Obtaining Russian Passport

[assetman]

I am informed that it's very difficult for a Foreigner (British) to obtain a Russian Passport and/or Permanent Residency. Is this true? does it make it easier to be married? Another question, how rigid are the rules applied on the 180 day stay in RF on Business Visa's? Is the 180 days per calender year or rolling basis.Thank you

[M-C]

Originally Posted by assetman I am informed that it's very difficult for a Foreigner (British) to obtain a Russian Passport and/or Permanent Residency. Is this true? does it make it easier to be married? Another question, how rigid are the rules applied on the 180 day stay in RF on Business Visa's? Is the 180 days per calender year or rolling basis.Thank you

You can obtain permanent residency or a russian passport if you are married to a Russian.
There's paperwork involved and giving up your nationality of origin if you want a russian passport.

[unlucky alf]

Originally Posted by assetman I am informed that it's very difficult for a Foreigner (British) to obtain a Russian Passport and/or Permanent Residency. Is this true? does it make it easier to be married? Another question, how rigid are the rules applied on the 180 day stay in RF on Business Visa's? Is the 180 days per calender year or rolling basis.Thank you

You really want to give up your UK passport? Enjoy your travels to Ukraine and Belarussia!

[Sunstorm]

Is that true that once you give up your US or UK citizenship for another country, you are automatically becoming a persona non grata, and you are not allowed to enter the country ever again?

I have heard this somewhere, but I am wondering if this is true... if anyone knows for sure.

[Voodoo]

As far as the Brits are concerned you don't really give your passport. You can a) informally surrender your passport at the Embassy and get a doc from them that you have voluntarily relinquished your passport and/or b) you are allowed to once, and only once, to officially give up your citizenship, and then get it back (although I understand that that is a little bit more involved although it amounts to the same thing as option a).

In both cases you get your British passport back. The position of HM's Government is that British Citizenship is inalienable and can't really be taken away. I understand that that is also the position of the Canadian government but not the US government.

Also, as far as the Brits are concerned you can have as many passports/citizenships as you like (although of course if you have a British passport you aren't allowed to be anything other than a Brit when you are on British soil).

[M-C]

Originally Posted by Voodoo As far as the Brits are concerned you don't really give your passport. You can a) informally surrender your passport at the Embassy and get a doc from them that you have voluntarily relinquished your passport and/or b) you are allowed to once, and only once, to officially give up your citizenship, and then get it back (although I understand that that is a little bit more involved although it amounts to the same thing as option a). In both cases you get your British passport back. The position of HM's Government is that British Citizenship is inalienable and can't really be taken away. I understand that that is also the position of the Canadian government but not the US government. Also, as far as the Brits are concerned you can have as many passports/citizenships as you like (although of course if you have a British passport you aren't allowed to be anything other than a Brit when you are on British soil).

It's the same with the french passport, the idea is that it is not to you to decide if you're a french citizen or not.
With the US the only thing I know is that men lose their citizenship if they do military service for another country.

[Spudkin]

Originally Posted by M-C It's the same with the french passport, the idea is that it is not to you to decide if you're a french citizen or not. With the US the only thing I know is that men lose their citizenship if they do military service for another country.

Definitely something to contact the embassy on - but as far as i know, this isn't a given either, as there are American Armenians, for instance, who do service in their country under that country's conscription rules, and do not lose their American citizenship. (At least I know of one who did.)

[M-C]

Originally Posted by Spudkin Definitely something to contact the embassy on - but as far as i know, this isn't a given either, as there are American Armenians, for instance, who do service in their country under that country's conscription rules, and do not lose their American citizenship. (At least I know of one who did.)

Obviously, you might not choose to tell the authorities and they might not enquire.

A Swiss-American friend who was in Vietnam was supposed to do military service in Switzerland when he returned to live there.

Not only did he feel that he'd had enough to do with the military in his life, but he didn't want to lose his american passport, which he would have, had the authorities found out.

Fortunately he ended up paying a fee every year to get out of it, the Swiss having decided that he suffered severe psychological damage as a marine commando.

[Spudkin]

Originally Posted by M-C Obviously, you might not choose to tell the authorities and they might not enquire. A Swiss-American friend who was in Vietnam was supposed to do military service in Switzerland when he returned to live there. Not only did he feel that he'd had enough to do with the military in his life, but he didn't want to lose his american passport, which he would have, had the authorities found out. Fortunately he ended up paying a fee every year to get out of it, the Swiss having decided that he suffered severe psychological damage as a marine commando.

And actually, now that you mention it - I have an acquaintance in Switzerland whose son is dual citizen Swiss-American and is currently serving in the Swiss army... again, not sure how it works, but it obviously happens.

[Wallace]

Originally Posted by M-C It's the same with the french passport, the idea is that it is not to you to decide if you're a french citizen or not. With the US the only thing I know is that men lose their citizenship if they do military service for another country.

I think this only applies if it's not an "approved" country and you may foreign (or are fighting) against the US