Citizenship of the Russian Federation for Ukrainian citizens registered in the new constituent entities of the Russian Federation

A narrow category of persons is entitled to submit an application and the required set of documents for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation, bypassing the stage of obtaining a residence permit and without meeting the requirements to prove proficiency in the Russian language and knowledge of Russian history and the fundamentals of the legislation of the Russian Federation. These persons include Ukrainian citizens registered in the new regions of the Russian Federation.

In accordance with Federal Constitutional Laws No. 5-FKZ, 6-FKZ, 7-FKZ and 8-FKZ of 04.10.2022 on the admission of the Donetsk People's Republic, the Lugansk People's Republic, and the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson Regions into the Russian Federation, as of September 30, 2022, the following acquire citizenship of the Russian Federation through recognition:

• citizens of the Donetsk People's Republic, the Lugansk People's Republic and Ukraine, as well as stateless persons, who were permanently residing on that date in the territory of the Republics, or had previously resided in those territories and departed for the Russian Federation, including through the territories of third countries;

• citizens of Ukraine and stateless persons who were permanently residing on that date in the territory of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson Regions, or had previously resided in those territories and departed for the Russian Federation, including through the territories of third countries;

• minor children of persons in the above categories

The application and required set of documents are processed within ten working days. Citizenship is acquired subject to taking the Oath of a Citizen of the Russian Federation, as well as completion of state fingerprint registration and photographing. Thereafter, the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia issues a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation, the principal document certifying the identity of a Russian citizen in the territory of the Russian Federation.

Consider the following example:

A Ukrainian citizen has been living in Austria since 2023 but has been registered in the Zaporizhzhia Region since 2001. In this case, they are entitled to submit an application and the required set of documents for Russian citizenship under the simplified procedure.

Please note that, in accordance with Order of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 2723-r of 06.10.2023, from 00:00 local time on October 16, 2023, entry into the Russian Federation by Ukrainian citizens arriving from the territories of third countries is temporarily restricted at checkpoints across the state border of the Russian Federation, with the exception of the “Moscow (Sheremetyevo)” multilateral air checkpoint.
This restriction does not apply to Ukrainian citizens under the age of 14 who enter the Russian Federation independently or accompanied by a legal representative, guardian or custodian who is a citizen of the Russian Federation.

To submit an application and a complete set of documents for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation under Part 9 of Article 16 of Federal Law No. 138-FZ “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation,” a foreign citizen 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 citizens of the DPR, LPR and Ukraine, as well as stateless persons who acquired Russian citizenship through recognition, for issuance of a Russian citizen passport (age 14 and over)

As of September 30, 2022, the following acquire citizenship of the Russian Federation through recognition:

•    citizens of the DPR, LPR and Ukraine, as well as stateless persons, who were permanently residing on that date in the territory of the Republics, or had previously resided in those territories and departed for the Russian Federation, including through the territories of third countries;

•    citizens of Ukraine and stateless persons who were permanently residing on that date in the territory of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson Regions, or had previously resided in those territories and departed for the Russian Federation, including through the territories of third countries;

•    minor children of persons in the above categories.

Citizenship of the Russian Federation is acquired subject to taking the Oath of a Citizen of the Russian Federation.

The following are exempt from taking the Oath:

1) persons under the age of fourteen;

2) persons declared legally incapacitated;

3) persons who, due to limited health capabilities, are unable to read or pronounce the text of the Oath of a Citizen of the Russian Federation and/or sign it in their own hand.

The application is submitted to the Ministry of Internal Affairs or its territorial body at the applicant's or incapacitated person's place of residence, place of stay, or actual residence, as applicable.

To obtain a passport, submit:

1. Application - 1 copy.

The application form is completed by hand or using technical means (typewriters, computers). Abbreviations and acronyms may not be used when completing the application form, except those permitted; corrections and erasures are also not allowed. The information provided in the application form must be exhaustive. Handwritten text must be legible.

2. A document certifying the applicant's identity and citizenship (one of the following):

• a document (including one whose validity period has expired) certifying the citizenship and identity of a citizen of the Donetsk People's Republic, the Lugansk People's Republic or Ukraine

• a 1974-model USSR citizen passport

• a residence permit for a stateless person in the Donetsk People's Republic, the Lugansk People's Republic or Ukraine

• a temporary identity document for a stateless person in the Russian Federation

•  a certificate granting temporary asylum in the territory of the Russian Federation, issued to a person who has no other documents certifying the citizenship and identity of a Ukrainian citizen.

3. A document confirming registration at a place of residence in the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic, the Lugansk People's Republic, the Zaporizhzhia Region or the Kherson Region at any time before September 30, 2022, issued by a competent Ukrainian authority no later than September 30, 2022, or by a competent authority of the Donetsk People's Republic, the Lugansk People's Republic, the Zaporizhzhia Region or the Kherson Region, namely:

• an extract from the house register

• a residence registration card

• an address certificate

• a certificate of registration at the place of residence issued for an ID card

• an extract from the Unified State Demographic Register showing registration of place of residence, or a certificate confirming entry of information in that register

• a document confirming that an orphan, a child left without parental care, or an incapacitated person was staying at an educational institution, medical organization, organization providing social services or other organization (including one for orphans and children left without parental care) located in the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic, the Lugansk People's Republic, the Zaporizhzhia Region or the Kherson Region, or confirming that a person under the age of 18 was placed in a closed-type special educational institution located in the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic, the Lugansk People's Republic, the Zaporizhzhia Region or the Kherson Region, or another document containing the specified information.

