Putin signs decree facilitating Russian citizenship acquisition for certain categories of Ukrainian citizens
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree granting the right to the facilitated acquisition of Russian citizenship to the certain categories of Ukrainian citizens, the Kremlin press service said.
From now on, such right is granted to the citizens of Ukraine who do not hold citizenship or nationality of other countries, were born and permanently resided in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol and left the aforementioned territories before March 18, 2014, as well as their children, including adopted, spouses and parents.
Stateless persons, who were born and permanently resided in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol and left the aforementioned territories before March 18, 2014, as well as their children, including adopted, spouses and parents, can acquire Russian citizenship under the new procedure.
The decree also applies to Ukrainian citizens and stateless persons, who have a temporary residence permit in the Russian Federation, a residence permit in the Russian Federation, a refugee certificate, a certificate granting temporary asylum in the Russian Federation or a certificate of a participant in the state program to assist the voluntary resettlement of compatriots living abroad, and who have permanently resided in the territories of the certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine as of April 7, 2014, and April 27, 2014, respectively, as well as their children, including adopted, spouses and parents.
The right to apply for the facilitated acquisition of Russian citizenship was also granted to the foreign citizens and stateless persons, who or whose relatives in the direct ascending line, adoptive parents or spouses were illegally deported from the territory of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, as well as their relatives in the direct descending line, adoptive children and spouses.
The citizens of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Republic of Iraq, the Yemeni Republic, and the Syrian Arab Republic, who were born in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and previously held the Soviet Union's citizenship, as well as their children, including adopted, spouses and parents, can apply for the facilitated acquisition of Russian citizenship as well.
According to the decree, Ukrainian citizens, other foreign citizens and stateless persons can file applications to acquire Russian citizenship under the form listed in the annex at the local branch of the Russian Interior Ministry in the place of their residence or stay in Russia.
The decree also envisages that the period of consideration of applications to acquire Russian citizenship must not exceed three months.
The decree was signed "in order to protect human and civil rights and freedoms, on the basis of universally recognized principles and norms of international law, in accordance with Article 29 of Federal Law No. 62-FZ 'On citizenship of the Russian Federation' of May 31, 2002."