New Russian "Show me your Papers" Law for Dual Citizens

[Nick_Moscow 2]

Anyone else heard about this??

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/20/us-russia-bill-dualcitizens-idUSBREA4J0MJ20140520

Honestly I'm surprised no one started a thread on the topic when the law was first being discussed about a week ago. I came home from work, and my wife was so upset- I told her "they" can go to h*ll and she won't be "registering" at the Russian embassy in DC because who knows what Russia will try to do with that information in the future!

It's funny because now I see we should have just stuck with the permanent residency for her When we were debating whether to apply for her citizenship, I asked all our Russian-American acquaintances how they handled traveling to Russia, since I knew dual citizenship was outlawed in Russia. I drilled down for details, explaining how suspect it would look to leave the USA on one passport and enter Russia on another, when the Russian one wouldn't have a visa or exit stamps on it. The Russian friends looked at me like I was crazy but now it looks like I was being quite sane...

What do you all think of this? Do your wives plan to register at the Russian consulates? Or risk paying the fine or going to a soft-labor camp ("volunteer" work)? Or something else??

[JohnR! 5,495]

If this really comes to pass, she should register as a dual citizen as required; it's the law after all. Optionally she could consider formally renouncing her Russian citizenship through a legal process at the consulate, the result being she could travel to Russia with her US passport and a visa.

IMHO this is just more posture from Putin. What a joke.

Edited May 23, 2014 by Gegel

[2ndMessiah 184]

Also reading the article it says Russians living abroad are exempt.

Taken from article.

The law includes an exemption for Russians with dual citizenship who live abroad and for residents of Crimea, where Russia is busily issuing passports.

Edited May 23, 2014 by 2ndMessiah

[Neonred 3,446]

Is your wife planning to move back and live in Russia? If not then this is a non issue.

My wife has never registerd, and will never register, at the Russian embassy.

Edited May 24, 2014 by Neonred

[Nick_Moscow 2]

The issue for us (and probably many others?) is visiting family and friends. Also given the overall crappiness of the Obama economy vs. the Putin economy the husbands on here who speak Russian may find better opportunities over there than here.

Also 2ndMessiah unfortunately I think that part of the article is a misprint - none of the Russian articles I read mention such an exemption, and if this exemption existed, it would make the whole law pointless.

In general I'm kicking myself for not keeping her permanent residency, when I knew all along that Russia beginning with Putin's first term began disallowing dual citizenship!

Of course politics-wise this seems like a logical move. The sad lack of assimilation amongst America's modern immigrants IMHO is at least partly due to our dual-citizenship policy.

What do you all think about this coming law? Does it spook or anger you and your RUBette, or did you have no intention anyway of ever visiting or returning to Russia?

[Neonred 3,446]

"...when I knew all along that Russia beginning with Putin's first term began disallowing dual citizenship!"

Sorry, but you seem a little clueless. Disallowing dual citizenship? Where do you get this?

The two of you need to chill out

Edited May 24, 2014 by Neonred

[eekee 182]

I agree with neonred--just think logically about this. The articles I have read state that yes, they want to be able to keep track of people better, especially people with citizenship from countries like the US--but if your wife is a regular person with no real business interests or governmental ties in Russia, then she has nothing to worry about, I think. She always has the option of renouncing her citizen if it seems necessary, but for now I think it would be not that big of a deal to just follow the law and write a registered letter to whomever saying she has been an American citizenship since x date. They are not going to care about someone who is living a normal life with her husband in the US and not doing anything that would be detrimental to Russian interests. That is what I think is the impetus behind this law and things I have read have said as much.

Edited May 24, 2014 by eekee

[Nick_Moscow 2]

Sorry, but you seem a little clueless. Disallowing dual citizenship? Where do you get this?

The two of you need to chill out

Neonred if you weren't aware during Putin's first term (early 2000s) dual citizenship was outlawed for the Russian Federation. I haven't read the full history but it had something to do with all the people from the former USSR coming back to Russia. So that part isn't clueless, it's the law.

eekee you make some fair points but my wife and I have plans of buying property and maybe even starting a business in Russia, so I'm thinking about how this law change may affect those plans.

Neonred if everyone on this forum "chilled out" there would be very few posts and discussions.

So I take it that this new law doesn't concern most because most don't have plans to maintain cultural/family/travel ties with Russia?

[Neonred 3,446]

Neonred if you weren't aware during Putin's first term (early 2000s) dual citizenship was outlawed for the Russian Federation. I haven't read the full history but it had something to do with all the people from the former USSR coming back to Russia. So that part isn't clueless, it's the law.

