Pros and cons of dual citizenship in Russia

Advantages

The benefits of dual citizenship include:

Gaining the opportunity to enjoy all the rights existing in both states.
Free, unhindered travel across countries.
The opportunity to receive diplomatic support from both states at once in case of problems in a third country.
Subsidies, social payments, as well as doing business - all this is allowed in two states at the same time.
Any other benefits and advantages that the two states may provide.
You do not need to present a foreign passport when entering the country that gave you your second citizenship.

People who are citizens of both countries are called binationals.

Flaws

Although they have certain restrictions on civic duties, this does not mean that there are few for these social elements. For example, dual citizenship issues may include the following:

In some cases, there may be more social responsibilities; for example, in one country a Russian woman may become liable for military service after receiving dual citizenship.
It is a rare, but very unpleasant situation when a binational citizen undertakes to join the ranks of both armies. Because if these two countries started a war between themselves, then he must appear at the military registration and enlistment office at the appointed time. And if a person ignores the summons, then he is punished according to the laws of the military tribunal.
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If a child was born in a neighboring country, then he becomes a binational, but the parents may have problems with the opportunity to return home, because they can leave, but according to the law of the state, the child can no longer be taken out, since he has become part of another country. Any attempts to take a child home are considered theft by foreigners, despite the fact that they are his parents. In this case, you need to contact the consulate of your country on the territory of a foreign state and deprive the child of the acquired citizenship. Such cases were previously frequent, especially in Turkey and Germany, so a special agreement had to be created by Turkish and German legislation allowing them to take home their newborn children.

Dual citizenship: pros and cons for citizens of the Russian Federation

The government in Russia does not prohibit Russians from having two documents, but hiding this fact carries a separate responsibility. According to the law, the offender bears administrative or criminal liability for concealing his new status. You will have to pay about 1,000 rubles for providing false, incomplete or untimely information.

From 2021, bipatrids who concealed their status in Russia will be sentenced to 400 hours of correctional labor or imprisonment for a certain period. Dual citizenship (we have already described the pros and cons for Russian citizens) has now become a more understandable concept. To avoid problems with the law, you just need to not break the law. But the law enforcement agencies of the Russian Federation themselves declare a lack of resources to find citizens who have hidden their new status.

What threatens a citizen if he hides his second citizenship?

In case of deliberate concealment, a person faces punishment for dual citizenship. They can issue a large fine for this, up to 200 thousand Russian rubles, or in the amount of the entire annual income at work, or assign up to 400 hours of correctional labor. Having a criminal record can greatly harm your career in the future, and it will also be more difficult to obtain citizenship of another state.

Mitigating point: when submitting a notification of second citizenship outside the stipulated time limits, incomplete or partially false information, you face an administrative fine in the range of 500–1000 rubles per person.

The Main Directorate for Migration Issues of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the authorities do not specifically look for representatives of such citizens, so if you carefully hide this fact, you may never get caught, because no checks are carried out. A person can be brought to the attention of the Department of Internal Affairs and transferred to law enforcement agencies only if he is among the suspects in this matter. To protect yourself from all hypothetical accidental consequences, it is recommended to contact the GUVM department and report the presence of a second passport.

The first thing you need to do is come in person to the Department of Internal Affairs at your place of registration in Russia, or send a written notification via Russian Post, and then come in person to confirm all available data. It is prohibited to send a notification letter from abroad. If a binational person does not have a permanent place of registration, then you can go to the local address where the person currently lives, to the nearest branch. To begin with, a form is filled out in Russian, which will confirm the notification of dual citizenship. The dual citizenship notification form can be downloaded here.

You can write the information by hand or type it, but dashes and corrections of letters are not allowed, otherwise you will have to rewrite everything. Some columns can be filled in the English alphabet. All required copies of documents are attached to the form: a Russian passport and a passport of another country. If a bipatriate is under 18 years of age, then one of the parents or a guardian comes to the GUVM office to fill out the form.

The application form for obtaining Russian citizenship and a sample of filling out the application can be downloaded here.

Second citizenship: what is it?

The fact that citizens of the Russian Federation acquire citizenship of a foreign state with which there is no Agreement on issues of dual citizenship is considered not as dual citizenship, but as the acquisition of second citizenship .

A citizen of the Russian Federation who has acquired a second citizenship retains the status of a citizen of the Russian Federation and uses only Russian documents on the territory of the Russian Federation.

In any foreign country of residence, such a citizen has the right to present both Russian documents and documents from the country of acquisition of second citizenship.

There are certain conditions for the acquisition of Russian citizenship by foreign citizens whose country of citizenship has not concluded an international treaty on issues of dual citizenship.

In particular , to accept Russian citizenship in the absence of an international treaty, a foreign person must renounce his national citizenship.

Second citizenship requires such a citizen to comply only with Russian legislation.

Fatherland legislation allows foreign citizens to acquire Russian citizenship.

