Everything About the Resettlement Program for Compatriots

Information from the official website of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Bonn. More detailed information about the program can be found here.

Assistance with the voluntary resettlement to the Russian Federation of compatriots living abroad is provided under the State Program, approved by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 637 of 22.06.2006, as amended by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 1289 of 14.09.2012.

Detailed information about the State Program is published on the website of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs and in the State Program's Official Information Package (download).

An interactive map of the Russian regions participating in the State Program is available on our information channel “Let There Be Information”

No state fee is charged for participation in the State Program. A prospective participant is responsible only for expenses related to preparing the documents submitted with the application itself, i.e. notarization of the accuracy of translations and copies.

The Consulate General serves as a link between prospective participants in the State Program and the authorized bodies in Russia, which analyze the submitted documents and make the final decision on each application. The Consulate General is not authorized to decide whether an applicant may or may not participate in the State Program.

All questions regarding the results of the application review should be addressed directly to the authorized body in Russia that made the final decision.

Prospective participants in the State Program:

• citizens of the Russian Federation permanently residing outside Russia;
• persons who held citizenship of the USSR and live in states that were part of the USSR, and who acquired citizenship of those states or became stateless;
• people originating from (emigrants from) the Russian State, the Russian Republic, the RSFSR, the USSR and the Russian Federation who held the corresponding citizenship and became citizens of a foreign state, or hold a residence permit in a foreign state, or became stateless, as well as descendants of persons belonging to the above groups.

The following may resettle to Russia together with a State Program participant:

• spouse;
• children (including adopted children);
• parents;
• the spouse’s children;
• the spouse’s parents;
• the participant’s and their spouse’s full sisters and brothers;
• the children of the participant’s and their spouse’s full sisters and brothers;
• grandmothers, grandfathers and grandchildren.

The State Program provides for the participation not only of compatriots planning to take up a specific job in Russia, but also of compatriots intending to continue their education, engage in business, agricultural activities and agro-industrial production, run a personal subsidiary farm, or pursue other activities not prohibited by Russian law.

State guarantees and social support

1. Reimbursement of relocation expenses to the future place of residence. Reimbursement is provided on the condition that State Program participants use scheduled freight and passenger transport routes. Participants’ and their family members’ travel expenses are reimbursed based on the cost of travel: by rail—in a compartment car on a train of any category; by air—at the economy-class fare; by inland waterway—at the fare for a Class II seat; by sea—at the fare for a Class III cabin. In addition, a family of up to and including three people is fully reimbursed for the cost of transporting personal belongings in one 5-ton container, while a family of more than three people is reimbursed for two 5-ton containers. A State Program participant has the right to import personal belongings into the Russian Federation, in accordance with the procedure established by the Government of the Russian Federation, without any limit on their total value and regardless of the weight of the goods, including used vehicles acquired before entering the territory of the Russian Federation.

The participant’s and their family members’ travel expenses, provided they use regular bus routes, the cost of transporting personal belongings by road from transport hubs to the destination, as well as customs duties and taxes and the cost of exporting personal belongings from the country of departure, are included among the expenses eligible for reimbursement.

1. Reimbursement of state fees for processing documents that determine the legal status of resettlers in the Russian Federation.
2. Receipt of a one-time settlement allowance.
3. Receipt of a monthly allowance in the absence of income from employment, entrepreneurial or other activities not prohibited by the laws of the Russian Federation during the period before acquiring Russian citizenship, but for no more than six months. The amount of the allowance is determined with regard to the subsistence minimum established for the relevant constituent entity of the Russian Federation.
4. Receipt of the compensation package for State Program participants, which includes services provided by state and municipal institutions for preschool, general and vocational education, social services, healthcare, and the state employment service. The above services are provided in accordance with the procedure and conditions established for citizens of the Russian Federation under the current legislation of the Russian Federation.

Other state guarantees, social support, employment of the State Program participant, and provision of necessary housing for them and their family members are provided under regional resettlement programs.

Whether an applicant meets the requirements for participation in the State Program is determined on the basis of the documents and other materials submitted, which characterize the applicant’s identity, professional skills and abilities, and serves as grounds for further work on their participation in the State Program.

If inaccurate information is submitted, the applicant may be denied participation in the State Program.

Ministry of Internal Affairs working group to assist compatriots

The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs has established a special working group to assist compatriots wishing to move to Russia.

Its tasks include providing prompt consultations by telephone and email to those wishing to participate in the State Program, assisting them with preparing documents to participate in the program, and resolving other issues.

Contact telephone numbers (daily from 8:00 to 20:00 Moscow time):

+7 (495) 214-02-25;
+7 (495) 214-02-23;
+7 (495) 214-02-16;
+7 (495) 214-02-15;
+7 (495) 214-02-10;
+7 (495) 214-02-11;
+7 (495) 917-52-62 (tel./fax);
+7 (495) 917-56-06 (tel./fax).

Requests are also accepted around the clock by email: sootech@mvd.ru.

© Source: official website of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Munich