Amendments to the federal law on citizenship require the mandatory submission of a criminal record certificate to the migration service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs when applying for temporary residence, a residence permit, or citizenship of the Russian Federation.
It is important to note that the presence of an unexpunged or unserved criminal record will be grounds for refusal to issue these documents, regardless of the nature of the crime committed or its location. Documents obtained before the new regulations come into effect will remain valid. Children under the age of 14 will be exempt from the requirement to provide certificates.
