Registration of foreigners for migration purposes in Russia

One of the things a foreigner must do while in Russia is to notify immigration authorities of his/her place of stay, that is, register. How it gets done and when it's required, we'll discuss in this article.

First of all, we warn you that registering for migration purposes («постановка на миграционный учёт») isn't to be confused with the registration at place of residence («регистрация по месту жительства»); the latter resembles permanent registration at the place of residence of Russian citizens, and is a stamp in the passport or residence permit, plus, it is available only for Russian residents. But here we will talk about registration for migration purposes - this is not a stamp, but a separate document with an address, and is issued mostly to foreigners with a visa (or without a visa if the law allows it) and, in some cases, to foreigners with residency. This document is a must for foreign nationals when in Russia.

WHO REGISTERS A FOREIGNER?

This is, as a rule, their inviting party - university if we're talking about a student, employer if we're talking about an employee, or person who invited an alien on a private visa. The landlord registers a non-citizen who rents their apartment; in-patient medical facilities and various hotels register and deregister their patients and guests. However, a foreigner is responsible for their own registration if they're going to live in an apartment or house owned by them. But does that mean that if the latter case isn't yours, you don't need to read this article? Not really, here we will cover some very important points to keep in mind.

WHERE DOES IT GET DONE?

A non-citizen can be registered through the Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs («Управление по вопросам миграции ГУ МВД»), or through intermediaries, namely a Multifunctional Center or the State Services website «Gosuslugi». In case of initial registration, you can also apply by mail.

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?

Registration is a tear-off part of the arrival notification form. It's a document with cells in which the foreign national's name, passport data, address and the period until which this registration is valid are written. We will talk about this period later. Note that this is an important paper, and you shouldn't throw it away until you get a new registration or fly out of the country.

WHAT DOCUMENTS ARE NEEDED TO REGISTER SOMEONE?

Of course, a passport with a valid visa or residence permit is always required (the exception from the visa requirement is visa-free foreigners, if the period of visa-free stay in Russia hasn't expired, but there are few such countries); you will also be asked to provide a migration card and previous registration, if this is not the initial registration. The remaining documents depend on where the non-citizen lives and on what basis. For instance, the owner of the dwelling where you will be living provides proof of ownership.

WHAT IS THE EXPIRARTION DATE OF THE REGISTRATION?

Please note that a registration is issued not just to a certain person, but to a certain passport, visa (or residence permit), work patent and address. In other words, the date your inviting party can and will indicate in the registration is limited by the date of your permit documents - if you were given a new one-year visa, your registration card will expire also in a year. But if your visa is valid one year, but the passport expires in 8 months, the expiration date in the registration will be in 8 months, i. e., the shortest period is indicated. When you move to another place, the registration is also to be reissued. The same applies to situations where you change your passport, no matter why - the old one expired, or you lost your previous passport, or some personal data have changed.

If you come from a visa-free country without a visa, just as a tourist, your registration will be valid for no more than 3 months.

HOW FAST SHOULD A FOREIGNER REGISTER?

It depends on the type of registration.

Initial registration means that a foreign national has just arrived from abroad and must report their arrival to the Ministry of Internal Affairs within 7 working days after crossing the border.

There are exceptions to this rule, namely:
→ citizens of Belarus, Ukraine, and highly qualified specialists and their family members – 90 days;
→ citizens of Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and citizens of the Eurasian Economic Union member states working in Russia – 30 days;
→ citizens of Uzbekistan or Tajikistan – 15 days.

Registration at a new place of residence (if you already have a registration) is also completed within 7 working days, with the exception of highly qualified specialists - they have the right to do this within 30 days. Please note that this includes hospitalization and hotel accommodation. Hotels and hospitals register non-citizens at their address, so once you're discharged or check out, you will have to re-register at home. Such facilities submit information to the Ministry of Internal Affairs quickly, within a day, through a special program, so if you're staying at a hotel for only a couple of days, don't think that this doesn't apply to you.

Registration isn't required for sailors and crew members of air and other transport who make stops in Russia as part of crews or participate in international traffic and are at work.

And if you stay Russia for no longer than 7 days, then registration isn't required either.

To extend registration, a foreigner has only 3 working days, or, if the current registration expires earlier, then until its expiration. As was said, registration is limited by the validity of the permit documents, so a new one is obtained, for example, when renewing (or receiving for the first time) a visa or work permit, receiving a residence permit, or when receiving a new passport.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Usually, foreigners invited by companies or universities don't encounter problems related to registration, although situations vary; the same is true for hospitals and hotels, but it's very easy to run into a landlord who simply doesn't want to register you. So, I recommend you ask the potential landlord about it before moving into the apartment. Also make sure that the arrival form that you or your friend who invited you fills out is up to date - they do change from time to time, even if only slightly. Another thing that may seem obvious is to keep your inviting party informed about your movements and changes in documents. For violation of the migration registration rules, a fine of 5,000 to 7,000 rubles is provided for both a non-citizen and their inviting party, and if the foreigner was invited not by an individual, but by an organization, the fine can reach 500,000 rubles for one violation. And a foreign national can be deported from the country for two fines within a year. So, take it seriously.

Need legal help? Feel free to contact us:
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Email: legalsolutions@inbox.ru
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