Russia has tightened the rules for staying in the country and obtaining citizenship. Deputies of the State Duma of Russia have adopted a bill in the first reading, according to which foreigners with a criminal record will be denied citizenship or the right to stay in the country. The bill was introduced by the government […]
Russia has tightened the rules for staying in the country and obtaining citizenship.
Deputies of the State Duma of Russia have adopted a bill in the first reading, according to which foreigners with a criminal record will be denied citizenship or the right to stay in the country.
The bill was introduced by the government of Russia. The law will come into effect 180 days after its publication.
According to the new rules, all foreigners who have an unexpunged or outstanding criminal record for any crime, regardless of its severity, will not be able to obtain a temporary residence permit (TRP), a residence permit (RP), or Russian citizenship. The new law imposes these restrictions for all types of crimes.
In addition, all foreigners over the age of 14 will be required to provide a physical document confirming the absence or presence of a criminal record when applying for a TRP and RP.
The Chairman of the State Duma of Russia, Vyacheslav Volodin, stated that this bill also provides for the annulment of previously issued temporary residence permits or residence permits for foreigners with an unexpunged or outstanding criminal record for committing any crime within Russia or abroad.
Currently, the new rules will not apply to those who obtained a TRP, RP, or Russian citizenship before the law comes into effect.
Additionally, for citizens of Ukraine, a two-year transitional period is proposed after the law comes into effect, and they will not be required to provide certificates of no criminal record, as Ukrainian authorities do not issue documents confirming the absence of a criminal record for their citizens to present to the competent authorities of the Russian Federation.
Earlier, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia, spoke in April 2025 about the need to tighten migration policy. According to him, migrants with an outstanding criminal record “pose a serious threat to state security.”
The new bill has been adopted against the backdrop of discussions in Russia about implementing new measures to tighten control in the migration sphere. In particular, in early May, the Russian government submitted a bill to the State Duma proposing a multiple increase in state duties in the migration sphere. At that time, the government proposed to increase the state duty for obtaining Russian citizenship almost 12 times — from 4,200 to 50,000 rubles.
It was also proposed to double the list of administrative offenses for which foreign citizens will be subject to expulsion. The number of these articles will increase from 22 articles of the Administrative Offenses Code to 43, as well as increase the fines for certain administrative offenses.
According to Vyacheslav Volodin, all of this is intended to enhance public safety and strengthen control over migrants.