How to Become a Russian Citizen: Requirements, Exam, and Oath

To become a Russian citizen through the standard route, you must be at least 18, hold a permanent residence permit, have lived in Russia continuously for five years, pass exams in Russian language and in Russian history and law, take the Oath of a Citizen, and avoid the disqualifying grounds set out in the citizenship law. Federal Law No. 138-FZ, which took effect on October 26, 2023, governs the process and creates several faster pathways for people with family ties to Russia, Soviet-era roots, Russian education, military service, or refugee status.¹

Who Qualifies Under the General Procedure

Article 15 of the 138-FZ law sets six conditions that must all be met at the time you file:

You are at least 18 and legally competent.
You have lived in Russia continuously for five years, counted from the date your permanent residence permit was issued to the date you apply.
You have a working command of Russian.
You have passed a test on Russian history and the fundamentals of Russian legislation.
You commit to observe the Russian Constitution and take the Oath of a Citizen.
You do not fall under any of the denial grounds in Article 18, which include threats to national security and unexpunged convictions for serious offenses.

The law does not name a minimum income figure. The previous citizenship law listed a “lawful source of income” as a standalone requirement; the 2023 law folds financial self-sufficiency into the overall review. Applicants aged 70 or older and those with a Group I disability are exempt from the language and history testing.¹

Faster Pathways That Skip the Five-Year Wait

Article 16 creates simplified routes that reduce or eliminate the residency period and, for most categories, waive the exams as well. You still need a permanent residence permit before applying.

Family Ties to a Russian Citizen

If you have a Russian-citizen parent living in Russia, or an adult son or daughter who is a Russian citizen living in Russia, you can apply right after receiving a permanent residence permit. The same applies if you are married to a Russian citizen residing in Russia and you have a common child, including an adopted child. The old law required spouses to wait three years; the 2023 law removed that wait when the couple has a child together.¹

Former Soviet Citizens and Their Descendants

People who were born or permanently lived in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) and held USSR citizenship can apply without meeting the residency or exam requirements. Stateless people who were once USSR citizens qualify on the same basis. Anyone with a direct ancestor (parent, grandparent, or further back) born or permanently resident in the RSFSR, the Russian Empire, or the USSR within Russia’s current borders can also use the simplified route.¹

Study or Work in Russia

Graduates of a state-accredited Russian higher education program with a distinction diploma can apply without the standard residency or exams. Others who completed professional or higher education in Russia and worked at least one year in their field within Russia qualify for the simplified path as well.¹

Military Service and Refugee Status

Foreign citizens who sign a Russian Armed Forces contract for at least one year are exempt from the five-year residency requirement. Recognized refugees and those granted political asylum need one year of permanent residence before applying.¹

Compatriot Resettlement Program

Participants in the State Program for Assisting the Voluntary Resettlement of Compatriots Living Abroad, along with their family members, can apply after obtaining a residence permit without waiting out the full residency period. The program is aimed at ethnic Russians and Russian-speaking populations in former Soviet states.

Citizenship by Birth

Some readers may already be citizens without a naturalization application. A child born to two Russian-citizen parents is Russian at birth regardless of location. A child of one Russian parent and one foreign parent is a Russian citizen if born on Russian territory or if the child would otherwise be stateless. Children born in Russia to foreign or stateless parents qualify when they cannot obtain their parents’ citizenship.¹

Residence Permits Come First

You cannot apply for citizenship directly. The usual sequence is a temporary residence permit (RVP), then a permanent residence permit (VNZh), then citizenship. The RVP requires that you stay in Russia for more than six months per calendar year. Once you hold the permanent permit, the five-year clock for general naturalization begins. Simplified categories can shorten or skip parts of this ladder, but the permanent residence permit remains the minimum starting point before you can file a citizenship application.

Foreign citizens married to a Russian citizen for at least three years, or married with a common child, may be able to obtain a residence permit directly without first holding a temporary permit.²

The Language, History, and Law Exam

Under the general procedure, you must pass a standardized exam covering Russian language, Russian history, and the fundamentals of Russian legislation. The language portion has five sections: vocabulary and grammar, reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The passing threshold is 66 percent on each section, with limited allowance for a lower score on one section if the others are stronger. The exam is administered at authorized testing centers throughout Russia.³

Many simplified-pathway applicants are exempt from the exam entirely. These include people born in the RSFSR who held Soviet citizenship, people with a Russian parent residing in Russia, and graduates of Russian higher education programs. Applicants aged 70 and older and Group I disabled individuals are also exempt.¹

Documents to Prepare

The application package is document-heavy. Exact contents vary by pathway, but a typical general-naturalization applicant should gather:

Current national passport and birth certificate.
A valid permanent residence permit (VNZh).
Marriage or divorce certificates, if applicable.
Medical certificates showing negative results for HIV, tuberculosis, leprosy, syphilis, and drug use. These screenings are required for any foreigner staying in Russia beyond 90 days and are part of the citizenship package.⁴
Proof of passing the Russian language, history, and legislation exam, unless exempt.
Passport-style photographs meeting Russian format specifications.