LOL

I think you need to do a little studying. Dual citizenship was NEVER outlawed. Again, where are you getting this ****!

[eekee 182]

There are Americans who own business and property in Russia. The climate is going to become tougher and tougher, IMO, but not exactly because of this law in particular.

[vbtwo 54]

Dual citizenship is not outlawed in Russia. It's just that when you go to Russia or deal in any way with the Russian government, they treat you as a Russian citizen and do not care at all that you have some other citizenship. So you must use the Russian passport to enter and leave Russia, etc. Now they seem to care a bit more and want to know who has another citizenship. If it passes, just register like they require and then you won't have any problems.

They were recently discussing banning dual citizenships for members of the Duma, but this was never meant to affect regular people.

[JohnR! 5,495]

Dual citizenship is not outlawed in Russia. It's just that when you go to Russia or deal in any way with the Russian government, they treat you as a Russian citizen and do not care at all that you have some other citizenship. So you must use the Russian passport to enter and leave Russia, etc. Now they seem to care a bit more and want to know who has another citizenship. If it passes, just register like they require and then you won't have any problems.

They were recently discussing banning dual citizenships for members of the Duma, but this was never meant to affect regular people.

And that is true of any country that recognizes dual citizenship. They will always treat you as their own, regardless of how many passports you carry.

[Nick_Moscow 2]

LOL

I think you need to do a little studying. Dual citizenship was NEVER outlawed. Again, where are you getting this ****!

And that is true of any country that recognizes dual citizenship. They will always treat you as their own, regardless of how many passports you carry.

No and NO. Nyet!! Nikak! Nikogda!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_nationality_law#Dual_citizenship_treaties

If you know Russian, click on the Russian language link for this Wikipedia entry and you'll see that the Russian Federation only recognizes dual citizenship with countries with which it has treaties.

It sounds like the issue is no biggie for most VJers on here because they and their spouses have no intention on maintaining relations with mother Russia. But did your spouse formally renounce his/her Russian citizenship? If not, this newly proposed law may apply to you.

And if maintaining Russian citizenship is not important to you, that's fine. I only brought this issue up because I find it funny (in that Russian 'black humor' sort of way, that we all know all too well) that all the Russian-Americans we met made it sound like it's no big deal to travel on two passports, and then boom, this.

Since our country has somehow managed to re-open the Cold War, I just wonder how this new law may affect things in the future. We know that the US exempts up to about $80K of income earned abroad from taxation, but will Russia allow the same exemption??

Please don't respond that I should chill out; this is just healthy discussion of newly proposed law that may affect RUBettes in a serious way, in the context of issues discussed here on visajourney.com.

[JohnR! 5,495]

No and NO. Nyet!! Nikak! Nikogda!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_nationality_law#Dual_citizenship_treaties

If you know Russian, click on the Russian language link for this Wikipedia entry and you'll see that the Russian Federation only recognizes dual citizenship with countries with which it has treaties.

It sounds like the issue is no biggie for most VJers on here because they and their spouses have no intention on maintaining relations with mother Russia. But did your spouse formally renounce his/her Russian citizenship? If not, this newly proposed law may apply to you.

And if maintaining Russian citizenship is not important to you, that's fine. I only brought this issue up because I find it funny (in that Russian 'black humor' sort of way, that we all know all too well) that all the Russian-Americans we met made it sound like it's no big deal to travel on two passports, and then boom, this.

Since our country has somehow managed to re-open the Cold War, I just wonder how this new law may affect things in the future. We know that the US exempts up to about $80K of income earned abroad from taxation, but will Russia allow the same exemption??

Please don't respond that I should chill out; this is just healthy discussion of newly proposed law that may affect RUBettes in a serious way, in the context of issues discussed here on visajourney.com.

I understand your POV. However, what is done is done and as you indicated, your wife has already become a US citizen. At this point, at best she might be able to keep both and not have to worry about it. At worst, she may have to renounce her Russian citizenship formally. Perhaps there are several acceptable mediums in between.

IMHO it is not something you should discard, if that concerns you, but wait until you get more specifics on the new legislation and its actual implications.

[baron555 934]

Please don't respond that I should chill out; this is just healthy discussion of newly proposed law that may affect RUBettes in a serious way, in the context of issues discussed here on visajourney.com.

Then....why do you make this statement?

Since our country has somehow managed to re-open the Cold War,