married to Russian citizens prepare a standard list of papers. Plus, to this list you will need to attach documents confirming the existence of grounds for simplified registration. In your case, this will be a marriage certificate and a passport of the Russian husband or wife .

Simplified and general procedure for processing documents

The simplified procedure excludes obtaining a temporary residence permit from the chain of actions, while the general procedure requires that you first issue this document, live with it in Russia for at least 8 months, and only then receive documents confirming the right to permanent residence in the country.

In 2021, residence permits in Russia based on marriage are issued in the usual manner. A wedding with a local resident does not allow the simplified procedure to be applied. But it cannot be ruled out that you have other reasons that can make paperwork simpler and faster, for example:

you were born in the RSFSR and you had USSR citizenship;
you or your close relative were invited to work as a highly qualified specialist;
you are a recognized native speaker of Russian;
you are a minor drawing up documents together with your parents;
you have parents/children with local citizenship who permanently live in the country and so on.

Documents for obtaining Russian citizenship by marriage

An applicant wishing to obtain citizenship in a simplified manner needs to collect the following list of documents:

Statement. The questionnaire must be prepared in two copies.
Applicant's passport + notarized copy of the document.
Residence permit, you will also need to make a regular copy of the document.
Photos. To submit, you need to bring three photos measuring 3 x 4 cm. It is allowed to use both color and black and white photographs, but the paper must be matte, not glossy.
Receipt for payment of state duty. Foreign citizens pay 3,500 rubles for document review. Payment can be made through a branch of any bank, but be sure to check all the data indicated on the check, since if there are errors in the receipt (for example, errors in spelling your full name), citizenship documents will not be accepted.
A document confirming knowledge of the Russian language.
Marriage certificate + notarized copy.
Passport of husband/wife with Russian citizenship + copy of passport. The document must indicate permanent registration in Russia. Instead of the spouse's original passport, you can present a notarized copy.
If you changed your full name, you will need the appropriate document. If it is made in a foreign language, you need to make a notarized translation.

When applying for Russian citizenship by marriage, you do not need to confirm your income or renounce your previous citizenship.

The list of papers indicated above is required to be presented from those applicants who are applying for registration in Moscow. The list may vary slightly in different regions, so before applying for citizenship, check the list of required certificates with your migration department.

In another article, we talked in detail about the preparation of documents for citizenship.

The application is filled out on a standard form. Samples are attached at the end of the article. How to fill out an application for Russian citizenship.

Your documents will be reviewed within three months . You will receive the decision by mail. If you don’t want to wait for the letter, then after the deadline has passed, you can start calling the migration department at your place of registration and find out if there is a response to your application.

After receiving a positive decision, all that remains is to take the oath and get a Russian passport .

Find out from our material what to do after receiving citizenship.

Application forms and samples

Application form for citizenship of the Russian Federation (5047 Downloads) Application form for citizenship of the Russian Federation (new from 07/24/2020) (One Download) Application form for citizenship of the Russian Federation for a child (1709 Downloads) Application form for citizenship of the Russian Federation according to the NRN (970 Downloads) Application form for citizenship Russian Federation in a simplified manner (2662 Downloads) Application form for Russian citizenship for the LDPR according to Decree No. 187 (4484 Downloads)

Sample application for Russian Federation citizenship (3527 Downloads) Sample application for Russian Federation citizenship for a child (774 Downloads) Sample application for Russian Federation citizenship by NRN (One Download) Sample application for Russian Federation citizenship in a simplified manner (5465 Downloads) Sample application for Russian Federation citizenship by marriage ( 2582 Downloads) Sample application for Russian citizenship for the LDPR according to Decree No. 187 (One Download) Sample application for Russian citizenship for the LDNR according to Decree No. 187 (submission by “trailer”) (2112 Downloads)

Application form for participation in the resettlement program for compatriots (1872 Downloads) Sample application for participation in the resettlement program for compatriots (1179 Downloads) Notification of dual citizenship (600 Downloads) Notification of dual citizenship through a representative (210 Downloads) Application for Russian citizenship by birth ( 354 Downloads) Application for renunciation of Russian citizenship in the general manner (136 Downloads) Application for renunciation of Russian citizenship in a simplified manner (One Download)

Autobiography template for Russian citizenship (702 Downloads) Sample of filling out an autobiography for Russian citizenship (664 Downloads)

Simplified diagram

A number of family relationships, characterized by the closest degree of kinship, are taken into account by the Russian legislator as grounds for obtaining Russian citizenship in a shortened time. The simplified procedure applies if there are the following family ties:

Children acquire status from their Russian parents;
Parents of children who have a Russian passport;
Foreign spouses of the second marriage who are Russian citizens.

