Dual citizenship: notification to Russia and the Türkiye side

This page is for people who are, or are considering becoming, both Turkish and Russian citizens. Neither Russia nor Türkiye prohibits dual citizenship, but both countries impose notification obligations on you. Below you will find how Russia treats dual citizens, the deadline for notifying the Russian authorities and the sanctions, and what you need to do to add a "multiple citizenship" annotation to your civil registry record in Türkiye.

• A Russian citizen with dual or multiple citizenship is regarded by Russia as only a Russian citizen, wherever they live (unless otherwise provided by law or an international agreement).
• Acquiring the citizenship of another country does not terminate Russian citizenship.
• Dual citizenship cannot constitute grounds for deportation from Russia or extradition to another country.
• Federal laws may impose certain restrictions on dual citizens and those holding a residence permit abroad.
• At the border: Russian citizens use Russian documents (international passports) when entering and leaving Russia.
• The obligations of Russian citizenship, including military service, apply to you in full (see R4.6).

• The general conditions listed by Federal Law No. 138-FZ for admission to citizenship do not include the requirement to renounce existing citizenship (see R4.4).
• If you declared your Turkish citizenship in your citizenship application, you do not need to submit a separate notification after becoming a Russian citizen.
• If you have more than one citizenship, a separate criminal record certificate from each country is required in the citizenship application.

• Who must notify? Russian citizens who:
  • acquire the citizenship of another country (for example, Russian citizens who subsequently acquire Turkish citizenship)
  • obtain a residence permit abroad or another document granting the right of permanent residence
  • Each acquisition must be notified separately.
• Deadline: Within 60 calendar days from the acquisition. If you are outside Russia at that time, within 60 days of entering Russia.
• Where? In person at the migration division of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs or through an organization authorized by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. If you are outside Russia, at a Russian embassy or consulate.
• Who may submit it? You personally or your representative under a notarized power of attorney. For persons under 18 and legally incapacitated persons, their legal representative.
• When you lose your second citizenship, notifying this is a right, not an obligation.
• Situation in which notification is not required: If you declared your second citizenship when applying for Russian citizenship.

• Late, incomplete, or incorrect notification: An administrative fine of 500–1,000 rubles (Article 19.8.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses).
• Complete failure to notify: This is a criminal offense under Article 330.2 of the Criminal Code. The sanctions are:
  • a fine of up to 200,000 rubles or a fine equivalent to one year's income
  • or compulsory community service of up to 400 hours

• Türkiye permits multiple citizenship. A person who acquires the citizenship of a foreign country must notify the authorities with supporting documents. If, after review, it is determined that you are the same person in the records, a "multiple citizenship" annotation is added to your civil registry record (Article 44 of Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901).
• Required documents:
  • Multiple Citizenship Notification Form (VAT-12)
  • 2 biometric photographs measuring 50 × 60 mm, with a white, pattern-free background
  • identity card or a copy thereof
  • a notarized Turkish translation of the document, duly certified, showing the date on which the other citizenship was acquired and containing identity information (apostille for a Russian document; see O1.3)
• Where and how:
  • At the district civil registry office where your place of residence in Türkiye is located
  • At a Turkish embassy or consulate general abroad
  • In person or by special power of attorney. Applications by mail are not accepted.
• If you lose the other citizenship, you must also notify the authorities in writing (Form VAT-13).

• Same identity in both documents: The Directorate General of Civil Registration and Nationality examines whether you are the "same person in the records" in the notification. Make sure your name and birth details in your Russian passport are written consistently with your Turkish record.
• Military service: See R4.6 for the military-service consequences of Russian citizenship; see O1.4 for Turkish military service and the deferment granted abroad to multiple citizens.
• Children: See R6.3 for registering a child born of a Turkish-Russian marriage in both countries.
• Documents: An apostille is required to use your Russian documents in Türkiye (see O1.3).

• Notification to Russia: The migration division of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs at your place of residence. If you are in Türkiye, the Consular Section of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Ankara (Andrey Karlov Street No. 5, Çankaya, Ankara; +90 312 439 21 83, 09:00–12:00) or the consulates general in Istanbul, Antalya, and Trabzon.
• Notification to Türkiye (if you live in Russia):
  • Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye in Moscow — 7 Rostovskiy Pereulok 12, 115127 Moscow; consular switchboard +7 495 994 93 59
  • Consulate General of the Republic of Türkiye in Kazan — 23/27 Ulitsa Maksima Gorkogo, Kazan; +7 843 299 53 10
  • Consulate General of the Republic of Türkiye in Krasnodar — 369 Ulitsa Severnaya, Krasnodar; +7 861 214 12 51
  • Consulate General of the Republic of Türkiye in St. Petersburg — 24 7-ya Sovetskaya Ulitsa, St. Petersburg; +7 812 577 18 12
  • Appointments: konsolosluk.gov.tr
• In Türkiye: District civil registry office. Directorate General of Civil Registration and Nationality Call Center Alo 199.

• Acquiring Turkish citizenship or permanent residence in Türkiye while being a Russian citizen and failing to notify the Russian authorities within 60 days.
• Trying to enter Russia with a Turkish passport. A Russian citizen enters Russia with a Russian document.
• Failing to submit the multiple-citizenship notification in Türkiye after acquiring Russian citizenship.
• Sending the notification to the Directorate General of Civil Registration and Nationality by mail. Applications by mail are not accepted.
• Bringing a Russian citizenship document without an apostille or with a translation that has not been notarized.
• Thinking that saying "I am a Turkish citizen" exempts you from Russian military registration.

• If I acquire Russian citizenship, will I lose my Turkish citizenship? No. Türkiye permits multiple citizenship, and the general conditions under Russian citizenship law do not include renouncing existing citizenship.
• Who must notify Russia: a Turkish citizen who acquires Russian citizenship, or a Russian citizen who acquires Turkish citizenship? The notification obligation arises when a Russian citizen acquires a new foreign citizenship or the right to reside abroad. If you declared your Turkish citizenship in your Russian citizenship application, no separate notification is required.
• I obtained a residence permit in Türkiye. Must this also be reported? The law considers obtaining a "residence permit abroad or a document granting the right of permanent residence" to be a reason for notification. Find out from the relevant Ministry of Internal Affairs unit whether your document falls within this scope.
• I submitted the notification late. What happens? Late notification results in a fine of 500–1,000 rubles. Failing to submit it at all results in criminal liability.
• If I have a problem in Russia, can the Turkish consulate help me? Russian authorities regard you only as a Russian citizen. In proceedings before Russian authorities, you will be treated as a Russian citizen. You may nevertheless contact the consulate's duty line (see R3.5).
• How long does the multiple-citizenship application in Türkiye take? The Directorate General of Civil Registration and Nationality does not specify a processing period; the date on which the petition is registered as received is considered the application date.

• Directorate General of Civil Registration and Nationality – Multiple Citizenship Notification Form VAT-12 (PDF)
• Directorate General of Civil Registration and Nationality – application documents and competent authority (PDF)
• Directorate General of Civil Registration and Nationality – form for cancelling the multiple-citizenship annotation VAT-13 (PDF)
• Article 11 of Federal Law No. 138-FZ: notification obligation to Russia
• Decree No. 889: notification forms (Citizenship Regulations, Part II)
• Article 330.2 of the Criminal Code
• Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs consular appointment system