Document confirming the absence/presence of a criminal record when applying for citizenship

The President of the Russian Federation signed Decree No. 379 of 01.06.2026, under which foreign citizens and stateless persons applying for admission to Russian citizenship are required to submit a document confirming the absence (presence) of a criminal record.

Amendments have been made to Presidential Decree No. 889 of November 22, 2023, which regulates the procedure for considering matters of citizenship of the Russian Federation, and to the Regulations on the Procedure for Considering Matters of Citizenship of the Russian Federation, approved by that decree.

Key requirements:

• the document must be issued by a competent authority of a foreign state no earlier than 3 months before the date of submission of the application for admission to citizenship of the Russian Federation;

• if there is a criminal record, the document must contain information about the crimes for which the applicant was convicted;

• if the applicant holds dual or multiple citizenship, they must submit such documents issued by each foreign state of which they are a citizen;

• a stateless person must have the document issued by the competent authority of the state that issued the applicant, who is a stateless person, with a document certifying their identity as a stateless person.

— When applying for Russian citizenship (admission/recognition) abroad, adults with legal capacity must now also submit the aforementioned document.

— The document is required for persons aged 14 and over.
— For countries that have signed the Hague Convention, the document must be apostilled.

Certificates confirming the absence/presence of a criminal record are not required for:

• foreign citizens or stateless persons who have been permanently residing in the Russian Federation for at least one year and have been recognized as refugees or granted political asylum in Russia;

• certain categories of persons designated by the President of the Russian Federation for humanitarian or other purposes; 
Decrees of the President of the Russian Federation 
— dated 18.12.2023 No. 962 (citizens of Kazakhstan/Moldova/Belarus), 
— dated 04.01.2024 No. 11 , 
— dated 05.11.2025 No. 821 (contract).

• citizens of Ukraine (stateless persons who permanently resided in Ukraine) who apply for admission to Russian citizenship before January 1, 2028. 
If, in addition to Ukrainian citizenship, the applicant also holds citizenship of another foreign state, they will have to submit the specified document issued by a competent authority of that foreign state.

According to our information, an electronic certificate of the presence/absence of a criminal record from the EGOV website is accepted for citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan, but it must bear an electronic seal, rather than simply being an extract. 

- The citizenship application form has changed. The decree entered into force on June 2, 2026.

- Russian citizenship application forms

-  Sample completed citizenship application

- Video guide to completing the citizenship application