Russian citizenship for Belarusians: features of obtaining

Russian citizenship for Belarusians: obtaining scheme

Some people imagine the procedure for joining the ranks of Russians like this: you come to the country, submit documents and after a while you receive a Russian passport. In reality, everything is more complicated.

A Belarusian who wants to connect his future life with Russia goes through several stages. First, a citizen applies for a residence permit (residence permit). Representatives of other countries, in most cases, must apply for another status before obtaining a residence permit - a temporary residence permit (TRP). But Belarusians are skipping this stage.

After a person from the Republic receives a residence permit, he will have to decide which way to go to the Russian passport. Several options open up here:

apply in a simplified manner (from July 24, 2020, having a Belarusian passport is the basis for a simplified application for citizenship);
be issued under a quadripartite agreement (this agreement allows for Russian citizenship for Belarusians, Kazakhs, and Kyrgyz);
follow one of the programs : native speaker of Russian or the State Program for the Resettlement of Compatriots;
There is also a general procedure for acquiring Russian citizenship, according to which, theoretically, any citizen can apply for citizenship if a number of conditions are met, but Belarusians have enough options to go through the procedure according to a simplified scheme, so applying for citizenship in a general manner does not make sense for them.

In another article, read who can obtain Russian citizenship through the Russian Embassy in Belarus.

Further in the article we will consider registration options from the territory of the Russian Federation.

Residence permit is the first step towards Russian citizenship for Belarusians

So, first of all, a citizen of Belarus receives a residence permit. You do not need to pre-register a temporary residence permit. Immigrants from Belarus receive this simplification in connection with the Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus. Article 4 of the document states that a citizen can immediately apply for a residence permit. And you don’t need to look for any reasons to file.

Citizenship of the Republic of Belarus is already the basis for obtaining a residence permit.

Clause 4 of the Agreement

The entire process takes place through the Migration Directorate of the Ministry of the Interior . In general terms the order is:

you are doing migration registration in the Russian Federation;
sign up for submission to the migration department that operates at your place of registration, collect documents;
come to submit at the appointed time with a complete package of papers and a completed application.

In other material on the site, read more about residence permits for Belarusians (with lists of documents and step-by-step instructions).

Once you have a residence permit, you need to register.

To apply for Russian citizenship, Belarusians need to register at their place of residence (documents with migration registration will not be accepted).

Next, you have to choose the option of acquiring Russian citizenship.

List of grounds for obtaining Russian citizenship according to a simplified scheme

In order to quickly obtain Russian citizenship, a citizen of Belarus needs not only a great desire to live in Russia, but also have good reasons, confirmed by relevant documents. This could be family ties or studies, Russian roots or entrepreneurial activity. Let's look at each basis in more detail.

Availability of Russian native speaker status

Article 14 of the Federal Law of May 31, 2002 No. 62-F3 “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation” is applicable to Belarusians who speak Russian fluently and are recognized as native speakers of the Russian language (NRL). According to paragraph 2.1 of this article, foreigners with NRN status have the right to obtain citizenship through a simplified procedure. At the same time, they must permanently reside and work in Russia, and also comply with the Constitution and laws of the country.

Born in the USSR

Citizens of other states who were born in the Soviet Union and have a birth certificate received before 1991 can participate in the Russian program for admission to Russian citizenship in a simplified manner (Article 14 of Federal Law No. 62). If a potential participant in the program meets these requirements, he can expect to become a Russian citizen faster than through the usual procedure.

Parents have Russian citizenship

It is easier for a Belarusian to obtain citizenship if his parents are citizens of Russia and permanently reside on its territory.

Necessary documents proving these facts:

passport, birth certificate, extract from the register of deeds, or other documents to confirm the degree of relationship with a foreign citizen;
passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation, which contains a mark of registration at the place of permanent residence.

Legalized Russian citizenship for children

Belarusian parents whose children are already citizens of the Russian Federation can take advantage of the simplified naturalization procedure, taking into account the following nuances:

Another parent of the child, who is also a citizen of the Russian Federation:

died;
incapacitated;
unknown missing;
deprived or limited in parental rights, as evidenced by documentary evidence or a court decision.

The same applies if the case concerns an adult child declared incompetent.

Registration of marriage with a Russian citizen (citizen)

A migrant from the Republic of Belarus can become a citizen of the Russian Federation through a simplified procedure if his other half has Russian citizenship. At the same time, the place of registration of the marriage, as well as the place of residence of the newlyweds, must be on the territory of the Russian Federation.

After receiving an official marriage certificate, the applicant submits documents first for a residence permit, and then for acquiring citizenship. You must live in such a marriage for at least 3 years.

