Russian temporary residence permit could be obtained after 3 years of marriage - Volodin

MOSCOW. Sept 26 (Interfax) - The spouses of Russian citizens could be allowed to apply for a temporary residence permit in Russia after three years of marriage, under an amendment introduced to the State Duma, its speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said.

"Step by step, the State Duma is sorting through a pile of problems in the sphere of migration. Amendments have been made to a bill passed at its first reading, which initially proposed issuing a foreign citizen with our country's temporary residence permit in a simplified manner, i.e. after two years of marriage to a Russian citizen. It would be correct to make at least three years the minimum required marriage period," Volodin told journalists on Thursday.

Only upon the expiry of this period would it possible to apply for a temporary residence permit outside of quota requirements, he said.

A second amendment to the bill aims to fight fictitious fatherhood, he said. "It proposes establishing that receiving a residence permit after adopting a child who is a Russian citizen, without getting married, should only be possible after three years from when co-habitation or a joint household begins," Volodin said.

The changes will make "fictitious marriage useless for expediting the acquisition by a foreigner of Russian citizenship," he said.

According to data from the Russian Interior Ministry, since 2021 there have been 4,300 weddings with a view to obtaining migrant status, Volodin said.