Russian President Vladimir Putin submitted to the State Duma for ratification an agreement on the simplifying procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship for citizens of South Ossetia. The document was published in the Duma electronic database on Monday.
This is an agreement on dual citizenship signed by Russia and South Ossetia in 2021. The document provides that citizens will be able to acquire citizenship of another country without renouncing the existing one.
Any capable citizen of the Republic over the age of 18 can apply for citizenship of the Russian Federation in a simplified manner. Children under 14 will receive the same citizenship as their parents. Until the child reaches the age of 18, parents will be able to choose their citizenship on the basis of a written application.
According to the document, persons who have acquired dual citizenship will receive the right to social security, education, and medical care in accordance with the legislation of the party in whose territory they permanently reside. This rule also applies to military service.
The Agreement will enter into force on the date of the exchange of instruments of ratification. It will remain in effect for five years and automatically renew for the same period unless either party notifies the other one in writing six months prior to the expiration of the next five-year period of its intention to terminate it.
The simplified acquisition of citizenship of the Russian Federation by residents of South Ossetia was recently announced live on his Instagram page by President Anatoly Bibilov.
He has reminded that in August last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an order to sign an Agreement with South Ossetia on dual citizenship and on a simplified procedure for acquiring Russian citizenship by citizens of the Republic.
“As you know, the Dual Citizenship Agreement with Russia was signed and ratified in South Ossetia, now the State Duma is ratifying it, literally in a short time the document will be ratified in the Federation Council, and the mechanism for acquiring Russian citizenship will actually be implemented. I hope that this whole mechanism will be implemented in a short time, in about a month,” the President said. Earlier, Bibilov reported that the Republic had been moving towards signing an agreement with the Russian Federation on dual citizenship since 2008 - from the moment South Ossetia was recognized by the Russian Federation. He specified that this agreement would make life easier for the citizens of the Republic, would provide them with social protection, and also make it possible to receive Russian pensions.
On December 1, 2021, the South Ossetian Parliament ratified the Agreement with the Russian Federation, which allows citizens of the Republic to acquire Russian citizenship in a simplified manner and provides them with additional social guarantees.
