Carrying out migration registration

The legislative framework

Foreign citizens who arrive in Russia fall under the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation in accordance with Federal Law No. 109:

duties of citizens of other states;
grounds for registration and migration registration;
procedure and terms of formation;
documentation required by an expat.

Also, since the beginning of 2020, the President adopted amendments that simplified the procedure for registration and registration, largely reducing the waiting time (for example, in Moscow, waiting in line is no more than 15 minutes).

The need to register for migration

All foreign persons arriving from abroad must submit information and documents about their location to the Main Directorate for Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. All information about citizens of other states coming to Russia is stored here.

According to the state law on migration registration, all incoming citizens must inform the Ministry of Internal Affairs about their movement, registration, and employment.

This sequence of actions (registration) allows you to keep records of arriving citizens, register their purposes for being there, and monitor compliance with the rules and regulations of the Russian Federation.

Without obtaining a temporary residence permit, nationals of foreign countries do not have the right to stay in Russia or conduct any activities on its territory. Migration registration is of a notification nature and includes registration of foreign nationals at their place of residence and location.

Sending documents

The collected package of documents for temporary registration through Russian Post must be sent to the postal address of the department of the Main Department of Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs that serves the territory in which the migrant will be registered. The address of the relevant department of the Main Department of Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs can be clarified at the Post Office.

Submitted documents are sent within 1-3 business days, and the application itself is reviewed within 24 hours. After checking the provided package of documents for correct completion, the applicant is sent a notification of acceptance of documents with an invitation to the Main Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (department of the Federal Migration Service). The applicant must appear at the authorities with an identification card within three days to receive a certificate, which will act as confirmation of temporary registration.

The picture shows a certificate of temporary registration:

Features and grounds for registration

Article 15 of the Federal Law contains the grounds for the initial registration of expats:

availability of the right to use real estate (room, apartment or house) in the Russian Federation;
an employment contract with an individual or legal entity.

Features of primary formation include recording all documentary and bibliographic data about a citizen of another state. As well as its periodic appearance in the relevant authorities.

Residents of CIS countries

The temporary stay of foreigners from friendly CIS countries has its own characteristics.

Thus, the following persons can do without initial registration with the population migration service:

up to 1 month for Armenia and Belarus;
up to 3 months for Ukraine;
up to 1 month Kazakhstan;
up to two weeks Tajikistan.

Immigrants from other countries will need to register in accordance with the migration law, as well as persons without established citizenship.

For foreigners in Russia

Migration registration of expats is carried out in the following order:

Providing a map with the date of border crossing assigned.
The receiving party issues a notice of arrival at the location and submits it to the FMS service in person.
The migration authority checks and processes the submitted information, makes notes and enters information about the expat into a single database.
Registration and obtaining a permit for the right to stay on the territory of Russia during the specified period.

After this procedure, you will need to extend your stay or leave the Russian Federation for a period of 90 days in order to subsequently restore your migration card.

Minors

For all citizens under 18 years of age, simplified registration of temporary stay in Russia has been in force since the beginning of 2020.

According to it, this can be done on the following grounds:

one of the parents or guardians has Russian citizenship;
arrival according to the exchange training program;
stay on the basis of full-time study.

Also, minors must complete the procedure and register within a month from the date of stay in the country.

This rule applies to citizens:

Belarus;
Kazakhstan;
Armenia;
Ukraine;
Kyrgyzstan.

Registration of a foreign citizen at the place of stay

Every foreigner, in accordance with legislative norms, must notify government authorities of his place of stay.

Registration deadlines

The law specifies the main deadlines for all foreign citizens:

within 3 working days, the Ministry of Internal Affairs records information about the location in documents;
1 day following the day of application for transfer of documents from the MFC to the UVM.

