moving to russia

[gleveski]

is renouncing my american citizenship the only way to become a russian citizen?
i am really interesting in moving there and i need to know all the legal aspects. can
anyone help me out? does anyone know about opportunities for chefs in russia?

[glock_girl]

I'm sorry, I can't help you out, but if you open a restaurant there, let me know!!!!

[berlioz]

there are about three ways to become a long-term resident in Russia:

1) You can keep getting one-year multi-entry visas (which is what I do). It's not so bad - probably you would make a visit to see your family and friends in your country of origin at least once per year anyhow. If you don't want to do that, the classic ex-pat pattern is to go for a long weekend in Vilnius or Tallinn, put your application in at the Russian Consulate there on a Friday, enjoy your weekend, collect the finished visa on a Monday, and go back home to Russia.

2) You can get a five-year Residency Permit (which excuses you from needing visas at all). These are normally given in cases of marrying a Russian citizen, but there is a mysterious "and certain other discretionary cases" clause. I tried to push them on that meant in practice, and they said "aha, well if we were obliged to list what is discretionary, then we would no longer have any discretion to approve cases... such as perhaps, yours?" and ho-ho'd what seemed like a rather pre-rehearsed laugh :-) I'm trying to find any cases of people who got them "on discretion", to see if there if any pattern emerges. I am guessing... people who set-up companies, charities, create jobs, or make some other kind of "contribution" to Russian society?

3) You can become a Russian Citizen. Whether or not you lose your original citizenship depends on what that citizenship was. The USA, for example, does not usually tolerate its citizens taking a SECOND citizenship, but doesn't always require you to renounce your original citizenship, especially if you can prove you need it for some reason. For example, I knew a US citizen who kept her French citizenship on the grounds that she would lose her right to inherit property in France when her parents died. There are probably other exception cases too!!

As far as I am aware, you cannot "petition" to become a Russian citizen. This is regarded as an honour for which you are supposed to wait until it's offered... :-))

Latest news - there is said to be an "amnesty" on its way for the estimated 3M ex-CIS illegals in Russia at the moment. Russia's population is falling, and this number of people is needed to help make-up the shortfall.

mb

[gleveski]

thanks for the help! there is one thing i dont understand and that is if you are not
supposed to petition for russian citizenship then what do you do? i mean that if
you dont ask for citizenship than how does the government know you want one?

[berlioz]

hiya

as far as I know, they award this kind of citizenship only to people who've become famous whilst working in Russia, and they approach you to ask you if you'd like the honour? The only person I can think of who got this was the Georgian opera-singer Paata Burchaladze, but I am sure there are other cases.

mb