FEDERAL LAW
NO. 62-FZ OF MAY 31, 2002
ON RUSSIAN FEDERATION CITIZENSHIP
http://www.legislationline.org/documents/id/4356Article 13. Admission into Russian Federation Citizenship on General Terms
1. Foreign citizens and stateless persons who have reached the age of 18 and have dispositive capacity are entitled to file a naturalisation application asking for Russian Federation citizenship on general terms on the condition that the said citizens and persons:
a) have been residing in the territory of the Russian Federation since the day when they received a residence permit and to the day when they file a naturalisation application asking for Russian Federation citizenship for five years without a break, except for the cases specified in Part 2 of the present article. The duration of residence in the territory of the Russian Federation shall be deemed without a break if the person left the Russian Federation for a term not exceeding three months in one year. The term of residence in the territory of the Russian Federation for the persons who had arrived to the Russian Federation prior to July 1, 2002 and do not have residence permits, shall be estimated, as of the date of their registration at the place of residence;
b) undertake to observe the Constitution of the Russian Federation and the legislation of the Russian Federation;
c) have a legal source of means of subsistence;
d) have filed applications with the competent body of the foreign state whereby they waived their other citizenship. No waiver of foreign citizenship is required if this is envisaged by an international treaty of the Russian Federation or the present Federal Law or if the waiver of another citizenship is impossible due to reasons beyond the person's control;
e) are in command of the Russian language; the procedure for assessing the level of knowledge of the Russian language shall be established by regulations on the procedure for considering issues concerning Russian Federation citizenship.
On the Organisation of State Testing in the Russian Language, Which Is Foreign to Foreign Nationals and Stateless Persons, for the Admission to the Citizenship of the Russian Federation, see Order of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation No. 2606 of June 20, 2003
See the List of Educational Organisations (Institutions) Conducting the State Testing of Russian as a Foreign Language of Foreign Nationals and Stateless Persons for Admitting them to Citizenship of the Russian Federation, endorsed by Order of the Ministry of Public Education of the Russian Federation No. 735 of February 18, 2004
2. The duration of stay in the territory of the Russian Federation established by Item "a" of Part 1 of the present article is reduced to one year if any of the below grounds exist:
a) the person has high achievements in the field of science, technology and culture; the person has a profession or qualification of interest for the Russian Federation;
b) the person has been granted asylum in the territory of the Russian Federation;
c) the person has been recognised as a refugee in the manner established by a federal law.
3. A person having special merits before the Russian Federation may be admitted to Russian Federation citizenship without the need for observing the conditions stipulated in Part 1 of the present article.
4. Citizens of the states, which have formed part of the USSR, serving at least three years in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and in other forces, military units or bodies on a contractual basis, shall be entitled to apply for admittance into the Russian Federation citizenship without observing the terms provided for by Item "a" of Part One of this Article and without presenting the residence permit.
Federal Law No. 151-FZ of November 11, 2003 reworded Article 14 of this Federal Law. The amendments shall enter into force on the expiry of one month as of the date of the official publication of the said Federal Law
Article 14. Admittance into the Russian Federation Citizenship in a Simplified Manner
1. Foreign citizens and stateless persons who have reached the age of 18 and who have dispositive capacity are entitled to file naturalisation applications asking for Russian citizenship, in a simplified manner without observing the conditions set out in Item "a" of Part One of Article 13 of this Federal Law, if the said citizens and persons:
a) have at least one parent who is a Russian citizen and resides on Russian Federation territory;
b) have had USSR citizenship, and having resided and residing in the states that have formed part of the USSR, have not become citizens of these states and as a result remain stateless persons;
c) are citizens of the states which have formed part of the USSR, have received secondary vocational or higher vocational education at educational institutions of the Russian Federation after July 1, 2002.
2. Foreign citizens and stateless persons residing on the territory of the Russian Federation shall be entitled to apply for admittance to Russian citizenship in a simplified manner without observing the condition concerning the time of residence established by Item "a" of Part One of Article 13 of this Federal Law, if the said citizens and persons:
a) have been born on the territory of the RSFSR and have been citizens of the former USSR;
b) have been married to a citizen of the Russian Federation within at least three years;
c) are disabled persons and have a capable son or daughter who has reached the age of eighteen years and is a citizen of the Russian Federation.
3. Disabled foreign citizens and stateless persons who have come to the Russian Federation from the states which have formed part of the USSR, and are registered at the place of residence in the Russian Federation, as on July 1, 2002, shall be entitled to file an application for admittance to the Russian citizenship in the simplified manner without observing the condition concerning the term of residence on the territory of the Russian Federation established by Item "a" of Part One of Article 13 of this Federal Law and without submitting the residence permit.
4. Foreign citizens and stateless persons who have been citizens of the USSR who have come to the Russian Federation from the states which formed part of the USSR, who are registered at the place of residence in the Russian Federation as on July 1, 2002, or have received a permit for temporary residence in the Russian Federation shall be admitted to citizenship of the Russian Federation in the simplified manner without observing the conditions provided for by Items "a", "c" and "e" of Part One of Article 13 of this Federal Law and without presenting a residence permit if they, prior to January 1, 2006, declare their wish to become citizens of the Russian Federation.
5. Veterans of the Great Patriotic War who have been citizens of the former USSR and reside on the territory of the Russian Federation shall be admitted to Russian Federation citizenship in the simplified manner without observing the conditions provided for by Items "a", "c", "d" and "e" of Part One of Article 13 of this Federal Law and without presenting a residence permit.
6. There shall be admitted to citizenship of the Russian Federation in the simplified manner without observing the conditions provided for by Part One of Article 13 of this Federal Law children and disabled persons who are foreign citizens or stateless persons:
a) a child one of whose parents is a citizen of the Russian Federation - on the application of this parent and in the presence of the other parent's consent to the child's becoming a citizen of the Russian Federation. Such consent shall not be required if the child resides on the territory of the Russian Federation;
b) the child whose only parent is a citizen of the Russian Federation - on the application of this parent;
c) children or disabled persons who are in custody or guardianship - on the application of the custodian or guardian who are citizens of the Russian Federation.
