To obtain citizenship, all foreign applicants pass an exam in the Russian language. It does not depend on their citizenship, length of residence in the country and the grounds on which they rely when drawing up a new status. Teachers of the Russian language, teachers, Russian-speaking immigrants from the Donbass, as well as the descendants of Russians, as well as other foreigners pass the exam in the general order, if they do not fall into the list of exceptions, which will be indicated below.
When to rent?
A certificate of knowledge of the Russian language will be required by the applicant when applying for citizenship. For this, a foreigner must meet all the requirements, fulfill a number of conditions and have one of the proposed grounds. Accordingly, an exam in the Russian language for citizenship long before the filing of documents or immediately after arrival in the Russian Federation is not passed.
The standard way to register Russian status consists of the following steps:
- obtaining quotas;
- temporary residence permit (RVP);
- residence permit (residence permit);
- citizenship.
At the same time, an application for a residence permit is filed at least one year after receiving the RVP, and citizenship in general can only be calculated after 5 years of permanent residence in the Russian Federation by residence permit. Consideration of documents also takes from several months to six months, depending on the type of permit.
Citizenship under a simplified scheme takes place without obtaining a quota with a reduction in the period of compulsory residence in the Russian Federation.
What documents will be needed?
The applicant needs the following papers to participate in the Russian language exam to obtain Russian citizenship:
- original passport (domestic or foreign);
- the original and a copy of the residence permit, if any (if the basis on which the foreigner relies allows you to apply for citizenship without a residence permit);
- a notarized copy of the passport;
- copy of residence permit with registration or migration registration;
- receipt of payment of the state fee for passing the exam.
In addition to these documents, a foreigner may need a migration card, a copy for delivery, a photo 3 * 4 cm in size, a completed application form (issued at the place of passage) and 2 files.
Payment of the fee does not guarantee successful passing the exam, but is required regardless of the testing center.
Exam cost
One attempt to participate in the exam in the Russian language to obtain citizenship will cost the applicant in the amount of 3,500 to 6,000 rubles.
After filling out the questionnaire, providing all the necessary documents and paying for testing, an employee of the institution or center will issue a receipt to the applicant. It is better to keep it. If the exam does not take place or the applicant has to leave urgently, then upon presentation of the paid receipt the foreigner will be able to pass the exam the next time.
If the applicant was not provided with a receipt for payment for testing, this is an occasion to reflect on whether the organization has the right to issue certificates and conduct an exam. To obtain citizenship, a foreigner requires a valid certificate issued by an accredited training center.
Categories of applicants exempted from the exam
The following persons do not provide a certificate of Russian language proficiency for applying for citizenship:
- applicants over 60 and 65 years old (women and men, respectively);
- incompetent foreigners in the presence of special certificates or other documents for confirmation;
- applicants with group I disability (in the presence of valid certificates for confirmation);
- minor applicants (under 18 years old);
- invited highly qualified specialists and members of their family (spouses, children, parents);
- resettlement program participants;
- full-time students of Russian educational institutions with current accreditation (note that many universities do not have accreditation);
- graduates of Russian educational institutions (also with valid accreditation at the time of issuing a diploma to a foreigner);
- participants in the state program of native speakers of the Russian language.
Where to go?
An examination in the Russian language for citizenship is taken at testing centers or in educational institutions that have a special license. Traditionally apply to universities, technical schools or colleges. However, in private testing centers, the exam itself usually takes less time than in public institutions.
In Moscow, an exam in the Russian language for obtaining Russian citizenship is the cheapest way to pass at the IMC.
Here he will cost a foreigner only 3,500 rubles. The order, duration, the certificate of successful completion is no different from state educational institutions.
In St. Petersburg, an exam in the Russian language for obtaining Russian citizenship will cost 6,000 rubles. Before passing, make sure that the organization has the right to conduct an exam and, upon request, can provide a license. A full list of available organizations with a valid license is published below on the specified site. The required city is selected in the drop-down window.
The procedure for applying and passing the exam
The exam consists of several blocks: reading, writing, listening, vocabulary and grammar, speech. It will be very difficult to prepare for the exam from scratch, if the applicant had never spoken Russian before. For Russian-speaking carriers, the main thing at the time of delivery is not to be nervous, preliminary preparation in the study of the material is traditionally not required. Testing of speech by examiners is recorded on a video camera or recorder.
The procedure is as follows:
- prepare all the required documents (passport, notarized copy, migration card, photo and others);
- choose a testing center;
- pre-register for the exam by phone or in person;
- specify the list of required papers for participation in the exam;
- contact the testing center on time;
- fill out a questionnaire;
- pay for the exam;
- complete all tasks;
- wait for the results of the exam (traditionally, verification takes from 5 to 14 days);
- if necessary, retake exam blocks for which there were not enough points;
- pick up the certificate.
Each block is evaluated by a certain number of points. For successful completion, the applicant is required to correctly complete at least 65% of the tasks. If the specified percentage is lower, the foreigner will be offered to retake one of the blocks for an additional cost.
Obtaining a certificate online or without passing an exam is impossible and illegal. To obtain citizenship, a copy of the certificate is submitted to the Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.