Residence permit (ВНЖ)

This page is for Turkish citizens who want to live permanently in Russia. A residence permit (вид на жительство, ВНЖ) grants a foreign national the right to live in Russia indefinitely and work without a permit in every region; it is also a prerequisite for the path to Russian citizenship. Below you will find who can obtain a ВНЖ and by which route, application timing, required documents, 2026 fees, and what you must do to avoid losing the permit.

• Duration: As a rule, it is issued indefinitely. However, a ВНЖ issued in the form of a card with a biometric chip is valid for 10 years. A ВНЖ issued to a highly qualified specialist (ВКС) and their family is valid for the duration of the specialist's work permit.
• Employment: You can work anywhere in Russia without a work permit. Regional restrictions apply only to РВП holders.
• Entry and exit: ВНЖ holders may enter and leave Russia without a visa (see R1.1).
• Residence registration: You are required to register your residence at accommodation that you have the right to use.
• Health insurance: For ВНЖ holders' right to compulsory health insurance (ОМС), see R7.1.
• Citizenship: Those who have lived continuously in Russia for 5 years from the date of the ВНЖ decision may apply for citizenship (see R4.4).
• Fixed-term ВНЖ cards issued before November 1, 2019 are replaced with indefinite ones.

• As a rule, a ВНЖ is issued to a foreign national who has lived in Russia with a temporary residence permit (РВП) for at least 1 year (see R4.1).
• Application window: You may apply after the 8th month of the first year you lived with an РВП. The final application date is 4 months before your РВП expires.
• Those studying with an education-purpose РВП (РВПО): after completing an accredited program at a state university, they may apply for a ВНЖ within 3 years without obtaining an РВП (see R5.2).

The law allows certain groups to skip the РВП stage. The groups most commonly applicable to Turkish citizens are:

• Those with a close relative who is a Russian citizen:
  • Those who have a parent or adult child who is a Russian citizen and lives permanently in Russia
  • Those who have a child from a marriage to a Russian citizen who lives permanently in Russia
  • Those who are the sole parent of a Russian citizen child living in Russia
  • Those who prove by a court decision that they have lived for at least 3 years with their Russian citizen child and the child's other parent, who is a Russian citizen
• Highly qualified specialists (ВКС) and their families (see R3.2). A specialist who has worked as a ВКС for at least 2 years and their family may obtain an indefinite ВНЖ.
• IT specialists with an employment or service contract with an accredited IT company, and their families (spouse, children, parents, grandparents, grandchildren; see R3.3).
• Qualified specialists working in listed occupations: those who have worked continuously in that occupation in Russia for at least 1 year before applying and whose employer has paid social insurance contributions.
• Those who completed full-time accredited higher education in Russia and received a diploma with honors (с отличием).
• Investors in Russia and their families (the Government determines the conditions).
• Children under 18: if their parent is a foreign national permanently residing in Russia or if they are applying together with their parent.
• Those applying without an РВП through one of these routes provide fingerprints and a photograph when applying.

1. Determine which route you will use: after an РВП or directly?
2. Obtain the Russian language, history, and law certificate (ВНЖ level; valid indefinitely). For exemptions, see R4.3.
3. Undergo a medical examination. It is mandatory for a ВНЖ.
4. Prepare the documents (below). Documents obtained in Türkiye must have an apostille and a notarized Russian translation.
5. Apply: in person at the Ministry of Internal Affairs migration office where you live or electronically through Gosuslugi.
6. Collect the decision and card, and complete residence registration.
7. You may appeal a refusal or cancellation decision to the Ministry of Internal Affairs within 3 business days or to a court within 3 months.

• Application form and attachments: information forms about your close relatives and places of employment
• Passport and temporary residence permit (РВП)
• Photographs
• A criminal record certificate issued in Türkiye no more than 3 months before the application date
• A document showing that you can support yourself and your family in Russia at the minimum subsistence level, and a copy of your lawful source of income
• A document showing your right to live in accommodation in Russia (title deed, lease agreement, etc.)
• Statement of your social insurance account
• Russian language, history, and law certificate or an equivalent document
• Medical reports and HIV test certificate
• Fee payment receipt
• Applicants applying on the basis of employment in a listed occupation must also provide a diploma or qualification certificate, employment contract, and employment records.

• Issuance of a residence permit (ВНЖ): 30,000 rubles
• Replacement of a residence permit (age, name change, deterioration, etc.): 6,000 rubles
• Residence registration: 1,000 rubles
• Russian language, history, and law examination (ВНЖ level): 5,900 rubles (see R4.3)
• ВНЖ issuance and replacement fees are established by Federal Law No. 190-FZ dated June 26, 2026.