Possible places of temporary residence

Possible places for registration and registration directly depend on the receiving party. It could be:

Citizens of the Russian Federation who have permanent registration in the country or their own residential premises, according to which migration registration is formed.
A foreigner who has: A residence permit in Russia and registration at the place of registration.
Own residential premises on the territory of the Russian Federation. However, he cannot register another foreigner for migration purposes.
HQS status, own living quarters. Can register both himself and his family members.

Entity:

a Russian enterprise or its branch, if the foreigner lives at the address of the legal entity or in premises rented by the legal entity;

an international organization or its representative office, as well as a representative office of another country, if they provide premises for actual residence;

government body of the Russian Federation or local government;

educational institution, if the address coincides with the dormitory premises.

Interesting article: How to obtain temporary registration in Khabarovsk?

Where to go to register?

In order for a foreign citizen to obtain temporary registration, you need to contact any of the authorities:

Territorial branch of the GUVM MVDG . In the department: they check the data;
entered into the system;
documents are handed over to migrants. Keep in mind that there are constant queues here due to the heavy workload.

MFC operates on the “single window” principle. Reception of citizens is carried out by online registration or in the electronic queue.

Post office . Send notification by mail.

Reception of the notification by FMS employees is free, but with the payment of a state duty of 350 rubles. The post office charges 216 rubles for services.

Required documents

The documents required for registering foreign citizens are different from the migrant and the receiving party.

The foreigner is required to provide:

notification form;
identification document of a foreigner, copies of all pages;
migration card and its copy (except for cases when a foreigner is exempt from the obligation to fill it out);
copies of: visas (for visa-holding foreign citizens);
the right to use premises provided for residence by a foreign citizen.
agreement between a foreigner and an employer on the territory of the Russian Federation (if a notice of arrival is submitted in relation to an employee);
documents confirming family relationships (for family members).

List of documents from the receiving party:

Entity. List: copies: certificate of state registration;
TIN;
notifications from the territorial body of the Federal State Statistics Service;
certificate of entry into the Unified State Register of Legal Entities;
order on the appointment of a manager;
manager's passports;
employment contract with a foreign citizen;
lease agreement or certificate of ownership of the occupied premises;

information about the organization (address, telephone);

original extract from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities (made no earlier than 2 months ago).

Registration of foreign citizens as an employer is possible only if the legal entity is registered with the Department of Internal Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (FMS), having received accreditation as an employer of migrants.

Individual. Package of documents: passport of a citizen of Russia or another state;
copies of: passport;
certificates of registration of ownership of residential premises.

Arrival Notification

The Ministry of Internal Affairs has introduced new notification forms since 2020. Design rules:

on a computer or manually;
ballpoint pen with black or blue ink;
the shape of the letters and numbers is presented on the form itself;
The column is always filled in from the first cell - do not leave the first cell empty;
each cell must contain only one character;
between words you need to leave one cell empty;
the document must not contain errors, blots or corrections; If there are any inaccuracies or marks, the form must be changed.

All words are written in full, without abbreviations or letter symbols.

The front side of the form consists of:

Part 1: personal data of the arrival;
document details allowing you to reside in the Russian Federation;
purpose of visit to the country, profession;
dates of entry and exit;
if this is not your first visit to Russia, then the address where you lived during your previous visit.

Tear-off spine:

Full name, gender, date of birth, passport details (or other identification document);

current address of residence in the Russian Federation.

Interesting article: How to obtain temporary registration in Kazan?

The reverse side of the form consists of:

Part 2. Address of the actual residence of the visitor in the Russian Federation. In 2020, this is not necessarily housing, but the address at which the citizen will be registered.
Part 3: personal data of the host citizen - an individual or representative of a legal entity that is the host party.
organization data: name, actual location, TIN of the organization.

Tear-off spine. FULL NAME. authorized person.

When accepting the document, the main part of the form remains in the migration department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the tear-off counterfoils are given to the foreign citizen.

You can view a sample of the completed notification here.

You can fill out the notification here.

What is your registration?

Registration at the place of residenceRegistration at the place of stay

Application for registration

When the prescribed period of stay ends, the foreigner must renew his registration in order to remain in the country legally.