The conclusion of a marriage between a person who has Russian citizenship and a citizen of a third state is not the basis for the foreigner to automatically acquire an indigenous status of the Russian Federation. To officially obtain presented status, you must go through a certain procedure established by Federal Law No. 62 of May 31, 2002, which includes the following steps:

Submit an application to the civil registration authorities confirming your intention to enter into a marriage union (you can submit such an application online using your personal account on the State Services portal). The application must be accompanied by copies of the passports of the future spouses (the identity card of the foreign spouse must have a translation into Russian certified by the notary authorities (consular office, embassy), documents confirming the marital status of the foreigner and the legality of his stay on the territory of Russia, a receipt for payment of the state fee;
On the established date, visit the registry office, put signatures in the vital records, and receive a marriage certificate;
Contact the territorial authorities of the Main Directorate of Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia with an application for affixing a stamp on a temporary residence permit and a list of mandatory accompanying documents, and obtain the appropriate permission;
After a year has passed from the date of granting the temporary residence permit, submit to the body that issued such permission (unit of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs on a territorial basis) a properly drawn up application for a residence permit with a set of necessary accompanying documentation (photos, a document with a stamp on the temporary residence permit, medical documentation, documentary evidence of fluency in the Russian language, a certificate of sufficient funds for subsistence or being a dependent, a receipt for payment of the state fee);
Receive a residence permit document (the application is reviewed within six months);
Wait for a three-year period of being married to a citizen of the Russian Federation (the expiration of the period begins on the day following entry into the family union);
Pass an exam to confirm your knowledge of the Russian language, receive the appropriate certificate (if there is another document indicating knowledge of the Russian language, its original and a notarized copy are provided (translation may be required));
Submit to the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs a set of documents required to obtain Russian citizenship by marriage (the period for consideration of the application for the presented category of persons cannot exceed 6 months from the date of filing the application).

Important! The document confirming the act of concluding a marriage must be of a Russian standard, i.e. issued by the territorial civil registry offices of the Russian Federation.

Ukrainians can obtain a Russian passport under a simplified system not only by marrying citizens of the country. Persons who:

have refugee status;
are WWII veterans;
previously lived on the territory of the USSR;
have reached retirement age;
have a disability;
served in the RF Armed Forces for at least 3 years;
have special services to the Russian Federation.

This right is also granted to citizens of Ukraine who have Russian roots, and representatives of certain professions who have achieved success in the labor field.

In addition, the “simplified” version is available to those who are recognized as native speakers of Russian or participate in the “Compatriots” program.

It is impossible to obtain a Russian passport without renouncing your citizenship. From September 1, 2021, Ukrainians are allowed to simply sign a statement confirming the refusal. They are not required to contact the consulate of their country.

After registering a marriage with a Russian, Ukrainians wishing to stay in the Russian Federation must first obtain a temporary residence permit and then a residence permit.

The standard procedure for obtaining citizenship involves living in the country for 5 years after receiving a residence permit. Marriage between a Russian citizen and a Ukrainian citizen gives the right to a significant advantage. A foreign spouse can apply for citizenship after three years of cohabitation in marriage with a Russian citizen.

Creating a family with Russian citizens allows Ukrainians to take advantage of another benefit. Their application for Russian citizenship will not be considered for a year, as under the standard scheme, but only 6 months.

The simplified procedure for obtaining the status of a resident of the Russian Federation is the process according to which you will need to wait much less time to obtain a passport for yourself.

In general, the simplified scheme is characterized by the following features:

Shorter period of residence in the country.
Shorter application review period.
The need to provide additional documents in addition to the basic package.

With the accelerated acquisition of civil status, a migrant does not need to remain in the state continuously for five years. If a foreigner has grounds allowing him to obtain civil status in a simplified manner, the period of mandatory stay in the country is reduced to one year.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with: Sample objection to a court order of a magistrate judge

Submitting an application for a residence permit

A residence permit for a foreign citizen is a document established by the legislator (Appendix 1 to Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation No. 617 dated August 09, 2021), allowing a foreigner to reside in Russia, freely cross its territorial borders, and enjoy most of the rights vested in citizens of the Russian Federation for 5 years. years with the possibility of multiple extensions of the document. Foreign persons who intend to stay in Russia permanently, if they have a residence permit by marriage, have the right to apply for Russian citizenship.

The powers to issue a residence permit are vested in the same bodies that provide temporary residence permits (territorial divisions of the Main Directorate for Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs). To receive the submitted document, you must prepare a package of documents required by the legislator (see above) and submit it to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

If, at the time of issuance of a residence permit, a foreigner has been in an official marital relationship with a Russian for more than 3 years, he is given the right to submit an application for assignment of the status of a citizen of the Russian Federation without waiting for any deadlines.

It is important to understand that when applying for Russian citizenship on the basis under consideration, it is necessary to indicate this fact in the application itself.

This is where it is worth writing that the citizen is married to a Russian woman and also be sure to indicate the number of the marriage certificate.