Citizenship on the basis of a contract to serve in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation during the special military operation

A limited number of persons are entitled to apply for Russian citizenship with an application and the required set of documents, bypassing the stage of obtaining a residence permit. Under Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 821 of 05.11.2025 “On the temporary procedure for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation and issuance of residence permits in the Russian Federation,” these persons include:

a) foreign citizens and stateless persons who entered into a military service contract after 24 February 2022 for a term of at least one year or for a term established by paragraph 7.1 of Article 38 of Federal Law No. 53-FZ of 28 March 1998 “On Military Duty and Military Service,” or foreign citizens who entered into a military service contract before 24 February 2022 and are performing military service during the special military operation;  

b) foreign citizens and stateless persons discharged from military service after 24 February 2022 on the grounds provided for in subparagraphs “a,” “b,” “c,” and “d” of paragraph 1 of Article 51 of Federal Law No. 53-FZ of 28 March 1998 “On Military Duty and Military Service”;

c) spouses, children (including adopted children), and parents of the foreign citizens and stateless persons referred to in subparagraphs “a” and “b” of this paragraph, including those who died (perished);

d) spouses, children (including adopted children), and parents of citizens of the Russian Federation who are participating or have participated in the special military operation (including those who died (perished)), except for those discharged from military service on the grounds provided for in subparagraphs “d,” “d.1,” “d.2,” “e,” “e.1,” “h,” and “n” of paragraph 1, and subparagraphs “c,” “d,” “e,” “e.1,” “e.2,” “i,” “k,” “l,” and “m” of paragraph 2 of Article 51 of Federal Law No. 53-FZ of 28 March 1998 “On Military Duty and Military Service.”

It is important to note that, when applying for Russian citizenship on the grounds set out above, neither the foreign military service member nor their family members are required to prove their knowledge of the Russian language, knowledge of the history of Russia, or knowledge of the fundamentals of the legislation of the Russian Federation.

Consider the following examples:

A citizen of Croatia entered into a one-year contract with the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation on 25.08.2025. In this case, they are entitled to apply for Russian citizenship under the simplified procedure.

A citizen of Kyrgyzstan is officially married to a Russian citizen who entered into a contract with the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation during the special military operation. In this case, she is entitled to apply for Russian citizenship with an application and the required set of documents under subparagraph “c” of paragraph 4 of Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 821 of 05.11.2025 “On the temporary procedure for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation and issuance of residence permits in the Russian Federation.”

Applications for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation submitted by the foreign citizens and stateless persons listed above, and decisions on such applications, are processed within a period not exceeding one month from the date the application and documents required by current legislation are submitted. However, if necessary, this period may be extended, but by no more than three months.

Document package

The current list of required documents in .pdf format can be downloaded here

List of documents for applying for Russian citizenship on the basis of Presidential Decree No. 821 “On the temporary procedure for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation and issuance of residence permits in the Russian Federation”

Application for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation  without regard to the requirements:

1) to reside permanently in the Russian Federation from the date of the decision to issue a residence permit in the Russian Federation until the date of filing an application for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation for five years;

2) to know the Russian language;

3) to know the history of Russia and the fundamentals of the legislation of the Russian Federation;

4) there are no circumstances with respect to the foreign citizen or stateless person concerned that constitute grounds for rejecting an application for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation as provided for in Article 18 of this Federal Law

provided that the foreign citizen or stateless person undertakes to observe the Constitution of the Russian Federation and take the Oath of a Citizen of the Russian Federation, the following may apply:

a) foreign citizens and stateless persons, who entered into a contract for military service after 24 February 2022 for a term of at least one year or for a term established by paragraph 7.1 of Article 38 of Federal Law No. 53-FZ of 28 March 1998 “On Military Duty and Military Service,”

or

foreign citizens who entered into a military service contract before 24 February 2022 and are performing military service during the special military operation;

b) foreign citizens and stateless persons discharged from military service after 24 February 2022 on the grounds provided for in subparagraphs “a,” “b,” “c,” and “d” of paragraph 1 of Article 51 of Federal Law No. 53-FZ of 28 March 1998 “On Military Duty and Military Service”;

c) spouses, children (including adopted children) and parents of foreign citizens and stateless persons referred to in subparagraphs “a” and “b” of this paragraph, including those who died (perished);

d) spouses, children (including adopted children) and parents of citizens of the Russian Federation who are or have been participating in the special military operation (including those who died (perished)), except those discharged from military service on the grounds provided for in subparagraphs “d,” “d.1,” “d.2,” “e,” “e.1,” “h,” and “n” of paragraph 1, and subparagraphs “c,” “d,” “e,” “e.1,” “e.2,” “i,” “k,” “l,” and “m” of paragraph 2 of Article 51 of Federal Law No. 53-FZ of 28 March 1998 “On Military Duty and Military Service.”

