Starting from January 1, 2026, all foreign citizens wishing to confirm their knowledge of the Russian language, history, and legislation of Russia will undergo testing exclusively in electronic format. This innovation will affect everyone intending to obtain a patent or residence permit.
The Ministry of Education and Science of Russia has confirmed that testing will be conducted on computers. The main goal of this change is to improve the transparency of the process and reduce corruption risks associated with the human factor in assessing knowledge.
Exams will only be held in digital format using remote technologies. Monitoring of the testing process will be conducted in real-time at all 203 testing points. Paper forms and interviews without video recording will also be abolished.
Furthermore, the ministry has decided not to publish exam tasks and answers in the public domain. It is planned to update the question database on a monthly basis.
Exams can only be conducted by state institutions, and oversight of their operations will be carried out by Rosobrnadzor.
