All news

More than 50,000 in Russia notify migration service of holding dual citizenship

A law that obliges Russian citizens, who have either dual citizenship or a residence permit abroad, to notify the Federal Migration Service within 60 days' time, came into force on August 4

MOSCOW, September 29. /ITAR-TASS/. Since mid-August, more than 50,000 people in Russia have notified the Federal Migration Service (FMS) on holding dual citizenship, FMS head Konstantin Romodanovsky told ITAR-TASS.

A law that obliges Russian citizens, who have either dual citizenship or a residence permit abroad, to notify FMS within 60 days' time, came into force on August 4. FMS has been accepting notifications about dual citizenship until October 4.

"People with dual citizenship have been actively demonstrating compliance, but not in full measure," Romodanovsky said. He hopes that all the citizens who have dual Russian citizenship will comply with the bill when the deadline for submitting the notifications expires.

Citizens who intentionally conceal dual citizenship face a fine worth $5,000 or might be sentenced to 400 hours of community service, Romodanovsky said.

According to the results of a public opinion poll conducted by the Russia Public Opinion Research Center in August, around 88% of the respondents said they do not want to go abroad to stay there permanently; eleven percent said that would rather leave Russia, but approximately half of them are not doing anything for the emigration yet.