Citizenship for a stateless person who previously held USSR citizenship

There are categories of foreign citizens who may be admitted to citizenship of the Russian Federation under a simplified procedure immediately after obtaining a residence permit (hereinafter, a residence permit), and such foreign nationals include stateless persons who previously were citizens of the USSR.

This means that stateless persons who previously held USSR citizenship have the right to apply for admission to Russian citizenship if they have a residence permit.

Let us consider an example: 

Imagine that a non-citizen of Latvia was born in the Latvian SSR (and was a citizen of the USSR), and after the collapse of the USSR acquired non-citizen status in Latvia. From the perspective of Russian government authorities, this person is stateless. This non-citizen of Latvia moved to Russia as a resettler under the Agreement and obtained a residence permit.  In this case, they may apply for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation at an MVD authority in Russia.

To submit an application and a complete set of documents for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation under paragraph 8 of part 2 of Article 16 of Federal Law N 138-FZ "On Citizenship of the Russian Federation", a stateless person must apply to the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation for the constituent entity where they are staying.

Document package

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

List of documents for applying for Russian citizenship by those who are stateless persons and were previously citizens of the USSR

A foreign citizen or stateless person who has reached the age of eighteen, has legal capacity and permanently resides in the Russian Federation (regardless of the period of residence) has the right to apply for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation without regard to the requirements

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

2) to have command of the Russian language;

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

if the said foreign citizen or stateless person:

• is a stateless person and was previously a citizen of the USSR 

The application and documents required to acquire citizenship of the Russian Federation are submitted to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia or its territorial body.

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 lower right corner in the space provided. Handwritten text must be legible. When completing the application, the use of abbreviations and acronyms is not permitted, except for generally accepted ones, nor are corrections or erasures permitted.

All fields of the application that must be completed should be filled in, except where the circumstances needed to answer the question do not exist. In this case, the word "no" is entered in the relevant field, or the corresponding section is left blank. Answers to the questions in the application form must be exhaustive.

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 the addendum sheets, along 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 correspond to the number of copies of the application. Each addendum sheet must be signed by the applicant in the lower right corner.

2. A document identifying the applicant.

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

The document must remain valid for at least the application processing period at the time the application is submitted (we recommend at least 6 months). 

A document confirming the presence or absence of citizenship (a citizen's passport, a stateless person's identity document, a temporary identity document for a stateless person in the Russian Federation, a non-citizen's passport issued by the relevant authority of a foreign state, or documents confirming the absence of citizenship of a foreign state held by the applicant, issued by the authorized authority of the foreign state in which the applicant was born).

3. Residence permit.

4. Migration card and detachable part of the notification form of the arrival of a foreign citizen or stateless person at their place of stay - migration registration.

In most regions, to submit an application, MVD authorities require a registration stamp at the place of residence in the residence permit.

5. Birth certificate.

6. Documents confirming changes to personal details.

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

7. A document confirming that the applicant held USSR citizenship in the past (a birth certificate issued by a civil registry authority in the territory of the USSR or by a diplomatic mission or consular office of the USSR in a foreign state, including a duplicate birth certificate issued by the specified authorities (organizations) or by a civil registry authority in the territory of the Russian Federation).

If the birth certificate was issued by an authorized authority of a foreign state or is absent, documents confirming that the applicant held USSR citizenship in the past may include a 1974 USSR citizen's passport, a USSR foreign passport, relevant official documents issued by an authority responsible for citizenship matters in the Russian Federation, or a certificate from an authorized authority of a state that was part of the USSR confirming the exchange of a USSR citizen's passport for a stateless person's document.

8. Photographs (personal) 3 х4 cm – 3 pcs. (black and white or color).

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

9. Receipt for payment of the state duty.

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

A copy of an 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 with scissors to match the format of the original.

The originals of the applicant's identity document and other required documents submitted by the applicant must be returned. Copies of these documents are attached to the application; an official checks them against the originals and certifies them with their signature and the seal of the authority responsible for citizenship matters in the Russian Federation, or the seal of a subordinate enterprise (authorized organization).

The period for provision of the public service is 3 months.

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 stipulated by this Federal Law, but by no more than three months.

The 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 are improperly completed, including if they contain slips, typos or other errors;

b) the documents attached to the application that are required under this Regulation are not submitted in full.

If an application is refused acceptance for consideration the official returning the application will indicate, orally or in writing, the circumstances that formed the basis for the refusal and how they may be remedied.

At the applicant's written request, the official will report these circumstances and how they may be remedied in writing, including by specifying the 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 certificate by a notary in the territory of the Russian Federation.

                 For countries that are not parties to the Hague Convention:

• Documents must undergo consular legalization through consular offices of the Russian Federation abroad or the Consular Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

All documents not prepared 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 the Russian translations of the specified documents must be returned. Copies are attached to the application; an official checks them against the originals and certifies them with their signature and the seal of the authority responsible for citizenship matters in the Russian Federation, or the seal of a subordinate enterprise (authorized organization).

If, in a document prepared in a language other than Russian, all entries are duplicated in Russian, its translation into Russian is not required.

Under paragraph 8 of part 2 of Article 16 of Federal Law N 138-FZ dated 28.04.2023 "On Citizenship of the Russian Federation"

Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated 22.11.2023 N 889 "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"