An extension is possible if a foreign citizen:

enrolls or has entered a Russian university;
issues a labor patent;
receives a temporary residence permit or residence permit;
entered into an employment contract;
is awaiting a work visa extension;
is being treated or rehabilitated and cannot return to their homeland due to health reasons.

An additional reason may be circumstances when travel is impossible:

disease;
death of a close relative.

There is no special form of the form; the petition is written in any form, but the application must contain:

header - to whom and from whom the document is being submitted;
the main part is a request to extend the period of stay and all the necessary information;
date and signature;
at the end it is reported that the guest is familiar with the migration rules and sanctions for violating them.

The completed sample can be viewed here. A blank form to fill out can be downloaded here.

The application must be sent to the migration service department closest to your residence address.

The following originals with copies must be attached to the application:

foreigner's identity card;
a paper proving the right of further presence on the territory of the state or which is a basis in itself;
certificate of impossibility of leaving the country within the specified period.

The Federal Migration Service is obliged to make a decision within 3 working days. Employees can:

approve the renewal of registration;
refuse by giving the appropriate notice to the applicant.

It is possible to obtain a ban on prolongation of stay if:

False information will be found in the application;
there are violations of immigration laws in the past;
a foreigner has been banned from entering Russia;
a citizen who studied at a university was expelled.

Registration of a child of a foreign citizen

Many foreigners bring children under 18 years of age to the territory of the state. There is a need to send the child to school or kindergarten. Educational organizations have the right to refuse admission if the child does not have registration.

For minor children, the mandatory registration period is 7 days, and the registration procedure is no different from adults. The following documents must be provided:

passport/birth certificate of the child;
VHI policy;
migration card of a minor;
notification filled out in the name of the child;
documents from the receiving party confirming property rights.

Legal entities and companies do not have the right to register minors.

Grounds for refusal to accept documents

Migration registration is of a notification nature. The registration regime for foreign citizens and stateless persons presupposes that migration authorities do not refuse migration registration.

Interesting article: Registration of temporary registration, having a permanent one

The only ground for refusal is failure to provide or submission of false documents necessary for accounting.

What needs to be indicated in the application

The application is a document drawn up in free form, where the following points must be indicated:

FULL NAME;
the place from which the migrant arrived;
ID card details (foreign passport);
date of arrival in the Russian Federation;
place of temporary residence (registration is issued within a working week from the moment of arrival);
permission from the property owner for housing;
information about the receiving party (relative, employer, etc.);
personal documentation numbers (SNILS, insurance certificate, medical forms).

Next, you will need to register your application with the Federal Migration Service. If any inaccuracies or errors are found, re-register the form.

REFERENCE. You can download the form to fill out on the official website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or on the State Services portal, which also provides a list of papers attached to the application.

Temporary registration by mail

The procedure for obtaining temporary registration at the place of residence of a foreign citizen or stateless person is simplified as much as possible; to receive this service, it is enough to contact the post office at the place of future registration together with the person who is registered (registered) at this address. You need to provide the passport of the person who provides you with living space, and your documents.

List of documents for registration of temporary registration of foreigners at the Russian Post Office

Passport and photocopy of the passport of the owner of the residential premises, or place of residence registered at this address;
Passport and photocopy of the foreigner who is registering for migration;
Notarized translation of the passport into Russian;
Migration card of a foreign citizen;
Photocopy of visa (if available);
Completed notice of arrival of a foreign citizen in two copies.

