The path to Russian citizenship
For most foreigners, settling in Russia starts with a temporary residence permit. The number of those permits is capped, and the cap is split by region.
You apply in the region where you live. In 2024 the whole country has 10,595 places. They are usually taken in the first months of the year.
| Stage | When |
|---|---|
| Temporary residence permit | The usual first step. The number of permits is limited by region. |
| Permanent residence permit | After up to 3 years on the temporary permit. |
| Citizenship | After 5 years. |
How many permits in 2024
Government order of 11 October 2023 No. 2798-r, signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, sets two figures for 2024. The original text is on Zakonrf.info. The tables below are a translation of the appendix.
10,595
Temporary residence permits distributed across the regions.
3,178
A separate reserve quota, on top of the regional distribution.
Other ways to get residence
Outside the quota
Some cases receive a temporary residence permit without competing for these places. They are described in How does one get Russian citizenship?
Russian Golden Visa
The direct route to permanent residence, without a temporary permit. We recommend the real estate investment.
The regional quota
If the Golden Visa is out of reach and no special case applies, this quota is the remaining route. The places for 2024 are listed below.
Quota by region
Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson are listed in the order on their own, with no district total. Together they are 720 permits. Added to the eight federal districts, that is the full 10,595.
| Area | Permits |
|---|---|
| Central Federal District | 3,610 |
| Volga Federal District | 1,785 |
| Far Eastern Federal District | 700 |
| Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts | 720 |
| Northwestern Federal District | 930 |
| North Caucasian Federal District | 980 |
| Southern Federal District | 780 |
| Siberian Federal District | 550 |
| Ural Federal District | 540 |
| Distributed quota | 10,595 |
| Reserve quota | 3,178 |
Central Federal District — 3,610
| Subject | Permits |
|---|---|
| Belgorod Oblast | 170 |
| Bryansk Oblast | 10 |
| Vladimir Oblast | 75 |
| Voronezh Oblast | 150 |
| Ivanovo Oblast | 25 |
| Kaluga Oblast | 50 |
| Kostroma Oblast | 25 |
| Kursk Oblast | 50 |
| Lipetsk Oblast | 150 |
| Moscow Oblast | 750 |
| Oryol Oblast | 25 |
| Ryazan Oblast | 200 |
| Smolensk Oblast | 20 |
| Tambov Oblast | 100 |
| Tver Oblast | 60 |
| Tula Oblast | 200 |
| Yaroslavl Oblast | 50 |
| City of Moscow | 1,500 |
Volga Federal District — 1,785
| Subject | Permits |
|---|---|
| Republic of Bashkortostan | 250 |
| Republic of Mari El | 15 |
| Republic of Mordovia | 30 |
| Republic of Tatarstan | 250 |
| Udmurt Republic | 30 |
| Chuvash Republic | 10 |
| Perm Krai | 100 |
| Kirov Oblast | 50 |
| Nizhny Novgorod Oblast | 250 |
| Orenburg Oblast | 150 |
| Penza Oblast | 150 |
| Samara Oblast | 300 |
| Saratov Oblast | 100 |
| Ulyanovsk Oblast | 100 |
Far Eastern Federal District — 700
| Subject | Permits |
|---|---|
| Republic of Buryatia | 65 |
| Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) | 50 |
| Trans-Baikal Krai | 20 |
| Kamchatka Krai | 100 |
| Primorsky Krai | 80 |
| Khabarovsk Krai | 100 |
| Amur Oblast | 150 |
| Magadan Oblast | 25 |
| Sakhalin Oblast | 75 |
| Jewish Autonomous Oblast | 15 |
| Chukotka Autonomous Okrug | 20 |
Listed separately in the order — 720
| Subject | Permits |
|---|---|
| Donetsk People’s Republic | 55 |
| Luhansk People’s Republic | 65 |
| Zaporizhzhia Oblast | 500 |
| Kherson Oblast | 100 |
Northwestern Federal District — 930
| Subject | Permits |
|---|---|
| Republic of Karelia | 50 |
| Republic of Komi | 100 |
| Arkhangelsk Oblast | 25 |
| Vologda Oblast | 40 |
| Kaliningrad Oblast | 100 |
| Leningrad Oblast | 125 |
| Murmansk Oblast | 30 |
| Novgorod Oblast | 75 |
| Pskov Oblast | 80 |
| City of Saint Petersburg | 300 |
| Nenets Autonomous Okrug | 5 |
North Caucasian Federal District — 980
| Subject | Permits |
|---|---|
| Republic of Dagestan | 300 |
| Republic of Ingushetia | 50 |
| Kabardino-Balkarian Republic | 100 |
| Karachay-Cherkess Republic | 100 |
| Republic of North Ossetia-Alania | 100 |
| Chechen Republic | 30 |
| Stavropol Krai | 300 |
Southern Federal District — 780
| Subject | Permits |
|---|---|
| Republic of Adygea | 130 |
| Republic of Kalmykia | 40 |
| Republic of Crimea | 30 |
| Krasnodar Krai | 200 |
| Astrakhan Oblast | 150 |
| Volgograd Oblast | 100 |
| Rostov Oblast | 100 |
| City of Sevastopol | 30 |
Siberian Federal District — 550
| Subject | Permits |
|---|---|
| Republic of Altai | 30 |
| Tuva Republic | 20 |
| Republic of Khakassia | 15 |
| Altai Krai | 35 |
| Krasnoyarsk Krai | 50 |
| Irkutsk Oblast | 50 |
| Kemerovo Oblast — Kuzbass | 50 |
| Novosibirsk Oblast | 150 |
| Omsk Oblast | 100 |
| Tomsk Oblast | 50 |
Ural Federal District — 540
| Subject | Permits |
|---|---|
| Kurgan Oblast | 30 |
| Sverdlovsk Oblast | 250 |
| Tyumen Oblast | 100 |
| Chelyabinsk Oblast | 50 |
| Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug — Yugra | 30 |
| Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug | 80 |
