from the blog

I have been involved in foreign adoptions as a consultant and counselor for the past nine years. The biggest question that most families have is concerning dual citizenship for Russian adopted children who are no longer minors (18 years of age or older). I am going to attempt to answer this mystery question as a result of research and a recent conversation with a representative of the Russian Embassy in Washington D.C. who works at the citizenship department.

• Does Russia recognize dual citizenship? According to recent changes in the Russian Constitution the law allows all Russians to have dual citizenship. Furthermore, the Russian law does not require citizens who have become a citizen of another country other than Russia to denounce their origin citizenship. However, there is no written agreement between America and Russia that states legal recognition of dual citizenship.

o Since early 2000’s all adopted children become American citizens automatically upon entering the United States. Once the paper work has been completed adoptive parents receive a certificate of citizenship and eventually process an American passport. Thus, they are fully recognized as American citizens and still have their Russian citizenship.

o This dual citizenship will always be legitimate. The only way to lose your citizenship if you commit a crime, officially denounce your citizenship or decide to become a citizen of another country other than the United States.

o Can you travel to Russia as a minor using the Russian foreign passport? Yes, you can. You leave the United State on an American passport and enter the Russian Federation on a Russian passport. Note: If you enter the Russian Federation on a Russian passport then you will be treated as a Russian citizen. In case of emergency you can contact the American Consulate or Embassy, but you may face some challenges because you are in Russia as a Russian citizen.

o Can you travel to Russia on a Russian foreign passport once you are no longer a minor? Yes, you can for as long as your Russian foreign passport is legit. If your Russian foreign passport has expired then you can simply contact the Russian Embassy in Washington D.C. and process a new one. This process take anywhere from 1-3 months and cost $150. Make sure that your adopted child has been registered at the Russian Consular Department at the Russian Embassy. This procedure is a common step, which is preformed shortly after the arrival into America. Once your child has been registered he/she does not have to be re-registered because it has no expiration.

o What do I do if my child is a boy and he is older than 18 years old? Based on the Russian Constitution and the Federal Law registered/accepted/released on March 28, 1998, Bill #53 states the following, “Every male in Russia is required to serve in the Russian Military Forces.” A young man is eligible to serve in the army anywhere between 18 – 27 years of age. All young men in Russia receive an official stamp in the internal Russian passport that they are legit to serve in the army. Thus, they have been registered for the service. This process is known as the voinskiy uchet (military account). Following category of people do not qualify to register and serve in the Russian Military Forces: those who are currently serving in the military, if you are in prison, female and do not hold some form of military position, citizens who permanently reside abroad/outside of the Russian Federation.

o Can you be taken into military service without a registration/voinskiy uchet? No, you cannot. If someone says during your visit to Russia that you cannot leave the Russian Federation because you have not served in the military then you simply state this Federal Law Bill#53 that says clearly who is eligible and they will leave you alone. Furthermore, all adopted children have been signed out of Russia meaning no longer have a local residence registration known as propiska; thus, they cannot be registered or be eligible for the service because officially their residence is not in Russia.

o Can I renew my child’s Russian foreign passport even after 10+ years? Yes, you can renew whenever you please by simply contacting the Russian Embassy in Washington D.C. and submitting the paper work. For more details check out their website “passport”: http://www.russianembassy.org/

o Do you have to denounce your child’s or young adult’s Russian citizenship? Well, only if you think it is necessary or you have no interest of keeping their Russian citizenship. To denounce Russian citizenship it takes 2-5 months, cost $145, requires a personal appearance for an interview, submission of different documents, if personal appearance is not possible then an additional application form must be filed and notarized by an attorney. If you want to know more about the process you may check out the Russian Embassy website “citizenship” or “grazhdanstvo”: http://www.russianembassy.org/

You may also contact me if you prefer.

I hope this blog entry will help you in trying to understand dual citizenship and traveling between two countries for adopted children. If you have further questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

For more information on the military service act and laws please visit following sites in Russian:
• http://www.prizyv.net/advice/u4et/
• http://armyrus.ru/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=55&Itemid=1483

For more information on dual citizenship according to the Russian Federation Federal Law/Constitution please visit following sites in Russian:
• http://www.rususa.com/forum/message.asp-msgid-56598
• http://www.consulrussia.org/ru/citizen.html#6

For more information on dual citizenship according to the Russian Federation Federal Law/Constitution please visit following sites in English:
• http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1753.html
• http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=d809a77f731de110VgnVCM1000004718190aRCRD&vgnextchannel=d21f3711ca5ca110VgnVCM1000004718190aRCRD