However, to do this they need to renounce their national citizenship.

Russian citizens are also given the right to acquire foreign citizenship and, if necessary, renounce their national citizenship. A citizen of the Russian Federation who has several foreign citizenships is, according to the laws of the Russian Federation, a Russian citizen.

However, a citizen acquiring foreign citizenship is obliged to notify the migration authority of the Russian Federation about this within the prescribed period. Otherwise, the person may be brought to administrative or criminal liability.

What information is included in the form?

Standard data is entered: full name, date of birth, place of registration, current temporary address in the country, series and number of passport (Russian national), second citizenship, series and number of a passport of another country. Then the binational undertakes to provide the date and basis for obtaining the current second citizenship, all necessary information regarding the validity period and renewal of documents allowing full residence in another country. At the end, copies of the Russian and second passports are attached.

What liability can a person bear for having multiple citizenships?

According to the current legislation of the Russian Federation, criminal or administrative penalties are not provided for persons who have acquired second citizenship of another state.

However, there are still some nuances that must be taken into account. That is, if a citizen of the Russian Federation has received a second citizenship or an official document that allows him to live in another country, then he must notify the Federal Migration Service about this. In this case, the person’s notification to the Federal Migration Service of the Russian Federation must be received no later than 60 days from the date of receipt of official documents allowing him to reside and enjoy rights in the territory of another country.

If a person ignores the obligation to notify the Federal Migration Service of Russia, then sanctions will be taken against him, in accordance with Article 330/2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. That is, if the following sanctions can be imposed on a person:

A fine, the amount of which will reach up to 200,000 rubles.
Salary or other income of the offender for 12 months.
Correctional work from 250 to 400 hours.

That is why you should not neglect such a formality as notification of obtaining a second citizenship.

However, these penalties cannot be imposed in the absence of notification to a certain category of persons. This category includes:

Citizens of the Russian Federation who have a residence permit outside the country.
Citizens of the Russian Federation who have received second citizenship in Tajikistan or Turkmenistan.

How to become binational

There are several possible options:

The simplest method, but one that carries with it a lot of hassle, is to live in another country for several years without breaking any laws. When the period of temporary residence has been exhausted, you should visit the consulate of your home country in the territory of your temporary place of residence, where they should explain in detail how to obtain a second citizenship.
In principle, almost any country can grant dual citizenship, with the exception of Israel and the United Arab Emirates in relation to each other's citizens. To become a resident of Israel, you need to be able to prove your Jewishness and go through the repatriation program. Rich people, public figures, artists, scientists, cultural experts who are able to pay a large sum to obtain Israeli citizenship can also join the Israeli people. This means that although it is difficult to become an Israeli, it is possible to become an Israeli, but your previous citizenship will have to be revoked.
After paying the state fee, a person becomes a full-fledged bipatriate, from that moment he is allowed to run a business, study, start a family, have benefits and buy housing on an equal basis with other citizens. The only disadvantage of dual citizenship is the lack of voting rights when elections are held. Bipatrids are not allowed to vote in both countries, this also applies to Russia.
The second option is to obtain dual citizenship by birthright. A baby born in the United States and Germany receives citizenship there, even if his parents are Russian. And there are also countries with the “right of blood”, which means that if a child was born abroad to Russian parents, then he will remain Russian. The right is valid in Russia, Ukraine, the CIS, China and other Asian countries.
It seems that everything is simple, it is enough to give birth to a child in the desired country, but everything may not turn out to be so rosy in the future. For example, residents whose country ceases to be a state become stateless—people without legal affiliation with a country. It is also possible to lose contact with the state if you commit a state crime (the person becomes stateless). If there is a war in a state, then a person has the opportunity to become a refugee, falling under the guardianship of another power. Stateless persons are subject to international legal laws.

Rarer ways:

Naturalization method (acceptance of citizenship at will) based on an application. It assumes that the candidate has certain skills, knowledge and abilities that will be useful to a particular state: thorough knowledge of the language, availability of his own living space, special education, etc.
Inheritance law. A very rare phenomenon that occurs exclusively in some European countries, for example, in Latvia. The descendants of the indigenous people who lived in the country before June 17, 1940 become equal members of Latvian society. And also those people who moved to Latvia from 1940 to 1990 inclusive have the right to this.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with the law on dual citizenship. And also which countries can have dual citizenship with Russia.

Law on Citizenship of the Russian Federation

The Citizenship Law has been in force since July 1, 2002. According to his definition of Russian citizenship, any individual born on the territory of Russia, if at least one of his parents is a Russian citizen, automatically becomes one. In this case, there is usually no need to undergo additional procedures. For foreign citizens, obtaining civil status in Russia is no longer so easy - before that they will need to go through many authorities.

