Every year the number of Belarusians living permanently in Russia is constantly growing, and 2021 in this sense was no exception. The Republic of Belarus is part of a state allied with Russia. The requirements for the presence and residence of its citizens on the territory of our country are significantly simplified when compared to citizens of most other states.
“Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus on ensuring equal rights of citizens of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus to freedom of movement, choice of place of stay and residence in the territories of the member states of the Union State” dated January 24, 2006 here.
Statistics of migrants entering Belarus and leaving the country
Preferential conditions are provided for all actions related to temporary registration or permanent residence in Russia, as well as obtaining a residence permit (RP) or Russian citizenship for Belarusians.
Border crossing rules
When entering the territory of the Russian Federation, Belarusians do not need to fill out a migration card.
To register with the territorial body of the Main Directorate for Migration Issues of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (GUVM MIA of the Russian Federation), you will need a travel document (ticket) confirming crossing the country's border. For this reason, in order to avoid unnecessary difficulties, it is advisable for citizens of the Republic of Belarus to keep these documents throughout their stay in the Russian Federation.
Most foreign citizens are given a period of 7 working days after arrival in the Russian Federation to register for migration with the territorial body of the Main Migration Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.
Belarusians do not need to obtain temporary registration at their place of stay if they stay on the territory of the Russian Federation for less than 90 days (Article 3 of the “Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus on ensuring equal rights of citizens of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus to freedom of movement, choice of place of stay and residence in the territories of states - participants of the Union State” dated January 24, 2006).
Temporary registration for citizens of Belarus
Temporary registration in this case means registration with migration authorities. According to current legislation, the receiving party must do this:
- Employer. If a migrant from Belarus comes to Russia for the purpose of employment, the decision on registration rests with the head of the company. If a foreigner intends to reside at the location of the organization and there are all conditions for this, he can be registered at this address.
- Landlord. In 90% of cases, migrants rent housing, and then the landlords must handle migration registration. To do this, just contact the Department of Internal Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs at the address of the apartment with a package of documents.
- Hotel administration. If a foreigner plans to stay in the Russian Federation for more than 90 days and live in a hotel, the registration issue should be handled by the administration of the hotel in which he lives.
Example No. 1: registration of a citizen of Belarus in the Russian Federation
A man came from Minsk to Voronezh for employment in one of the local organizations. When crossing the border, he was given a ticket, dated 10/01/2018. Consequently, without registration, he can stay in Russia for up to 90 days or until December 31, 2018, after which he must leave the Russian Federation.
Immediately after his arrival, the migrant rented an apartment at his own expense and agreed with the owner to register for migration. Registration was completed 14 days after arrival for 1 year. Subsequently, the man found a job and entered into an employment contract with the employer for a period of 5 years. Registration has been extended for a similar period. Despite this, the migrant will have to annually confirm his stay in the Russian Federation through the Department of Internal Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs at his place of residence.
Note! If registration at the place of residence was previously completed by the employer, there is no need to register for migration at the place of residence.
Do Belarusians need temporary registration?
Temporary registration at the place of stay is the registration of foreign citizens in the Russian Federation for migration purposes.
The receiving party is required to carry out this procedure if a citizen of the Republic of Belarus plans to stay in the country for more than 90 days. The receiving party can be a person who is the owner of the residential premises (or the tenant) in which the Belarusian actually resides in the Russian Federation.
A citizen of the Republic of Belarus, if he owns residential premises in the Russian Federation, can be a host for himself, as well as for other foreign citizens. In accordance with Federal Law No. 182-FZ of June 08, 2020, which came into force, the status of a residence permit is no longer required for this.
If a citizen of the Republic of Belarus enters the Russian Federation for the purpose of employment, then the obligation to complete migration registration falls on the employer, but only if the Belarusian actually stays at the address of the organization in which he carries out labor activities, or in the premises of the specified organization that does not have address data (building, structure), including temporary.
You can study all the amendments to the law on migration registration here.