The application and documents required to acquire citizenship of the Russian Federation are submitted

- to any territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia of their choice - by those referred to in subparagraphs “a” and “b,”

- to the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia at the place of residence or place of stay in the Russian Federation, and if there is no registration at the place of residence or registration at the place of stay, - at the place of actual residence in the Russian Federation - by those referred to in subparagraphs “c” and “d.”

Foreign citizens and stateless persons referred to in subparagraphs “a” and “b” submit the following documents:

1. Application — in 2 copies (printed double-sided)

The application must be completed in Russian by hand using black, blue, or violet ink, or using electronic means. Each page of the application must be signed by the applicant in the designated field in the lower-right corner. Handwritten text must be legible. When completing the application, abbreviations and acronyms may not be used except for generally accepted ones, and corrections and erasures are not permitted.

All mandatory fields of the application must be completed, except where the circumstances needed to answer the question do not exist. In that case, the word “none” is entered in the relevant field or the corresponding section is left blank. Answers to the questions in the application form must be comprehensive.

If there is insufficient space in an application field to provide all the required information, that information must be provided on additional sheets attached to the application, which form an integral part of it (hereinafter, an addendum). In this case, the relevant application field must state “See addendum.”

The number of the field being supplemented must be entered on each addendum sheet, together with the required information. All addendum sheets must be numbered. The sheet number and total number of addendum sheets must be indicated in the upper-right corner of each sheet. The number of copies of each addendum must match the number of copies of the application. Each addendum sheet must be signed by the applicant in the lower-right corner.

2. A document certifying the applicant’s identity.

If a foreign citizen does not have such a document, a copy of the finding establishing the foreign citizen’s identity, issued by a territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.

3. A military service contract or a duly certified copy thereof — for those referred to in subparagraph “a.”

Or a certificate confirming military service during the special military operation (if the military service contract was entered into before 24 February 2022) — for those referred to in subparagraph “a.”

An extract from the order discharging the person from military service — for those referred to in subparagraph “b.”

4. Migration card and detachable section of the notification form concerning the arrival of a foreign citizen or stateless person at the place of stay — migration registration.

5. Documents confirming changes to the applicant’s full name.

Marriage certificate, divorce certificate, or a certificate from the civil registry office in the event of multiple surname changes, or a certificate of name change.

6. Personal photographs, 3 x 4 cm — 3 pcs. (black-and-white or color).

The image of the applicant (child or legally incapacitated person) in the photograph must correspond to their age on the date the application is submitted.

Foreign citizens and stateless persons referred to in subparagraph “c” submit:

1. Application — in 2 copies (printed double-sided)

The application must be completed in Russian by hand using black, blue, or violet ink, or using electronic means. Each page of the application must be signed by the applicant in the designated field in the lower-right corner. Handwritten text must be legible. When completing the application, abbreviations and acronyms may not be used except for generally accepted ones, and corrections and erasures are not permitted.

All mandatory fields of the application must be completed, except where the circumstances needed to answer the question do not exist. In that case, the word “none” is entered in the relevant field or the corresponding section is left blank. Answers to the questions in the application form must be comprehensive.

If there is insufficient space in an application field to provide all the required information, that information must be provided on additional sheets attached to the application, which form an integral part of it (hereinafter, an addendum). In this case, the relevant application field must state “See addendum.”

The number of the field being supplemented must be entered on each addendum sheet, together with the required information. All addendum sheets must be numbered. The sheet number and total number of addendum sheets must be indicated in the upper-right corner of each sheet. The number of copies of each addendum must match the number of copies of the application. Each addendum sheet must be signed by the applicant in the lower-right corner.

2. A document certifying the applicant’s identity and citizenship, or absence of citizenship.

If a foreign citizen does not have such a document, a copy of the finding establishing the foreign citizen’s identity, issued by a territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.

3. A document confirming the right to stay (reside) in the Russian Federation

• migration card,
• visa,
• temporary residence permit,
• temporary residence permit for educational purposes,
• residence permit in the Russian Federation,
• refugee certificate,
• certificate of temporary asylum in the Russian Federation), or
• certificate of participation in the State Program to Assist the Voluntary Resettlement to the Russian Federation of Compatriots Living Abroad, approved by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 637 of 22 June 2006 “On Measures to Assist the Voluntary Resettlement to the Russian Federation of Compatriots Living Abroad” (if such documents are available).

4. Migration card and detachable section of the notification form concerning the arrival of a foreign citizen or stateless person at the place of stay — migration registration.

