Of course, Russian citizenship can be obtained from being born in the country, but surprisingly there are quite a few other paths. In this article, we’ll dive into the different ways of obtaining Russian citizenship for you and your family members.

Fast track– Golden Visa tha leads to permanent residence permit

Reasons for rejection of the Russian Citizenship application

By birth — if one or both parents are Russian citizens
Geographical location is irrelevant in this case; the child can be born anywhere in the world. If the child is born to a surrogate mother who is a Russian citizen, the rule also applies.

Restoration of Russian citizenship
Anyone who once had Russian citizenship but renounced it can reapply for it.

Adoption of citizenship by a foreign national
A foreign citizen can apply for Russian citizenship only voluntarily.

Granted by the president — citizenship can be granted directly by the president of the Russian Federation.

Recommended for citizenship by "Russia, the Land of Opportunities" — Russian citizenship can be acquired by participating in and winning contests organized by the organization — "Russia, the Land of Opportunities".

This is the most common way of getting citizenship as a foreign national is according to the following requirements:

— Permanent residency status for 5 years — a foreign national must be living in Russia, holding a permanent residency permit for 5 years, uninterrupted.

— Follow the Constitution — promise to adhere to the Russian constitution and agree to receive Russian citizenship.

— Employed or other legal means for life — You must be officially employed or have other legal means to sustain yourself, such as savings.

— Know the Russian language — understand of the Russian language and have a document that proves it: a certificate of Russian language knowledge, a diploma from a Russian school or university in Russia or the USSR.

Let’s dig deeper into the 3rd path, how can a foreign national get Russian Citizenship?

There are also several ways forward in this instance — the first two are not that common:

Granted by the president —citizenship can be granted directly by the president of the Russian Federation.

Recommended for citizenship by "Russia, the Land of Opportunities" — Russian citizenship can be acquired by participating in and winning contests organized by the organization — "Russia, the Land of Opportunities".

This organization, by law, can recommend someone to be granted Russian citizenship. "Russia, the land of opportunities" hosts such competitions as "Leaders of Russia" - which is a competition of leadership talent & managers that attracts competitors both from Russia and abroad.

Winning in this competition, which is now hosted annually, could grant you Russian citizenship — however, you would compete against the top businesses and members of government in Russia.

As a result, this route requires both excellent command of the Russian language as well as first-class leadership skills and experience.

Let’s dig deeper into the 3rd path, how can a foreign national get Russian Citizenship?

There are also several ways forward in this instance — the first two are not that common:

This organization, by law, can recommend someone to be granted Russian citizenship. "Russia, the land of opportunities" hosts such competitions as "Leaders of Russia" - which is a competition of leadership talent & managers that attracts competitors both from Russia and abroad.

Winning in this competition, which is now hosted annually, could grant you Russian citizenship — however, you would compete against the top businesses and members of government in Russia.

As a result, this route requires both excellent command of the Russian language as well as first-class leadership skills and experience.

3. Apply after living in the Russia for

A permanent residency permit is key — there are several ways to obtain it; the standard path is to first get a temporary residency permit, and then within three years apply for a permanent residency permit.

Read on to learn how to obtain the Temporary Residency Permit.

Temporary residency permits are limited in number — and are given out individually to each region of the Russian Federation.

The number of such temporary permits has been dropping steadily in the last few years — currently, for 2024, there are only 10,595 permits allocated for the whole country, the total migration quota.

In 2023 the number was 13,295, in 2022 it was 18,995, year 2021 it was 39,325, and in the year 2020 — the quota was about six time higher than in 2024 - 60,270 permits were allowed.

Due to these reduced numbers, obtaining a residency permit this way is becoming more and more difficult.

Read here the article on migration quota, full list of the regions and the number of permits allocated to each.

There are ten exceptions that can receive temporary residency permit without quota.

1. People born in the USSR and were citizens of the USSR

2. People under the age of 18, who have a foreign parent that resides in Russia

3. People who receive a temporary residence permit together with their parents

4. Spouse to a Russian citizen and is living in Russia

5. If you have joined the Russian military service

6. Is a citizen of a country, that was part of the USSR and received a diploma from a Russian university

7. Is part of the government program for the repatriation of compatriots

8. Is a citizen of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Moldova, or Ukraine

9. Is a highly qualified specialist

10. Is working for half a year or longer in the list of certain professions — please find the eligible professions in this article

on our site

If you are not one of the 10 exceptions above, one must compete for the temporary resident visas according to the total limit of 10,595 for 2024 — find the full region list here.

