Immigration to Russia from Kyrgyzstan. Citizenship by Agreement. Part - 2

Citizenship by Agreement

If there are legal grounds and the necessary conditions are met, a foreign citizen has the right to submit an application for admission to Russian citizenship in a simplified manner in accordance with the Agreement between the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and the Russian Federation on the simplified procedure for acquiring citizenship dated February 26, 1999 (hereinafter referred to as citizenship by agreement).

In everyday life, this international agreement is often referred to as a quadrilateral agreement between the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and the Russian Federation or simply as the quadrilateral agreement.

Advantages of the Procedure for Admission to Russian Citizenship by Agreement

The procedure for admission to Russian citizenship under the international agreement is a specific case of admission to Russian citizenship in a simplified manner, but it has a number of significant features that, in most cases, greatly simplify and expedite the process of acquiring Russian citizenship.

For example, the time frame for making a decision on admission to citizenship by agreement is no more than three months from the date the foreign citizen submits the application along with the necessary documents, copies, and photographs (the time frame for informing the applicant of the decision made remains unchanged at thirty days).

In addition, when preparing documents for admission to Russian citizenship under the international agreement, the applicant does not need to provide documentary evidence of having a legal source of livelihood, knowledge of the Russian language, or to submit applications to the competent authority of their country of citizenship regarding renunciation of their existing citizenship.

Who Has the Right to Apply for Russian Citizenship by Agreement

First, let’s consider who exactly has the opportunity to obtain Russian citizenship by agreement.

Firstly, only citizens of the states that are participants in the aforementioned quadrilateral international agreement on the simplified procedure for acquiring citizenship, i.e., citizens of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the Kyrgyz Republic, have this right.

It follows that stateless persons arriving in Russia from the territories of the aforementioned states or residing on their territories cannot obtain Russian citizenship by agreement.

Secondly, the applicant must meet at least one of the three following requirements:
previously held citizenship of the Belarusian SSR, Kazakh SSR, Kyrgyz SSR, or RSFSR and, at the same time, citizenship of the former USSR, and also be a native of Russia;

previously held citizenship of the Belarusian SSR, Kazakh SSR, Kyrgyz SSR, or RSFSR and simultaneously in

citizenship of the former USSR, and also have resided on the territory of Russia until December 21, 1991 (before December 5, 1936, the territories of the republics of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan were part of the RSFSR);
have at least one close relative who is a citizen of Russia and resides permanently in Russia.

Here:
by "permanently residing in Russia," it refers to a close relative who has registration at their place of residence (permanent registration) on the territory of the country according to the internal passport of a Russian citizen or a birth certificate (in the second case - for Russian citizens under the age of 14);

by "close relatives," it refers to the following categories of relatives - the spouse of the applicant (the duration of the marriage does not matter), one of their parents or adoptive parents, a child, including an adopted child, as well as a biological sister, brother, grandfather, grandmother, grandson, or granddaughter of the applicant.

This list of "close relatives" is established by the relevant international treaty and is exhaustive.

What Conditions Must Be Met for Admission to Citizenship by Agreement

For the applicant to have the right to submit an application for admission to Russian citizenship by agreement, they must first meet two conditions, which together mean their relocation for permanent residence in Russia.

Thus, a citizen of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, or the Kyrgyz Republic must:

Arrange for departure for permanent residence in Russia from their country of citizenship and have a document confirming this circumstance (the requirement for its arrangement should not be confused with the requirement to renounce existing citizenship).

The procedure for arranging departure for permanent residence in Russia, the requirements that must be met, and the conditions necessary for this are established by the national legislation of the applicant's country of citizenship. From the perspective of Russian citizenship legislation, the main thing is for the applicant to have a document confirming the arrangement of the specified departure.

Such a document may be a stamp in the national passport of the foreign citizen and/or a departure slip attached to the document confirming their identity, or other documents that Russia will officially be informed about by the corresponding state.

That is why, when arranging departure for permanent residence in Russia, a foreign citizen should be guided by the provisions of national legislation and strictly comply with them. After all, the relevant requirements for their citizens may have certain peculiarities and change.

In this regard, let’s provide two examples:

Citizens of the Republic of Belarus can arrange for departure for permanent residence in Russia only after obtaining a foreign passport of a citizen of the Republic of Belarus of the series "PP".

Citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic are required to register with the consular office or diplomatic mission of the Kyrgyz Republic in Russia and obtain the corresponding stamp in their national passport, as well as a seal from the authorized body. This requirement follows from the national legislation of this state (Article 49 of the Law on External Migration of the Kyrgyz Republic dated July 17, 2000, No. 61).

There may be other peculiarities and specific requirements that we recommend clarifying with the officials of the corresponding state authorized to arrange departure for permanent residence outside the country of citizenship (including when departing to Russia).

To be a foreign citizen permanently residing in Russia, i.e., to have a residence permit in Russia, as well as registration at their place of residence in the country.

At the same time, the duration of the applicant's permanent residence in Russia when obtaining citizenship by agreement does not matter.

From this provision follows a very important conclusion – it is not possible to submit an application for admission to Russian citizenship in a simplified manner in accordance with the international agreement outside of Russia, i.e., at a Russian diplomatic mission abroad.

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