5. Documents confirming changes to the applicant’s full name.

Marriage certificate, divorce certificate, or a certificate from the civil registry office in the event of multiple surname changes, or a certificate of name change.

6. A document confirming the degree of relationship to the foreign citizen or stateless person (including those who died (perished)) referred to in subparagraph “a” or “b” (marriage certificate, birth certificate, certificate of adoption of a child, or another document).

7. A copy of the military service contract entered into by the foreign citizen or stateless person referred to in subparagraph “a” and a certificate confirming that such foreign citizen or stateless person performed military service during the special military operation (if the military service contract was entered into before 24 February 2022), or

an extract from the order discharging from military service the foreign citizen or stateless person referred to in subparagraph “b” of paragraph 4 of this Regulation, or a duly certified extract from the order removing a deceased (fallen) service member from the personnel lists of the military unit.

8. Personal photographs, 3 x 4 cm — 3 pcs. (black-and-white or color).

The image of the applicant (child or legally incapacitated person) in the photograph must correspond to their age on the date the application is submitted.

9. Medical documents confirming the absence of use of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances without a doctor’s prescription or new potentially dangerous psychoactive substances, and the absence of infectious diseases that pose a danger to others and are included in the list approved by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.

Such documents are not required from foreign citizens and stateless persons who hold a temporary residence permit, temporary residence permit for educational purposes, residence permit in the Russian Federation, refugee certificate, or certificate of temporary asylum in the Russian Federation.

A certificate confirming the absence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

The certificate is not required from foreign citizens and stateless persons if the foreign citizens and stateless persons concerned have family members (a spouse, children (including adopted children), parents (including adoptive parents)) who are citizens of the Russian Federation, or foreign citizens or stateless persons permanently residing in the Russian Federation, and they have not violated the legislation of the Russian Federation on the prevention of the spread of HIV infection, or from foreign citizens and stateless persons who hold a temporary residence permit, temporary residence permit for educational purposes, residence permit in the Russian Federation, refugee certificate, or certificate of temporary asylum in the Russian Federation.

Foreign citizens and stateless persons referred to in subparagraph “d” submit the following documents:

1. Application — in 2 copies (printed double-sided)

The application must be completed in Russian by hand using black, blue, or violet ink, or using electronic means. Each page of the application must be signed by the applicant in the designated field in the lower-right corner. Handwritten text must be legible. When completing the application, abbreviations and acronyms may not be used except for generally accepted ones, and corrections and erasures are not permitted.

All mandatory fields of the application must be completed, except where the circumstances needed to answer the question do not exist. In that case, the word “none” is entered in the relevant field or the corresponding section is left blank. Answers to the questions in the application form must be comprehensive.

If there is insufficient space in an application field to provide all the required information, that information must be provided on additional sheets attached to the application, which form an integral part of it (hereinafter, an addendum). In this case, the relevant application field must state “See addendum.”

The number of the field being supplemented must be entered on each addendum sheet, together with the required information. All addendum sheets must be numbered. The sheet number and total number of addendum sheets must be indicated in the upper-right corner of each sheet. The number of copies of each addendum must match the number of copies of the application. Each addendum sheet must be signed by the applicant in the lower-right corner.

2. A document certifying the applicant’s identity and citizenship, or absence of citizenship.

If a foreign citizen does not have such a document, a copy of the finding establishing the foreign citizen’s identity, issued by a territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.

3. A document confirming the right to stay (reside) in the Russian Federation

• migration card,
• visa,
• temporary residence permit,
• temporary residence permit for educational purposes,
• residence permit in the Russian Federation,
• refugee certificate,
• certificate of temporary asylum in the Russian Federation), or
• certificate of participation in the State Program to Assist the Voluntary Resettlement to the Russian Federation of Compatriots Living Abroad, approved by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 637 of 22 June 2006 “On Measures to Assist the Voluntary Resettlement to the Russian Federation of Compatriots Living Abroad” (if such documents are available).

4. Migration card and detachable section of the notification form concerning the arrival of a foreign citizen or stateless person at the place of stay — migration registration.

5. Documents confirming changes to the applicant’s full name.

Marriage certificate, divorce certificate, or a certificate from the civil registry office in the event of multiple surname changes, or a certificate of name change.

6. A document confirming the degree of relationship to the citizen of the Russian Federation referred to in subparagraph “d.”

(Marriage certificate, birth certificate, certificate of adoption of a child, or another document).

7. A copy of the military service contract entered into by the citizen of the Russian Federation referred to in subparagraph “d,”

or

an extract from the order discharging that citizen of the Russian Federation from military service

or

a duly certified extract from the order removing a deceased (fallen) service member from the personnel lists of the military unit. 