All of these quotas are usually filled up in the first few months of the year, and if unsuccessful one needs to wait for the next year to apply.
The whole family that applies must physically hand in the application in Russia.

Once you are granted a temporary residence permit, you can apply for the permanent residency permit within a 3 year period.

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People born in the USSR and were citizens of the USSR

People under the age of 18, who have a foreign parent that resides in Russia

People who receive a temporary residence permit together with their parents

Spouse to a Russian citizen and is living in Russia

If you have joined the Russian military service

Is a citizen of a country, that was part of the USSR and received a diploma from a Russian university

Is part of the government program for the repatriation of compatriots

Is a citizen of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Moldova, or Ukraine

Is a highly qualified specialist

Is working for half a year or longer in the list of certain professions — please find the eligible professions in this article on our site

Temporary residency permits are limited in number — and are given out individually to each region of the Russian Federation.

The number of such temporary permits has been dropping steadily in the last few years — currently, for 2024, there are only 10,595 permits allocated for the whole country, the total migration quota.

In 2023 the number was 13,295, in 2022 it was 18,995, year 2021 it was 39,325, and in the year 2020 — the quota was about six time higher than in 2024 - 60,270 permits were allowed.

Due to these reduced numbers, obtaining a residency permit this way is becoming more and more difficult.

Read here the article on migration quota, full list of the regions and the number of permits allocated to each.

There are ten exceptions that can receive temporary residency permit without quota.

The Golden Visa program grants investors and his/her family (spouses, parents, children, and the children of the spouse) a permanent residence permit without the need to apply for or obtain a temporary residence permit.

It saves a lot of time as well as avoids the hassle of competing for the temporary residence permit quota — which is very limited.

Live anywhere — it also grants you the opportunity to settle in the region you want, instead of trying to apply for a quota in a far-off region that does not get a lot of applicants, to maximize your chances.

Buy a home and get a Golden Visa — this path, most commonly used by our clients, provides you with investment in your own real estate, that you can use as your residency — that will also be used as your place of registration, an important piece of paperwork for the Russian state.

Application can be done remotely.

It’s important to mention that you can be denied Russian citizenship if your documents are not correctly submitted — but also due to the criteria below:







3. Participate or have participated in extremist activities, espionage, armed rebellion, or disclosure of state secrets.

4. Are restricted from entering Russia due to being subjected to expulsion or deportation from the country.

5. Submitted false documents or provided false information about themselves.

6. Served in the military, law enforcement, or security agencies of a foreign state.

7. Have an unexpunged or unrehabilitated conviction for a deliberate crime.

8. Are criminally prosecuted for crimes.

9. Are convicted and are in prison.

10.Refuse to take the oath of citizenship of the Russian Federation.

If you are not subject to any of those criteria — you have nothing to worry about.

Advocate for changing the Constitution of the Russian Federation or pose a threat to the security of the Russian Federation, for example, by attempting on the life of a politician, forcibly seizing power, or calling for something similar.

Participate or have participated in armed conflicts with Russian peacekeepers or the army, resisted Russian military forces, or participated in a terrorist act or its preparation against Russians and Russian Federation representations.

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Participate or have participated in extremist activities, espionage, armed rebellion, or disclosure of state secrets.

Are restricted from entering Russia due to being subjected to expulsion or deportation from the country.

Submitted false documents or provided false information about themselves.

Served in the military, law enforcement, or security agencies of a foreign state.

Have an unexpunged or unrehabilitated conviction for a deliberate crime.

Are criminally prosecuted for crimes.

Are convicted and are in prison

It’s important to mention that you can be denied Russian citizenship if your documents are not correctly submitted — but also due to the criteria below:

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Refuse to take the oath of citizenship of the Russian Federation.

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The path to Russian Citizenship can take between 7 to 9 years, going through the legal status of having a temporary residence permit and then a permanent residence permit. With the Golden Visa its will take 5 years to the Russian Citizenship.

The legal status of a temporary residence permit could be quite tricky to achieve for a foreigner who does not have any connection to Russia or any of the former USSR.

At Ark Vostok, we highly recommend navigating this issue with our support, apply directly for the Russian Golden Visa that will grant you and your family the legal status of permanent residency in Russia, skipping the step of temporary residency altogether.

Please reach out to us directly if you have more questions on this subject. We are more than happy to assist you on your journey.

Take the first step, ask for more information today!