But in the case of a Belarusian staying in a hotel, all necessary procedures related to migration registration are carried out by the administrative staff of this institution.
Is temporary registration required?
Temporary registration of citizens of Belarus means registration in the region of residence. Migrant origin does not provide any additional bonuses.
According to the legislation of the Russian Federation (Federal Law No. 163 of June 2018), the following can apply for registration:
- Citizens of the Russian Federation with permanent registration and personal living space;
- Citizens of other countries with living space in Russia;
- Foreigners who have a residence permit or the status of a qualified specialist;
- Legal entities and international organizations;
- Hotels, hostels and other similar establishments.
Important! The key point is that only the receiving party can register a foreigner (with rare exceptions).
Registration is required if a migrant plans to stay in the country for more than a month. You can carry out the procedure at the MFC, department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, or send the application to a special window at the post office.
How to obtain and what documents are needed
For timely registration of migration registration of a Belarusian, the receiving party (individual or employer) must provide the following documents (and their copies) to the territorial body of the Main Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation at the place of stay within 90 days from the date of crossing the border of the Russian Federation:
- passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation;
- passport of a citizen of the Republic of Belarus;
- a document confirming entry into the territory of the Russian Federation;
- completed notification form;
- a document confirming ownership (or other legal basis) of residential premises.
The notification form can be obtained from the territorial division of the Main Directorate for Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation or downloaded here.
This is what the arrival notification form looks like
After filling out the notification form, all documents are submitted to the inspector for verification. Registration does not take much time and is done almost immediately. After the inspection, the inspector must return the detachable part of the notification form with a mark already affixed and an indication of the permitted period of stay of the Belarusian in the Russian Federation.
You should always have this document with you, since it will be the official confirmation of the legal presence of a citizen of the Republic of Belarus on the territory of the Russian Federation.
Mandatory location (stay) of a citizen of the Republic of Belarus
The place of registration for an arriving Belarusian can be either the residential premises of an individual in which he stays, or the residential premises of the organization in which he carries out work activities and is actually located.
A Belarusian is required to stay at the temporary registration address. If it turns out during the check that the foreigner is at a different address, he may be subject to administrative liability.
Such situations often occur, for example, when citizens of such a country who have entered the Russian Federation are in a completely different place, different from the address of migration registration.
Permitted periods of stay of a citizen of the Republic of Belarus on the territory of the Russian Federation
The permitted period of official stay in Russia for citizens of the Republic of Belarus is no more than 90 days in each half-year from the date the person entered the country. However, if there are sufficient grounds, the permitted period of stay on the territory of the Russian Federation may be extended.
Such grounds are concluding an employment contract or obtaining a residence permit in the Russian Federation. It should be remembered that all documents must be completed in advance, that is, before the end of the current legal grounds for staying in the Russian Federation.
Citizens of the Republic of Belarus can stay on the territory of Russia for no more than 90 days in a six-month period.
Temporary registration for a period of no more than 90 days can be issued during a visit of the receiving party to the territorial unit of the Main Directorate of Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation at the place of residence, at the MFC, in electronic form, or by sending a notification by post. If there are legal grounds to extend migration registration, it is possible, but you will need to visit the authorized body.
Important! Citizens of the Republic of Belarus, if desired, have the opportunity to begin the procedure for obtaining a residence permit at any time after completing migration registration in Russia.
And in this case, the amount of time they managed to stay in our country at the time of filing the application is absolutely unimportant. In addition, these applications will be considered by the authorized body as soon as possible. Thus, unlike citizens of other CIS countries, Belarusians have 3 months to issue a residence permit (clause 23.2 of Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia No. 417 of July 11, 2020).
Also, if a citizen of the Republic of Belarus is in Russia on the basis of a concluded employment contract with an employer, then the validity period of this contract will be the period of the Belarusian’s permitted stay in the country. In situations where the contract with the employer is indefinite, the period of stay in the Russian Federation must be extended every year.
How much does it cost to register temporarily?
