Russia temporary residence permit (RVP)

Article 6 of the Law on the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens sets a three-year RVP issued within the quota approved annually by the government for each region. Outside the quota it can be issued, among others, to people who qualify for a residence permit without an RVP, to minors with a parent temporarily residing in Russia, to those married for at least three years to a Russian citizen permanently residing in Russia (or married with a common child), to people in military service and to participants of the state programme for compatriots.

Foreigners from visa countries who have received a decision to grant an RVP can obtain an ordinary visa of up to four months to enter for temporary residence. After the permit is issued, the migration authorities issue a visa for a temporarily resident person valid for the term of the permit.

The application can be lodged with a Ministry of Internal Affairs office in Russia, through an authorised organisation, or with a Russian embassy or consulate in your country of residence. The ministry must issue or refuse the permit within four months of receiving the application, and applications in Russia can also be filed electronically through the Gosuslugi public services portal. Applicants in Russia give fingerprints and a photo when they apply; those who applied at a consulate do so at the office that issues the permit and must hand in, within 30 days of entering Russia, medical documents showing no drug use and no listed infectious diseases plus an HIV certificate.

Within seven working days of arriving at your place of stay, the receiving party (a hotel, landlord, employer or university) must notify the migration authorities of your arrival under the Law on Migration Registration. Keep the tear-off part of the notification and your migration card, which you receive at the border, until departure. Overstaying or working outside your visa purpose can lead to fines, expulsion and an entry ban.

Within two months after each year from receiving the RVP, you must file a notification confirming your residence in Russia, attaching an income statement, a copy of your tax return or another document showing the amount and source of your income; it can be filed electronically. The permit can be refused or cancelled if you spend more than six months in total outside Russia during a calendar year, except for emergency treatment, serious illness, the death of a close relative abroad or official duty. After a refusal or cancellation you may apply again only one year later.

An RVP lets you live and work in the region of Russia that issued it. Report changes of address through migration registration, and remember that the residence permit route opens after one year of living in Russia on the RVP.