Opening a bank account as a foreigner

This page is for Turkish citizens who want to open an account at a Russian bank in order to receive their salary, pay rent, or cover daily expenses in Russia. Foreigners can open accounts in Russia; however, which bank you can go to, what information the bank will request from you, and how the account will be opened are determined by law. Below you will find the rules, steps, and ways to protect your account. For cards, transfers, and cash foreign-currency limits, see R8.1.

• Under Russian currency legislation, foreign non-residents may open a ruble or foreign-currency account in Russia only at authorized banks (уполномоченные банки). An authorized bank is a Russian bank licensed to conduct foreign-currency transactions.
• Turkish citizens who enter with a visa, work with a work permit, or hold a temporary residence permit (РВП) are considered non-residents.
• A foreigner who obtains a residence permit (ВНЖ) in Russia becomes a resident and may open a deposit account at any bank.
• The Central Bank's financial literacy website recommends calling the bank before going there to ask whether it works with foreigners and which documents it requires.
• You can check the bank's license in the Central Bank's register of financial-market participants.

• Under anti-money-laundering legislation, Russian banks identify every customer. According to Central Bank Regulation No. 499-П, information collected from a foreign customer includes:
  • first name, last name, date of birth, and citizenship
  • identity-document details: a passport for foreigners
  • a document showing the right to stay or live in Russia: visa, temporary residence permit, or residence permit; if there is no other document, a migration card (миграционная карта)
  • your address of residence or stay in Russia (migration-registration address; see R2.1)
  • tax identification number (ИНН), if available (see R9.2)
  • social security number (СНИЛС), if available
  • telephone number and email
  • information about the purpose of the banking relationship and your financial situation

• Russian banks are prohibited from opening an account without the person opening it being physically present.
• Exceptions are limited. For example, a Russian bank may have a foreign bank identify a foreign customer under an agreement between the two banks. In this case, the account may be opened remotely.
• In practice, you open your account in Russia, at a bank branch, using your passport.

1. Complete your migration registration. The bank will ask for your address in Russia. Keep the detachable part of the migration-registration document (see R2.1).
2. Choose an authorized bank and call the bank to ask whether it opens accounts for foreigners and which documents it requires.
3. Prepare your documents: passport, visa, migration card, and migration-registration document. If you have ИНН and СНИЛС numbers, bring them as well.
4. Ask about passport translation. Some procedures require a notarized Russian translation of your passport (for example, for a SIM card if your name is not written in English in your passport; see R8.3). Your bank will tell you in advance whether it requires one.
5. Go to the branch in person. Read and sign the bank agreement and fee schedules (account-maintenance fees, card fees, and transfer limits).
6. Collect your card and mobile application. A Russian telephone number is generally required for online banking and the Faster Payments System (see R8.3).
7. At branches of some banks, you can verify your Gosuslugi account and register your biometric data in the government system. Gosuslugi states that Sber, Solidarnost, and T-Bank are among these banks.

• Deposits and accounts at banks in Russia are covered by state insurance. The law expressly includes foreign citizens in the definition of an "insured depositor".
• If the bank's license is revoked, a payment of up to a total of 1,400,000 rubles is made for all your accounts at that bank.
• If you have more than one account at the same bank, the payment is limited to this cap and distributed proportionally among the accounts.
• This amount applies to banks where the insured event occurs after October 30, 2025 (the text of the law dated July 31, 2025).

• Income tax is charged on interest from bank deposits in Russia. If you are not a tax resident, 15% is applied to your interest income.
• The tax authority calculates the tax based on information reported by banks. The portion of the total interest earned in a year equal to "1 million rubles × the highest key rate for that year" is deducted from the taxable amount.
• For residents and tax-return deadlines, see R9.1.

• If the bank detects signs of fraud in your transfer, it suspends the transaction for two days and informs you (see R8.1).
• If your information has been entered into the Central Bank's fraud database, the bank may suspend your bank card and online banking. In this case, your online transfers to yourself or others are limited to 100,000 rubles per month; store and bill payments are not restricted.
• First, request a written explanation from your bank. If you believe you were entered into the database unfairly, you can appeal to the Central Bank online.

• Bank branch — accounts are opened in person; request the bank's list of documents for foreigners in advance.
• Central Bank of Russia (Банк России) — banking disputes, appeals against blocks, and license inquiries
  • Address: 12 Neglinnaya Street, Building V, 107016 Moscow
  • Telephone: 300 (free from mobile phones) · 8 800 300 30 00 (free within Russia) · +7 499 300 30 00 (24/7)
  • Online application: cbr.ru/contactBR/161-FZ
• Bank branches — verification of a Gosuslugi account and biometric registration
• Municipal service centers (МФЦ) — opening a Gosuslugi account and obtaining СНИЛС
  • Nearest locations: map.gosuslugi.ru

• Going to the bank without completing migration registration. The bank will ask for your address in Russia.
• Applying to a bank without a foreign-currency license.
• Trying to open the account remotely through intermediaries. As a rule, accounts are opened in person.
• Signing the agreement without reading the fee schedules.
• Failing to provide the bank with new information when your passport or visa is renewed.
• Sharing your card or online-banking password with someone else. This may be a crime in Russia (see R8.1).
• Assuming that you can withdraw cash dollars or euros from a foreign-currency account.

• Can I open an account with a tourist visa? The law allows foreigners to open accounts at authorized banks; the bank uses your visa and migration card for identification. Each bank applies its own customer-acceptance rules, so ask in advance.
• Can I open an account without an ИНН? ИНН is listed among the information requested by the bank as "if available." If you do not have one, this does not prevent the account from being opened; however, you may need it later (see R9.2).
• Can I open an account at a Russian bank online from Türkiye? As a rule, no. Accounts are opened in person; remote opening is possible only in the limited exceptions specified by law.
• Is my deposit insured? Yes. Foreigners also benefit from deposit insurance, up to a total of 1,400,000 rubles per bank.
• What changes if I obtain a residence permit (ВНЖ)? You become a resident under currency legislation and may open a deposit at any bank. For notification obligations concerning your foreign accounts, see R9.5.
• Can I send my salary to my account at a Turkish bank? Persons who are not residents of a friendly country may transfer foreign currency abroad without limits from their accounts at Russian banks (see R8.1). Also ask whether your Turkish bank accepts incoming transfers.

• Central Bank: financial-market participant search (bank license)
• Central Bank Regulation 499-П, Annex 1: information requested from customers
• Federal Law 173-FZ, Article 13: accounts of non-residents
• Federal Law 177-FZ, Article 11: deposit insurance amount
• Central Bank: frequently asked questions about card blocking
• Central Bank: online application page
• Gosuslugi: service-center map