The state fee for registration of temporary registration is not provided for by the legislation of the Russian Federation. Agencies providing services of “this kind” set their own tariffs.
It is not recommended to apply for such a service.
Remember: temporary registration can be issued by a person who legally owns a residential premises in which a Belarusian actually resides in the Russian Federation! Therefore, in most cases, these are fictitious registrations, information about which is not available in the database of the Main Directorate for Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.
Particular care should be taken when filling out submitted documents. Employees of the territorial bodies of the Main Directorate for Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation can be very careful about the verification, and even small inaccuracies become the reason for refusal and the need for repeated application.
Be careful when filling out documents. The slightest mistake can be a reason for refusal.
It should also be borne in mind that in the event of a job loss, a Belarusian is given 15 days to conclude a new employment contract (if the established 90 days have already come to an end). Otherwise, you will have to leave the territory of the Russian Federation. Citizens of the Republic of Belarus when working in Russia are exempt from registration of patents.
Important! For exceeding the permitted period of stay in Russia, a citizen of the Republic of Belarus may be subject to an administrative fine in the amount of 2,000 to 5,000 rubles, and for Moscow, St. Petersburg and their regions from 5,000 to 7,000 rubles (Article 18.8 of the Administrative Code), and sanctions may also be applied. in the form of restrictions on subsequent entry into the Russian Federation.
When a citizen of the Republic of Belarus leaves the Russian Federation, his receiving party sends a notice of departure to the territorial unit of the Main Directorate for Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, thereby removing the foreign citizen from the migration register.
What's the result?
For citizens of the Republic of Belarus who come to Moscow, stay in St. Petersburg or any other city in Russia, probably some of the greatest preferences have been created in terms of simplifying border crossing and entry into the country, further registration and residence, and even, as a result, obtaining a residence permit and Russian citizenship.
A few simple steps are enough:
- You should keep your travel document when entering the Russian Federation.
- It is mandatory to register temporarily at the place of stay with the territorial body of the Main Directorate of Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation in Moscow, St. Petersburg or another city when staying in the Russian Federation for more than 90 days.
- Conclude an employment contract or obtain a residence permit to extend the permitted period of stay in the Russian Federation.
- Cross the Russian border in compliance with the 90/180 rule.
- Do not exceed the permissible period of stay on the territory of the Russian Federation.
For citizens of the Republic of Belarus there are no difficulties or pitfalls when traveling to the Russian Federation, and the constant simplification of all procedures makes it easier to prepare the necessary documents.
But even with such a gentle regime, if you absolutely do not want to deal with any registration issues, then there will always be a huge number of commercial organizations that will take on all the hassle associated with migration registration and become the host party for a foreigner.
But at the same time, you should be extremely careful; there are a very large number of scammers operating in this niche who can provide a fake registration, which will not confirm the legality of the presence of a citizen of the Republic of Belarus in the Russian Federation, for which he will later be held accountable.
Renewal of registration in the Russian Federation
When staying on the territory of the Russian Federation, citizens of the Republic of Belarus must monitor the validity of their registration. After its expiration, it is possible to extend the registration at the place of work or residence.
However, this can only be done if there are legal grounds, which include submitting documents for a residence permit, or officially applying for a job in Russia. To renew registration, the applicant should personally re-apply to the Main Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
It is worth remembering that failure to comply with the legal period of stay in Russia threatens Belarusians with deportation from the country with a ban on re-visiting the Russian Federation for several years. That is why registration in Moscow is a mandatory procedure for Belarusians.
Legal assistance in obtaining residence permit and citizenship
Migron, a specialized legal agency for citizens of Belarus in Russia, can help you obtain:
- residence permit,
- NRY,
- Russian citizenship “turnkey” from the very beginning until receiving a passport.
Over 6 years of work, we have helped more than 2,500 foreign citizens obtain Russian citizenship.
- Address: Moscow, Kurskaya metro station, st. Zemlyanoy Val, building 7, office 219
- telephone: + 7 (495) 118 33 71
- Find out how to obtain Russian citizenship on the website migron.ru
