Russian citizens will have to surrender their international passports if they are called up for military or alternative service. These requirements are set out in a law approved by the Federation Council. On June 7, 2023, Russian senators backed a law that:
- establishes the grounds on which an international passport can be declared invalid;
- requires citizens to surrender their international passports if their right to leave the country is restricted, or if they are called up for military or alternative service.
Under the new rules, no later than 5 working days from the day the passport holder is notified of a decision restricting their right to leave the country, they must surrender the document to the authority that issued it - that is, to the migration department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or an MFC (multifunctional public services center). It will be held there until the restriction period ends or the document's validity expires.
The law applies to those called up for standard conscript service or as part of mobilization. For conscription, male Russian citizens aged 18 to 27 who are not in the reserve and who have been notified of a call-up decision against them will be required to surrender their international passport for safekeeping. Special attention is given to those discharged from the FSB. They too will be required to hand over their international passport for safekeeping. The period during which they cannot use the document is 5 years from the date of discharge.
Another area the authors of the new law worked on was the grounds on which an international passport can be declared invalid.
The list includes:
- loss of the document;
- a change of full name, sex, or other personal information;
- the holder's death;
- the international passport becoming unusable;
- the holder renouncing Russian citizenship.
The document will also be declared invalid if its holder has access to state secrets but has not surrendered the passport for safekeeping without good reason. Official and diplomatic documents can be declared invalid if they are not surrendered within 5 days after their holders return from a trip abroad.
It's important to understand that, despite the Federation Council's approval, the law has not yet taken effect. It must be signed by the President of Russia, and its provisions will take effect six months after that. So Russian citizens have six months to consider the question of obtaining alternative citizenship.
A second citizenship or a residence permit makes it possible to legally stay abroad and obtain visas to other countries. This is especially important if the new law's reach is extended to those who have already left the country. After all, if they are required to return their international passports while staying in another country, a question arises that cannot be answered with certainty right now: on what grounds would they then be able to remain abroad? And a second question: how can a Russian citizen renew an existing residence permit if they no longer have a document confirming their citizenship, or if that document has been declared invalid?
Of course, there are no Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs offices or multifunctional centers handling Russian documents abroad. So a Russian citizen located in Georgia, Turkey, or Germany cannot simply go and hand over their international passport for safekeeping. But if they decide to return to Russia, it's entirely possible they will receive the relevant notice at the border. As a result, after surrendering the document under the new requirements, they would no longer be able to leave the country. In this situation, a second citizenship specifically can be the solution to the problem. That's why it's worth considering obtaining one now, while the law restricting exit from the country has not yet taken effect. Follow the link below for a list of residence-permit and citizenship-by-investment programs available to Russian citizens.
Follow the link below for a list of residence-permit and citizenship-by-investment programs available to Russian citizens.
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