As the sovereign right of the state

In this meaning, civil status represents the ability of the state to unilaterally regulate intrastate relations.
Not the entire population of the country is so interested in its well-being that it is in their interests to seriously care about it. In this regard, the state, in an effort to strengthen its reliability, tries to ensure that the majority of the population consists of people who can be trusted when involved in domestic affairs. These people, united among themselves along ideological, spiritual, or at least simple formal legal grounds, receive civil status.

In order for the association of citizens on a formal legal basis to be effective, the state establishes rules according to which civil status is recognized, acquired and withdrawn from people.

As a public legal state

Each individual who is in civil relations with the state forms a close legal connection with it, as a result of which he very clearly feels that he belongs to it. Such a connection is stable (perpetual and unchangeable) and has priority compared to other types of legal connections between citizens and government bodies.

The legal status of a person in a state is determined by the presence or absence of the status of a citizen. Civil status equally provides a person with protection and patronage from the state, and imposes on him the obligation to fulfill his sovereign will. Deprivation of a person's citizenship is possible only in situations permitted by law.

Another state, close in meaning to civil legal status, is citizenship. This state, like the civil one, is also a state of the individual belonging to his state. But if you take a closer look, you can see that they are noticeably different from each other.

The status of citizenship, as a rule, is issued by states with a monarchical form of government , which means that its bearers belong to the state to a much greater extent than citizens. A subject, like a citizen, is endowed with an established set of rights and responsibilities, but, unlike him, is not a subject of power in the country in which he lives.

Relations between citizens and the state are built on a completely different principle and form a state of complementary affiliation. The state belongs to the citizens just as the citizens belong to it. The civil collective is the dominant subject of supreme power, whose composition is determined by legislatively established norms.

Citizenship as a legal status operates not only in republican countries, but also in many states that practice a monarchical form of government (for example, Japan). Thus, the main difference between citizenship and citizenship is not in the form of government, but in the fact that a citizen is the subject of supreme power in the country in which he lives, but a subject is not.

Constitutional and Legal Institute

It is a set of constitutional norms regulating relations between the state and the persons within it - be they citizens, non-citizen individuals or foreigners . The norms of this institute determine:

the category of those who can be recognized as Russian citizens;
the reasons for the assignment and deprivation of civil status;
possibility of dual and multiple citizenship.

In which countries is it legal to become a binational?

List of countries:

Russia. Officially, only Turkmens and Tajiks can be binational, but in fact, any other visitors can be.
Latvia. Only those who moved long ago, up to 1990, but not earlier than 1940.
Lithuania. People who were deprived of citizenship before reaching adulthood do not have to deprive themselves of belonging to another country when they acquire Lithuanian citizenship again.
Israel.
Spain.
Chile, Türkiye, Greece.
Argentina (belonging to either Italy or Spain).
Dominican Republic, Brazil, Jamaica, Ireland.
Germany. Children of emigrants can be binational even when they are 23 years old. Previously, at this age you had to choose whether to leave German citizenship or accept the citizenship of your parents.

Where is it prohibited to be bipatriate?

List of countries and continents:

Almost all of Africa, with the exception of its western part.
All countries and islands of Central Asia.
Baltic states, Belarus and Ukraine.
Central Europe, limited - Spain.
Some small countries in South and North America.

The list also includes: Uruguay, the Netherlands, the USA, the Philippines, Honduras, Mexico, France, Austria, Sweden, South Africa, Bolivia, Japan and Norway.

Who demands to renounce previous citizenship:

Latvia, with the exception of persons who moved in 1940-1990.
Germany through naturalization, but there are exceptions.
Switzerland.

How to get American

For persons wishing to become Americans, there are a number of ways to obtain US citizenship:

entering into a marriage with an American ;
participation in the government lottery (Green Card drawing);
naturalization (based on long-term, permanent and legal residence in the States);
birth in America (“by jus soli” the United States grants the child citizenship automatically);
investing money in any sector of the US economy (from $500,000 or more), or purchasing expensive real estate;
serving in American military units on a contract basis.

However, it must be taken into account that the current political situation may prevent a Russian citizen from using any of these options.

EU

The main ways to obtain EU citizenship:

departure for permanent residence in Europe (first it is recommended to settle in one of the EU countries, and then apply for a residence visa);
restoration of a family with ethnic roots (applies to cases where one of the relatives already lived in one of the EU countries);
entering into a marriage with a citizen of the chosen country;
birth in the EU (provided that one of the parents already has citizenship of the relevant state);
investing (for example, purchasing debt obligations of a country or expensive real estate on its territory).

How can a Russian citizen obtain Egyptian citizenship? What are the conditions for obtaining Israeli citizenship? Find out here.

Is it possible to automatically change citizenship? Read on.

Almost everyone knows what citizenship of each EU country gives:

High-quality education, high-quality medicine, the opportunity to freely visit 157 countries of the world, etc.
Citizens of EU countries (Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Poland, etc.) can reside unlimitedly in any part of the European Union.

Therefore, the answer to the question “why” in this case is obvious; you just need to choose the most suitable way to achieve your goal.