The institute of temporary residence has existed in Russia since 2003. It enables a foreign citizen to reside on the territory of the country for three years. Each year the Government approves a quota of foreign citizens which will be able to process such permission. For the year 2004 this figure was made up of 205 633 persons. There is also a category of foreign citizens, which will be able to process such permission for temporary residence without taking this quota into consideration. For example, those married to Russian citizens. The main advantage is the right of stay within the Russian territory (for up to 3 years) which is not encumbered by the necessity of regular exit for reprocessing a visa. The important factor is that the ones that have received the status of “temporarily residing” don’t need to process a work permit within the territory of the Russian Federation subdivision of their stay.

    The documents for processing a permission stipulated by the legislation may be submitted at your residence to the Russian diplomatic or consular establishment or to the authorities of internal affairs at the place of your stay (registration) in Russia. You will need to prove your health condition by producing several medical analyses and certificates. A certificate of previous convictions (if any) issued by the Justice authorities of your state will also be necessary. Apart from that you will need to prove your financial solvency for the period of your stay in Russia: presence of a bank deposit, place of your work with indication of your salary and other profits. The provision of a subsistence wage for you and your family for the period of your stay in Russia will serve a criterion for the decision on your solvency. At present the subsistence wage fixed by the Government is a little less than USD70 per person. The time period for considering your documents is from six to nine months. In case of a positive result the permission will be stamped in your national passport in the prescribed manner.

    Having received permission for temporary residence, you must get registered at the place of your stay for the period of up to one year. You will have to pass the reregistration procedure annually. The permission may be cancelled, in particular, if you were outside Russia for more than six months of the previous year. People who have received the status of “temporarily residing” don’t need to process a permit for work on the territory of the Russian Federation subdivision of their stay.