The “live presence” of the receiving party is required, that is, the person with whom the foreigner is going to be registered must be personally present, or he must have a power of attorney to carry out these actions. The presence of the registered person is not mandatory, and everything will be processed for you without the personal presence of the applicant.

notification of the arrival of a foreign citizen or stateless person

You can receive an arrival notification (registration form) and fill it out at home, independently and in a relaxed environment, or you can ask for the form at the Russian Post Office and fill it out on the spot when checking out. If you decide to download the arrival notice on our website, please note that you need to print the form on two sides of one sheet . It is recommended to print out several notification forms so that if there are errors, you can immediately fill out a new one without errors. In addition, you will be able to download instructions on how to fill it out correctly; blots and corrections are not allowed .

notification of the arrival of a foreign citizen

Download instructions for filling

Refusal at the post office to register foreign citizens at the place of temporary stay

Russian postal employees do not have the right to refuse you temporary registration, but sometimes this can happen for some reasons:

Incorrect completion or presence of errors, blots and corrections in the notification;
Inconsistency between the data specified in the notification and the documents provided;
Invalid, expired or errors in submitted documents;
Incorrect, incomplete or invalid translation of the registered person's passport or lack of notarization of the translation;
Subjective reasons for the post office - lack of paper, envelopes, no electricity, no specialist who knows how to arrange this, etc.;
Territorial jurisdiction - the post office does not service the address where you plan to register.

Sample of filling out the form

The document for temporary registration of a citizen of foreign origin is presented in an approved form that must be filled out by the receiving party. It must be free of errors, typos or incorrect information.

Once completed, it is submitted to the Federal Migration Service. In this service, employees carry out a thorough check and mark acceptance for further registration of the migrant in the Ministry of Internal Affairs database.

The form also has a tear-off part, which remains with the receiving party, as evidence of acceptance of a citizen of another state. It is the document certifying migration registration in Russia.

Since the beginning of 2020, a new form has been registered with the Ministry of Justice according to Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs No. 180.

The following version of the filling is currently considered current:

Name of the coupon.
Reminder of the rules of composition - Russian language, black gel pen, printed characters.
Information about a foreign person - full name, citizenship, nationality, date and place of birth, personal identification document, visa, purpose of arrival.
Migration card - registration number, date of issue.
Information about the representative - full name, passport details, place of invitation.
The tear-off side is the part where the citizen’s stay is indicated.

You should carefully fill out all the necessary information, without errors or typos, otherwise this may lead to a fine and criminal liability.

Cost of temporary registration

According to the norms established by law, the cost of temporary or permanent registration is equal to the state duty, which, based on the resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation, is not charged.

The only condition necessary to obtain a residence permit is to provide the complete document package to the registrar. If a citizen does not have the required set of papers, he can turn to intermediaries who will provide them as soon as possible.

When using the services of real estate companies and private intermediaries, you should always be careful and consider the following risks:

the danger of registering citizens as homeowners in the “Rubber Apartment”. The legislator does not clearly define how many people can be registered in privatized living space. Since the cost of services makes the registration business quite profitable, the owners can register more than one ten citizens in the apartment, for which they charge a substantial amount from each. However, at any time, persons registered at such an address may be forcibly evicted by a court decision or at the request of the new owner;
buying fake documents. It doesn’t matter whether a citizen needs to register for a month or a year, the owners of residential premises set a fairly high price for documents. Wanting to save money, some people turn to unscrupulous intermediaries who will sell documents with false information. The presence of such documents in the package of papers upon submission may become a direct basis for refusal to register, and in some situations, a reason for initiating a criminal case for forgery of documents;
temporary registration in Moscow, issued on letterhead or with a stamp in the passport, but not entered into the general database of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Such registration can be done by unscrupulous intermediaries. The presence of a fictitious registration does not give the right to obtain legal work, register children in kindergarten and school, or receive certain benefits entitled to a person. If such a stamp is detected by representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the person will be recognized as a violator of migration legislation and will be fined in the amount of 2 thousand rubles to 7 thousand rubles, depending on the region of residence. You can check the registration for fictitiousness by contacting the Ministry of Internal Affairs in person, or by filling out a form on the State Services portal. This service is free.

