A Tajik national was accused of registering a fictitious marriage in the Smolensk region

According to the Smolensk News portal, in 2022 a Tajik man married a woman from Smolensk, but the marriage was declared invalid.

However, in 2024, the court determined that the spouses did not manage a joint budget or household, and had never lived together. There were no genuine family relations between them: mutual care and financial support were absent. They did not acquire property for joint living.

Upon verification, it was found that the citizen of Tajikistan did not have valid registration in the Russian Federation and was included in the blacklist of individuals banned from entering the country.

According to the provisions of migration legislation, marrying a citizen of the Russian Federation can be a basis for obtaining a temporary residence permit in the country and citizenship in a simplified manner. Therefore, the court concluded that the marriage between the spouses was fictitious.

The prosecutor demanded that the court annul the marriage registration record.

In September 2024, the court granted the prosecutor’s request and annulled the marriage between the Tajik man and the woman from Smolensk.

The Russian authorities are combating fictitious marriages. Earlier, in April, the State Duma of the Russian Federation adopted a bill aimed at preventing foreigners from obtaining migration status and legalizing themselves in Russia through fictitious marriages. The document proposes to establish a minimum period of two years of marriage with a citizen of Russia to obtain the right to apply for a temporary residence permit in a simplified manner. To obtain a residence permit, it will be necessary to legally confirm the fact of living together with a mother and child—citizens of Russia—for two years.