Foreign-language documents need certified Russian translations. Depending on your country, birth and marriage certificates may also require an apostille or consular legalization. Every document must be within its validity period at submission.

One change under the 2023 law matters for many applicants: Russia no longer requires you to renounce your existing citizenship as a condition of naturalization. The old law treated renunciation as a prerequisite; the new law dropped it.¹

Filing, Fees, and Processing Times

If you are inside Russia, you file with the territorial migration office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) for your region. From abroad, you file through a Russian consulate. The process may involve an in-person appointment, biometric collection, and an interview.

The state duty (gosposhlina) for a citizenship application is 4,200 rubles, and the same fee applies for renunciation. Pay it before or at submission and include the receipt in your package.

General-procedure applications can take up to 12 months from filing. Simplified-pathway applications are typically processed within three to six months. Actual times vary by region and application volume.

Taking the Oath

Approval is not the finish line. Once your application is approved, you must take the Oath of a Citizen of the Russian Federation. The oath text in Article 21 requires you to swear to observe the Constitution and laws of Russia, perform the duties of a citizen, defend the country’s freedom and independence, and be faithful to Russia. Citizenship legally takes effect the day you take the oath, not the day the application is approved. If you fail to take the oath within one year of approval, the decision is automatically voided.¹

People under 18, individuals recognized as legally incapacitated, and those physically unable to read or pronounce the text because of a disability are exempt from the oath. After taking it, you can apply for a Russian internal passport and, if needed, a Russian international travel passport.

What to Weigh Before Applying

How Russia Treats Dual Citizenship

Russia does not prohibit its citizens from holding foreign citizenship, but it does not recognize it either. On Russian territory, Russian authorities treat a dual citizen exclusively as a Russian citizen and will not acknowledge the protections tied to another passport.

Russian citizens who acquire a foreign citizenship or a foreign permanent residence document must notify the MVD within 60 days. If you are abroad when you acquire the foreign status, the notification is due within 30 days of your next entry into Russia. Failure to comply can bring criminal or administrative penalties.

The U.S. State Department has warned that Russia will not recognize U.S. citizenship for dual U.S.-Russian nationals, has forced dual citizens to serve in the military, and has prevented them from leaving the country. U.S. consular officers have also been blocked from visiting detained dual citizens.⁵

Military Conscription

Russian men aged 18 to 30 are subject to mandatory military conscription. The upper age limit was raised from 27 to 30 in recent years, and conscription campaigns run year-round as of 2026. The MVD is required to share information about newly naturalized citizens electronically with military registration authorities, so a male applicant of conscription age will appear on the rolls promptly after taking the oath. Women are not subject to conscription. Deferments exist for specific circumstances, including enrollment in higher education.

When Citizenship Can Be Revoked

Article 5 states that a Russian citizen cannot be deprived of citizenship or the right to change it, but Article 22 carves out exceptions that apply to naturalized citizens. Citizenship can be terminated involuntarily on three grounds:¹

Commission or preparation of certain serious crimes, including terrorism, extremism, espionage, armed rebellion, drug trafficking, and other offenses tied to national security. Article 24 lists the specific Criminal Code provisions that trigger revocation.
Fraud in the application, including forged documents or willful misrepresentations that were the basis for admission.
Actions posing a threat to national security, defined more broadly than the specific criminal offenses.

Voluntary renunciation is available but restricted. You cannot renounce Russian citizenship if you have outstanding tax or financial obligations to Russia, are subject to enforcement proceedings, face criminal charges, or would be left stateless as a result.¹

1
Refworld. Federal Law of 28 April 2023 No. 138-FZ On the Citizenship of the Russian Federation
2
Kremlin.ru. Law Preventing Foreign Citizens From Obtaining a Temporary Residence Permit Through Sham Marriages
3
Baikal State University. Center for Testing of Foreign Citizens in Russian as a Foreign Language
4
Association of European Businesses. FAQ RE: Medical Tests, Fingerprinting, and Photographing of Foreigners
5
Travel.State.gov. Russia Travel Advisory