Intermediaries can prepare registration documents within up to 3 days. The price depends on:

status of the city, selected registration area, distance from the center, availability of infrastructure;
the period during which the owner will register the citizen at the place of temporary or permanent residence;
type of real estate: apartment, private house, dormitory.

This is important to know: Is it possible to find out who is registered in the house?

Citizens have different motives and reasons for registering in specific cities and regions:

to place a minor in a specific educational institution. To attend school or kindergarten, the child must have registration in the same area. Considering the fact that children must be registered only at the place of residence of one of the parents, it is impossible to do without the help of intermediaries and the purchase of documents in such a situation;
for permanent registration of a vehicle, obtaining permanent documents for engaging in entrepreneurial activity;
to conclude an employment contract. Many employers do not want to hire migrant workers who do not have temporary or permanent registration at their location.

Intermediaries providing services related to the preparation of documents include in the cost of their services:

payment to owners for their permission to accommodate third parties;
own intermediary services;
if the apartment was specifically purchased for migrant registration, the cost of such housing;
payment of utilities;
if necessary, notary fees.

Actions of the receiving party

For foreigners arriving in the country, a residence permit is issued. It is made up of the receiving side:

An individual who has a residence permit and consent to register at the place of temporary residence.
A company, firm, enterprise that provides an employment contract to a arriving citizen.
A qualified foreign specialist whose activities are lawful in Russia. Has the right to receive relatives from abroad.

REFERENCE. There may be several of these parties, which will allow the migrant to change his location and residential address, but be sure to notify the UVM of his movement.

Who has the right to apply for temporary registration by mail?

In 2020, Russian Post is the body responsible for sending and delivering various types of correspondence, including applications for temporary (at the place of stay) registration for foreigners.

Of course, the Russian Post does not have the competence to make a decision on the “registration” of a citizen on the territory of Russia. This issue is placed under the jurisdiction of the Main Directorate for Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (previously this issue was dealt with by the FMS).

The following have the right to send documents by mail:

foreigners who arrived on the territory of the Russian Federation;
citizens living in the CIS (Armenia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, etc.) and arriving in the Russian Federation for a period exceeding three months.

Fictitious registration of foreign citizens: what the threat is

Violation of migration registration is a failure by a foreigner to comply with the rules of entry into the Russian Federation or the regime of stay, the main of which is the falsification of paper information. Fines for falsifying documents in the field of population migration threaten both the arriving citizen and the receiving party.

According to Article 322.22 of the Criminal Code, false registration is punishable by the following measures:

a monetary penalty in the amount of 100,000 to 500,000 rubles or in the amount of wages for three years, as well as replacement of the punishment with forced labor for a period of three years with complete deprivation of the right to hold a position or activity, or imprisonment for up to three years;
for a foreigner for violating the registration period and rules of stay in the country, a fine of 4,000 rubles is issued;
For the receiving party, a sanction is established in the form of a monetary penalty ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 rubles.

ATTENTION. For the person who committed this crime, concessions or exemption from criminal liability are provided, provided that he helps solve the case of fictitious registration. In order to avoid administrative punishment, each party is obliged to control and coordinate their actions, as well as to be aware of the issue of how long a foreign guest can live without registration.

Rules and deadlines for registration at the place of stay

The procedure for notifying the FMS begins upon receipt of a migration card (MC) at the border.

From this moment, regardless of the time frame in which the person gets to his place of residence, the countdown of seven days for registration begins .

All responsibility for the proper execution of documents rests with the receiving party.

If an IG plans to stay in a hotel, the administration handles his registration. When the receiving party cannot complete the registration, the foreigner must do it himself .

When registering, foreigners should take into account the difference between the concepts of “inviting” and “receiving” party. The inviter is the person at whose request the foreigner enters Russia or receives a visa. Information about the inviter is entered into the MK.

After entry, responsibility falls on the receiving party , the person with whom the foreigner will be registered. A citizen of the Russian Federation, a foreigner with a residence permit, a private entrepreneur, or a legal entity can act in this capacity.

