Visiting Russia - Visa Questions

[voldemarv]

I think one can circumvent this problem by making an overseas trip outside Russia for every
179-day period if monet and time permits. This can enure you practically live there forever as a citizen
but never a legal resident.

Don't play with Russian government. Just decide for yourself what do you want - to visit or to live there. If you want to live, wait till you are 27 or be prepared to serve.

 

[Marusia_GC]

Don't play with Russian government. Just decide for yourself what do you want - to visit or to live there. If you want to live, wait till you are 27 or be prepared to serve.

Currently they draft male Russian citizens who have registration (propiska po mestu zhitel'stva) till age 28 and under, not less than 27! Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky have nothing to do with drafting rules inherited from the USSR. If you are not registered anywhere in Russia as a resident, nobody will draft you - these are all scary fairy-tales!!! If you are registered as a permanent resident there, just take necessary precautions as I have described in my previous post, and you will be fine. Russian law does not even allow a foreign citizen or someone permanently residing outside Russia to serve in Russian military without special permission! As for those who enter Russia with Russian passports, yes, they must follow all laws and rules of the Russian Federation that apply to them. There is no double citizenship from the legal point of view, but both countries do not demand giving up the other citizenship unless a person is required so by the kind of work (e.g., related to military and defense).

 

[Vorpal]

Ladies/Gents:

Although I am reading your posts with great interest, the thread is becoming completely derailed. Can we stay on topic, please?

 

[WBH]

If you are not registered anywhere in Russia as a resident, nobody will draft you - these are all scary fairy-tales!!!

Agreed. It makes more sense to pay attention to traffic safety than this. In other words,
when you step out of airport into a taxi, teh first thing to do is to buckle up. More
people died due to this mundane reason than others exaggearted risks

 

[-me-]

If you are not registered anywhere in Russia as a resident, nobody will draft you

It's not precisely correct. The law states that if you are a citizen living abroad permanently, you can not be drafted. So, if you want to be eligible, you have to be registered with any Russian consulate abroad. Simply not having the registration in Russia does not help at all from the legal prospective. Procedurally, of course you are practically invisible for the Department of Defense.

BTW, any foreign passport is also not a valid proof of the residency abroad.

P.S. I have re-read the law quite recently...

 

[Vorpal]

Just a small update to close out this thread. My mother and I received our visas yesterday (date of issuance - July 13). It certainly took a while to process (about 5 weeks), but I can't complain - better late than never. My wife's visa, however, was issued on July 3. As I've mentioned previously, she's a natural born U.S. citizen, so we didn't have to submit nearly as much documentary proof for her as we did for my mother and I.

When we return from the trip, I am definitely going to file for official verification that I am no longer a Russian citizen. Since Russian visa laws change frequently, I'd rather avoid any possible complications next time I apply for a Russian visa. For now, I'm just looking forward to the trip. Thanks to everyone who replied!

***EDIT: I almost forgot. We didn't have to interview with the consul. The visas were just issued.