4. Documents required to enter a minor citizen's place-of-residence registration mark in the passport (for example: a certificate of registration at the place of residence, a registration mark in the birth certificate, an address certificate issued by the Military-Civilian Administration of the Zaporizhzhia or Kherson Region, a copy of the parent's registration card containing an entry registering the child, or a house register).

5. Birth certificate (if available).

6. Documents confirming changes to the full name.

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

7. Written consent of a child aged 14 or over.

Such consent may be given in any form.

The authenticity of the child's signature must be notarized in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, or certified by the signature of an official and the seal of the body responsible for citizenship matters of the Russian Federation, or by the signature of an employee and seal of a subordinate enterprise (authorized organization), in the child's presence.

8. Personal photographs, 3.5 x 4.5 cm – 2 copies (black-and-white or color).

9. The passport is issued without charging the state fee established by subparagraph 17 of paragraph 1 of Article 333.33 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation.

If the applicant refuses to take the Oath of a Citizen of the Russian Federation, the passport will not be issued.

Residents of the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia Regions who acquired Russian citizenship before these regions were admitted into Russia are registered at their place of residence as of the date of their actual registration in those regions.

To have a place-of-residence registration mark entered in the passport, an application must be submitted to the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the corresponding entry obtained.

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

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

Originals of translations into Russian of documents submitted with the application are returned. Copies are attached to the application; an official checks that they match the originals and certifies them with their signature and the seal of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia or its territorial body.

The period for providing the public service is 10 days.

Applications, documents and photographs submitted in violation of the requirements will not be accepted for consideration and will be returned to the applicant.

If an application is refused for consideration, the official returning it shall, at the applicant's written request, explain in writing how to remedy the circumstances preventing its acceptance, including specifying the list of documents required for this purpose.

Documents not in Russian must be submitted with a Russian translation. The accuracy of the translation or the authenticity of the translator's signature must be certified in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation on notarial services.

In the territories of the Donetsk People's Republic, the Lugansk People's Republic, the Zaporizhzhia Region and the Kherson Region, the requirements provided for in this paragraph do not apply until the end of the transition period.

Recognition of a child under the age of 14 as a citizen of the Russian Federation

The application is submitted to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia or its territorial body at the applicant's or child's place of residence, place of stay, or actual residence:

a) by one of the parents, the sole parent or an adoptive parent;

b) by the guardian of a child left without parental care, or an authorized representative of an educational institution, medical organization, organization providing social services or other organization, including one for orphans and children left without parental care, entrusted with performing the duties of the child's guardian (hereinafter, the “authorized representative”).

1. Application - 1 copy.

The application must be drawn up in Russian. The application form is completed by hand or using technical means (typewriters, computers). Abbreviations and acronyms may not be used when completing the application form, except those permitted; corrections and erasures are also not allowed. The information provided in the application form must be exhaustive. Handwritten text must be legible.

2. A document certifying the applicant's identity and citizenship.

3. A document confirming the fact that the applicant and/or the child was registered at a place of residence in the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic, the Lugansk People's Republic, the Zaporizhzhia Region or the Kherson Region at any time after the child's birth, issued by a competent Ukrainian authority no later than September 30, 2022, or by a competent authority of the Donetsk People's Republic, the Lugansk People's Republic, the Zaporizhzhia Region or the Kherson Region, namely:

•  an extract from the house register,
• a residence registration card,
• an address certificate,
• a certificate of registration at the place of residence issued for an ID card,
• an extract from the Unified State Demographic Register showing registration of place of residence,
• a certificate confirming entry of information in that register,
• a document confirming that an orphan or a child left without parental care was staying at an educational institution, medical organization, organization providing social services or other organization (including one for orphans and children left without parental care) located in the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic, the Lugansk People's Republic, the Zaporizhzhia Region or the Kherson Region, or confirming that the child was placed in a closed-type special educational institution located in the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic, the Lugansk People's Republic, the Zaporizhzhia Region or the Kherson Region, or another document containing the specified information.

4. The child's birth certificate.

Minors must submit a birth certificate.

An adoption certificate is required if the child has been adopted and the adoptive parent is not listed as a parent on the child's birth certificate.

A document from the guardianship and custody authority appointing the applicant as the child's guardian, or a document confirming the grounds for placing the child in an educational institution, medical organization, organization providing social services or other organization, including one for orphans and children left without parental care. A document confirming the authority of the guardian or authorized representative.

Citizenship for children under the age of 14 is formalized by territorial bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia by affixing a mark to the birth certificate.

Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 951 of 26.12.2022 “On Certain Issues of Acquiring Citizenship of the Russian Federation”  

Based on Federal Constitutional Laws No. 5-FKZ, 6-FKZ, 7-FKZ and 8-FKZ of 04.10.2022.