8. A certificate confirming the participation in the special military operation of the citizen of the Russian Federation referred to in subparagraph “d.”

9. Personal photographs, 3 x 4 cm — 3 pcs. (black-and-white or color).

The image of the applicant (child or legally incapacitated person) in the photograph must correspond to their age on the date the application is submitted.

10. Medical documents confirming the absence of use of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances without a doctor’s prescription or new potentially dangerous psychoactive substances, and the absence of infectious diseases that pose a danger to others and are included in the list approved by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.

Such documents are not required from foreign citizens and stateless persons who hold a temporary residence permit, temporary residence permit for educational purposes, residence permit in the Russian Federation, refugee certificate, or certificate of temporary asylum in the Russian Federation.

A certificate confirming the absence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

The certificate is not required from foreign citizens and stateless persons if the foreign citizens and stateless persons concerned have family members (a spouse, children (including adopted children), parents (including adoptive parents)) who are citizens of the Russian Federation, or foreign citizens or stateless persons permanently residing in the Russian Federation, and they have not violated the legislation of the Russian Federation on the prevention of the spread of HIV infection, or from foreign citizens and stateless persons who hold a temporary residence permit, temporary residence permit for educational purposes, residence permit in the Russian Federation, refugee certificate, or certificate of temporary asylum in the Russian Federation.

For admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation of a child or a legally incapacitated person, submit:

1. The child’s birth certificate or another document confirming the fact of the child’s birth and the degree of relationship to the applicant,

or

a document certifying the identity of the legally incapacitated person.

2. The consent of a child aged 14 to 18 to acquire citizenship of the Russian Federation.

3. The child’s adoption certificate

or

another document confirming the degree of relationship between the child and the applicant (in the case of adoption of the child).

4. A court decision declaring a person legally incapacitated and a document appointing a guardian for that person;

5. Photographs of the child or legally incapacitated person — 3 x 4 cm — 3 pcs. (black-and-white or color).

Photographs are not required for a child under six years of age.

The image of the child or legally incapacitated person in the photograph must correspond to their age on the date the application is submitted.

All of the listed documents must be submitted as photocopies together with the ORIGINALS.

A copy made from the original document must be of good quality, easily legible, and contain all the information presented in the original document. Copies must be made on standard A4 sheets and must not be cut to match the size of the original.

Originals of the document certifying the applicant’s identity and other required documents submitted by the applicant must be returned. Copies of these documents are attached to the application; their conformity with the originals is checked by an official and certified by that official’s signature and the seal of the body responsible for matters of citizenship of the Russian Federation, or by the seal of a subordinate enterprise (authorized organization).

The period for providing the public service is 1 month.

The period may be extended for the time required to verify the documents submitted by the applicant and the information provided by them when filing the application, and to obtain additional documents and information provided for by this Federal Law, but by no more than three months.

An application will not be accepted for consideration and will be returned to the applicant together with the attached documents if:

a) the application and documents have not been properly completed, including if they contain slips, typographical errors, or other mistakes;

b) the documents required under this Regulation have not been submitted in full.

If an application is refused for consideration, the official returning it shall state, orally or in writing, the circumstances that gave rise to the refusal and how they may be remedied.

At the applicant’s written request, the official shall provide those circumstances and the means of remedying them in writing, including a list of missing documents.

All official documents issued by foreign authorities in a foreign language must be legalized, translated, and notarized.

For countries party to the 1961 Hague Convention:

• The original document must be certified with an apostille in the country where it was issued.
• The document and the apostille affixed to it must be translated into Russian.
• The translation must be certified by a notarial endorsement by a notary in the Russian Federation.

                 For countries that are not parties to the Hague Convention:

• Documents must be consularly legalized through consular offices of the Russian Federation abroad or the Consular Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

All documents not drawn up in Russian must be submitted with a translation into Russian. The accuracy of the translation or the authenticity of the translator’s signature must be notarized in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.

The originals of Russian translations of the above documents must be returned. Copies are attached to the application; their conformity with the originals is checked by an official and certified by that official’s signature and the seal of the body responsible for matters of citizenship of the Russian Federation, or by the seal of a subordinate enterprise (authorized organization).

If a document drawn up in a language other than Russian contains all entries duplicated in Russian, no Russian translation is required.

Based on Part 9 of Article 16 of Federal Law No. 138-FZ of 28.04.2023 “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation”

Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 889 of 22.11.2023 “Issues of Citizenship of the Russian Federation” (“Regulation on the Procedure for Considering Issues of Citizenship of the Russian Federation,” “Regulation on the Procedure for Taking the Oath of a Citizen of the Russian Federation”

Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 821 of 05.11.2025 “On the temporary procedure for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation and issuance of residence permits in the Russian Federation”