It is possible for citizens of Belarus to obtain Russian citizenship by marriage thanks to the current Agreement concluded between Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan back in 1999. The document states that those citizens of the listed countries who have a close relative from among the Russians, including a spouse, can apply for a simplified naturalization procedure in Russia.

Studying at a Russian educational institution

A preferential procedure for obtaining citizenship is also available to those who studied at Russian higher or secondary specialized educational institutions.

Here, however, there are some subtleties that you should pay special attention to:

Only education received at a public institution is taken into account (as for private ones, clarification is required in each specific case);
the educational process must take place on a full-time basis;
the date of issue of the diploma is not earlier than July 1, 2002;
Minimum 3 years of work experience in your specialty is required.

State resettlement program

Another opportunity to naturalize faster for Belarusians is given by the current program of resettlement to Russia from Belarus (approved by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of June 22, 2006 No. 637). True, you can choose a place of residence only from the regions defined by the program - 59 constituent entities of the Russian Federation, of which 7 are priority ones. When considering a program participant’s application, his professional specialization, education, work experience and other qualities are taken into account.

Obtaining Russian citizenship with a Belarusian passport: changes in 2020

On July 24, 2021, changes were made to the law “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation”. According to the innovations, preferences were made for citizens of four countries - Belarus, Moldova, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine. They consist in the fact that now applicants who have citizenship of one of these four states can apply for Russian citizenship in a simplified manner.

That is, the mere fact of having a Belarusian passport is enough to apply for citizenship through a simplified scheme. The Russian authorities explained the simplifications specifically for people from these states by the fact that a large proportion of the Russian-speaking population lives in them.

It is worth understanding that such a simplification does not mean that a Belarusian can immediately, once on the territory of the Russian Federation, apply for citizenship. It is mandatory to obtain a residence permit. But with a residence permit in hand and registration at the place of residence, you can already carry documents to become a Russian citizen. There is no need to wait any period after receiving a residence permit.

Lawyer on obtaining Russian citizenship using a passport of a citizen of Belarus

The procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship for citizens of Belarus

The simplified procedure for acquiring citizenship is regulated by the AGREEMENT dated February 26, 1999 BETWEEN THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS, THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN, THE KYRGYZ REPUBLIC AND THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION ON A SIMPLER PROCEDURE FOR ACQUISITION OF CITIZENSHIP

To do this, citizens of Belarus permanently residing on the territory of the Russian Federation (i.e., having a residence permit in Russia) need the following grounds:

a) if the applicant was a citizen of the Byelorussian SSR and at the same time a citizen of the former USSR, was born or resided on the territory of the Party of acquired citizenship before December 21, 1991;

Documents for obtaining Russian citizenship on the basis of a Belarusian passport

So, as we noted above, having a Russian residence permit and a passport of a citizen of Belarus is enough to apply for Russian citizenship in a simplified manner. Documents for registration on this basis are specified in subparagraph “d” of paragraph 14 of Presidential Decree No. 1325, but usually, in addition to the list given in the Decree, inspectors require additional papers. Their composition depends on the region of supply.

Here is a list of citizenship documents for Belarusians (based on Belarusian citizenship), which they are asked to present in Moscow:

a citizen of Belarus must fill out an application (the application form must be prepared in two copies);
you also need to present a residence permit and a copy of it;
Belarusian passport. The document will need to be translated (all pages are translated) and the translation will need to be notarized;
You also need to confirm your knowledge of the Russian language. Since Russian is one of the state languages in Belarus, it is enough for Belarusians to present a document confirming the education received in the republic as confirmation;
if there was a change in last name, first name, patronymic, then you will need a corresponding document;
3 photos. By law, photos must be taken in size 3x4 cm. Photos are accepted only on matte paper;
receipt of payment of state duty (3500 rubles).

List of documents for granting Russian citizenship to citizens of Belarus:

1. Application in 2 copies.

2. The applicant’s national passport and its copy.

3. Residence permit and its copy.

4. Confirmation of departure for permanent residence to the territory of the Russian Federation from the territory of a foreign state (a mark in the passport of the IG or a departure slip for the identity document of the IG), as well as consular registration.

5. Marriage certificate (if available) and its copy.

6. A document confirming the presence of one of the conditions, the presence of which gives the right to acquire Russian citizenship in a simplified manner.

Conditions:

a) if the applicant was a citizen of the Belarusian SSR and at the same time a citizen of the former USSR, was born or resided in the territory of the Party of acquired citizenship before December 21, 1991.

b) if the applicant has one of the close relatives permanently residing in the territory of the Russian Federation and being its citizens: a spouse, one of the parents (adoptive parents), a child (including an adopted child), a sister, a brother, a grandfather or grandmother, a grandson or granddaughters.

Documentation:

Birth certificate and its copy.

Passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation of a close relative and a copy of it with a mark of registration at the place of residence in the territory of the Russian Federation.

7. If the applicant changes his last name, first name or patronymic, a document is submitted indicating the change in last name, first name or patronymic.

8. Three photographs of the applicant (matte, size 3cm x 4cm).

9. Receipt for payment of state duty - 3,500 rubles.

Citizens of the Republic of Belarus must have a passport to travel for permanent residence in the Russian Federation, series “RR”.

The period for consideration of an application for admission to Russian citizenship is three months, so the answer to the question of how to quickly obtain Russian citizenship for a Belarusian is six months from the start of filing an application for a residence permit until receiving a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation, six months in such a question is very good deadline, trust our experience.

We hope the article on how to quickly obtain Russian citizenship for a Belarusian was useful to you, but if you have any questions, you can always ask them by calling the phone number listed on the website or using the feedback form.

More on this topic:

How to obtain a residence permit in Russia for a citizen of Belarus
Notification on residence permit in 2021
Application form for a residence permit in Russia

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Other options for simplified Russian citizenship for Belarusians

The option described above for obtaining simplified Russian citizenship for Belarusians does not require any other grounds. Nevertheless, we will tell you in what other ways foreign citizens can become Russians in a simplified manner. For this there must be a serious reason (reason) . For example, foreigners often obtain Russian citizenship by marriage. Does your spouse have a Russian passport and you have been married for three years? This means you have a basis for a simplified design.

You can also become a citizen in a simplified manner by:

Russian parent;
a child with Russian citizenship;
born in the RSFSR;
study and work in the Russian Federation;
work in Russia in a profession that is in demand;
presence of IP in the Russian Federation;
investments;
previous USSR citizenship.

Grounds for obtaining citizenship
We will not talk in detail about the grounds in this article; they are all described in detail in the article on simplified citizenship of the Russian Federation.

Quadripartite Agreement

This is another advantage that Belarusians have. For about 20 years, an agreement has been concluded between four countries (Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan). Thanks to the agreement, citizens of these states can apply for citizenship of each country in a simplified manner. To benefit from the agreement, the applicant must meet certain conditions.

Have a residence permit + Russian relative

A Belarusian can apply for Russian citizenship by agreement if he has received a residence permit in Russia and is permanently registered in the country. Plus, he must have a close relative who, firstly, is a citizen of the Russian Federation, and secondly, has permanent registration here in the Russian Federation (a stamp in the passport).

The list of relatives is strictly defined. This could be husband/wife, mother/father, siblings, grandfather/grandmother, child.

USSR citizenship + birth (or residence) in the USSR

GCitizenship

Russian citizenship by agreement for Belarusians, Kazakhs and Kyrgyz

Elena Voropaeva
03.08.2020

The second category of applicants who can take advantage of the agreement are Belarusians who previously had citizenship of the Belarusian SSR and at the same time citizenship of the USSR. In addition, such an applicant must have been born or resided in the Soviet Union until the age of 91.

To apply under the quadripartite treaty, renunciation of Belarusian citizenship is not required. However, starting from the summer of 2021, this procedure was removed for all other applicants.

Government programs

The Russian native speaker program is suitable for most Belarusians. Russian in the Republic of Belarus is the official language. Therefore, the main requirement of the program - knowledge of Russian as a native language - will not be an obstacle for most Belarusians.

According to the terms of the project, it is necessary to have a residence permit and permanent registration in the Russian Federation, or to have a relative who now lives (with permanent registration) in Russia, or previously lived permanently in the territory of the Russian Federation. In this case, the period of residence of the relative is not important. If your great-grandfather lived for some time in Tsarist Russia and you can prove this by providing archival certificates, then you have grounds to participate in the program.

Previously, the project had a significant disadvantage. Its participant, in order to acquire Russian citizenship, had to make a complete renunciation of his previous citizenship. But as of July 24, 2020, it is no longer necessary to renounce citizenship to obtain a passport through the NPR program.

Most citizens of the Republic previously tried to avoid registration through Russian speakers, as they wanted to maintain their previous citizenship. But now that this requirement has been removed, the path to citizenship through the NRN is open for Belarusians. Read more about ADR here.

GCitizenship

How to obtain Russian citizenship under the resettlement program

Elena Voropaeva
19.07.2019

The state program for the resettlement of compatriots is the second project that will actually lead to a Russian passport. The working age of the applicant is important here, since the project pursues the goal of economic development of the regions. Another condition: either the candidate himself or his ancestors must come from the USSR, which is logical, since the program was developed for compatriots who want to return to Russia.

Advantage of the project: the applicant has the right to bring along almost the entire family (parents, children, spouses, brothers, sisters, grandparents, grandchildren, close relatives of the husband/wife).