Hello Everyone! Hey my fiance has her interview on May 6! her birthday is on April 30 she turns 20! She is form Ufa Russia and when you turn 20 you have to change your passport! She has to go there early for her medical so she will probably leave around then! My question is can yuo change yuor russian passport before yuo are 20! Should she wait to after she gets her visa then come back to Ufa and change her russian passport! When she visits Russia in a year will they give her trouble if she did not get her russian passport changed? Will they give her trouble coming back to Ufa if it is expired! She wants to come to the Usa as soon as she can!
Please Help
Thank You Very much!

Don't mix up your passports. She is probably referring to her internal Russian passport which is Russia's internal ID system. Her international passport which she will use to travel abroad and place visas in is just fine regardless of what she does with that internal passport. My wife left without ever changing the internal, she is almost two years over due now.

Yes but has she gone back since? Will her or her family have to pay a ticket becasue of this?

Corey, I'm sure she is referring to her internal passport. Does Mariya have her international passport? She has to have one to depart Russia. Just a warning, if she does not and wants to get a new bio-passport, I have heard turnaround time is 60 days. If she is getting the old style it would be quicker.

I do not think people understand my question! Yes she has her international passport she has been to america bfore that is where we met this has nothing to do with her international passport! She is wooried about her internal passport the one she uses inside russia that when she comes back to visit she will get in trouble for not updating her passport when she turned 20! She also does not want her family to get a ticket either! She turns 20 a week before her interview and will fly out there a couple days before medical! And she is trying to decide if she should wait in Moscow a couple days after her interview and fly straight to America or update her internal passport so she does not get in trouble when she visits or her family does not get a ticket!

I'm having trouble understanding why her family would be fined. It is her internal passport and her responsibility. As for the first part, I believe, she should probably have it updated. They should issue her a document, good for internal movement, stating her passport is being held and updated.

She's been back twice with no problems. Once she registers her international passport with the Russian consulate in the US, she can forget about the internal one unless she decides to buy property or move back to Russia. But if she wants she can start the renewal process, it shouldn't effect her foreign travel, but I'd ask the local officials firsts, as well the question about the fines.

I believe there is even a law that says Russian residing permanently abroad must turn in their internal passports.

My only guess is it has something to do with their living arrangements and the propiska system. Is there some complicated story which warrants constant checking of her and the family status?

My wife didn't even bring her internal passport with her when we came back to the US. She left it with her daughter in case there was some need for it. Certainly no need for it here in the US or for returning to Russia for a visit. Also the Russian embassy won't touch the internal passport when it comes to name changes, etc.

I know a girl who moved to the US with her family when she was eight and she still has an internal passport.

You might want to call a russian consulate in the US. Whenever I've gone a Russian consulate most people are there about passports.

Thanks everyone for your replies! It is greatly appreciated!!

Yeah she was just worried that when she came back to visit if she did not cahnge it she would get a fin or get in trouble and thought maby her family could get a fine! She worries too much thank You everyone!!!

All Russian girls worry too much! I don't think anyone will harass her family, Corey.

Corey,
I have made a quick research and it looks like since 01.01.2005 the person who delays exchanging internal passport longer than 1 month is charged a fee equaled to 15-20 minimum monthly wages which is 1500-2500 Russian Rubles now. Of course it happens when this person tries to get a new passport.

Your fiancee doesn't need her internal passport anywhere outside of Russia. I'd advise to apply for a new passport and pick it up next time when she's in Russia. I did that when I was changing my internal passport. I picked it up 3 or 4 months later. But I don't think there might be any problem if she does it a year later.

Good luck!

Natalia