• Annual notification: Each year after the anniversary of the day you obtained your ВНЖ, you must submit a notification to the Ministry of Internal Affairs within 2 months confirming that you live there. If there is a valid reason, it may be submitted within 6 months at the latest with a document showing the reason.
• Ways to submit the notification: in person at a Ministry of Internal Affairs office, by registered mail, or electronically through Gosuslugi.
• At the end of every 5th year, the notification must be submitted only in person.
• Information to include in the notification: address, places of employment and their durations, periods spent abroad and the countries visited, annual income and its source.
• From January 1, 2027, the income documents that may be submitted together with the notification are listed individually in the law (241-FZ).
• Card replacement: An indefinite ВНЖ is replaced upon reaching the ages of 14, 20, and 45. The application must be submitted within 1 month after reaching that age, and within 10 days after receiving a new passport in the event of a name change.

• Staying outside Russia for more than 6 months in total during a calendar year (except for emergency treatment, serious illness, the death of a close relative living abroad, and being abroad on official duty)
• Settling permanently in another country
• Being unable to prove that you can support yourself and your family at the minimum subsistence level
• Not having lawful accommodation in Russia 3 years after entry
• Receiving an administrative penalty two or more times within 1 year for violating migration, employment, or public-order rules
• Having been deported within the last 5 years or having been deported twice within the last 10 years
• Providing a forged document or knowingly false information
• Being convicted of a serious crime or having an outstanding criminal record
• The marriage serving as the basis for the ВНЖ ending in divorce
• Drug use or diseases included in the relevant list
• Those who obtained a ВНЖ through employment in a listed occupation or as an IT specialist have their permits cancelled if they do not conclude a new contract within 30 business days after their contracts end.
• When you obtain Russian citizenship, the ВНЖ automatically becomes invalid.

• In Russia: the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs migration office where you live or the Gosuslugi portal. Unlike an РВП application, a ВНЖ application is made in Russia; the law provides for applications through a foreign mission only for participants in the compatriot program.
• Documents required from Türkiye: criminal record certificate, population registration extract, and apostille procedures. The Embassy of Russia in Ankara sends the criminal record certificate (in Russian and Turkish) and population registration extract by mail. For the addresses and telephone numbers of missions, see R3.5.
• Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Foreign Affairs Consular Call Center (24/7): +90 312 292 29 29

• Trying to apply for a ВНЖ less than 4 months before the РВП expires.
• Forgetting the annual notification after obtaining the ВНЖ.
• Sending the 5th-year notification by mail. This notification must be submitted only in person.
• Staying in Türkiye for more than 6 months in a calendar year.
• Failing to replace the card within 1 month after turning 20 or 45.
• Bringing a criminal record certificate issued more than 3 months earlier.
• Thinking, “The ВНЖ is indefinite, so I no longer have any obligations.”

• I am married to a Russian citizen. Can I obtain a ВНЖ directly? Marriage alone does not grant the right to a direct ВНЖ. If you have a child with your Russian citizen spouse who lives in Russia, you may apply directly. Otherwise, first obtain a quota-free РВП (see R4.1), then a ВНЖ after 1 year.
• Can I work in every region with a ВНЖ? Yes. A ВНЖ holder can work anywhere in Russia without a work permit.
• How long can I stay in Türkiye while I have a ВНЖ? If you stay outside Russia for more than 6 months in total during a calendar year, your permit may be cancelled.
• Can I apply for the ВНЖ through Gosuslugi? Yes, the law allows electronic applications. For applicants applying directly without an РВП, fingerprints and a photograph are taken at the place of application.
• When can I obtain citizenship after the ВНЖ? The general rule is 5 years of continuous residence from the date of the ВНЖ decision. In some cases, no waiting period is required (see R4.4).
• I have an old fixed-term card. What should I do? A fixed-term card issued before November 1, 2019 is replaced with an indefinite ВНЖ. If you obtained your ВНЖ before January 1, 2015, you submit the Russian language, history, and law certificate once in this application.

• Federal Law 115-FZ, Article 8: residence permit (current text)
• 115-FZ, Article 9: grounds for refusal and cancellation
• Federal Law 241-FZ: annual notification rules from 2027
• Tax Code, Article 333.28: fees
• Gosuslugi – ВНЖ service card and document list (РВП holders)
• Gosuslugi – ВНЖ service card (those with a close relative who is a Russian citizen)
• Gosuslugi – replacement of an old fixed-term ВНЖ with an indefinite card
• Gosuslugi – Russian government services portal