There may be several host persons during his stay in the Russian Federation, depending on how many times the foreigner changes his place of temporary residence.

By registering, the host assumes responsibility for the behavior of the guest and actually takes him under his own protection. The presence of the host during registration is mandatory; the guest may not appear at the FMS for the procedure.

Registration at the place of stay is issued for the duration of the visa. For visa-free entry, the period is 90 days, after which the foreigner must leave the country. Registration accounting accordingly ceases from this moment.

If the IG lives in the premises for less than 7 days, registration is not required.

Special frameworks have been introduced for the following categories:

citizens of Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan – 30 days;
Tajikistan – 15 days;
Ukraine – 90 days.

The next day the IG must be registered:

Without a specific residential address.
Workers on shift.
Those under treatment.
Those checking into sanatoriums, hotels, boarding houses, and camp sites.

What is the procedure for registering foreign citizens at their place of stay?

What to expect and how to protect yourself in the absence of migration registration

The absence of temporary registration of a foreigner on the day of his move gives rise to negative consequences for both the receiving and arriving parties. According to Article 18.9 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, there is a list of 9 compositions for registering administrative offenses for non-compliance with the norms and rules of being on the territory of the Russian Federation.

Thus, for legal entities that accept foreigners, an administrative fine (from 400,000 to 500,000 rubles) and criminal liability are presented.

For persons who did not manage to register with the migration authorities, exacting measures are also prescribed, however, in some cases, punishment can be avoided using the following grounds:

the subject of the offense has been incorrectly identified;
in the protocol of the decision in the case of an administrative crime, it is not found that the actions of the culprit himself were illegal;
the objective side of illegal actions is not confirmed.

You can also insist on limiting free rights and seek help from legal specialists to obtain a qualified investigation.

The migration authority is obliged to register foreign citizens at their place of stay. During the paperwork, he will prepare a temporary registration, on the basis of which he can stay in Russia during the specified period.

You can go through the necessary registration procedure in person or online in specialized structures, such as the Federal Migration Service, the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The documents will be processed within 1-3 days, the main one will be a temporary stay form, you can find out what it looks like on the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Reasons

According to the legislation of the Russian Federation, foreign citizens (ICs) can enter the country with a visa or in a visa-free regime.

The following are entitled to visa-free entry:

Citizens of former CIS countries.
Representative of states that have an agreement with Russia on visa-free visits for 30 days.
Holders of temporary residence permit and temporary residence permit.
Other categories of IGs enter on the basis of a visa: business, private, educational, tourist, etc. You can obtain a visa by invitation from Russian citizens or legal entities registered in the state.

Additionally, on our website, you can learn about the nuances and features of registering foreign citizens at the place of residence, as well as how this procedure goes.

The purpose of the visit does not matter for the order of the procedure, but it does affect the length of stay in the Russian Federation.

Temporary registration is issued for:

1 year – for labor migrants;
3 years – for highly qualified specialists (HQS);
90 days in a half-year - citizens of visa-free countries.

A citizen planning to stay in Russia longer is required to apply for a temporary residence permit, residence permit or obtain Russian citizenship.

You can learn about the features of permanent residence registration after receiving a temporary residence permit from our article.

are not subject to temporary registration in the country:

VKS and members of their families.
Representatives of the crews of military vessels, if their stay in the country is less than 24 hours.
Transit travelers.
Travelers, if their stay in Russia is less than 7 days.
Crew members of buses, trains and airplanes, provided that they do not leave the territories of bus and railway stations and the airport.

The regulations for registering an IG are contained in Federal Law No. 109 of July 18, 2006 “On Migration Registration...”, Administrative Regulations of the Federal Migration Service of the Russian Federation No. 364 of August 29, 2013. The procedure is additionally regulated by the Federal Law “On the Procedure for Entry into the Russian Federation” and “On the Legal Status of ISIS in the Russian Federation”.

What are the rules for registering foreign citizens at their place of stay?