Russia’s New Military-Service Decree: What Foreigners Must Know in 2025
The definitive guide to who is affected, who is exempt, and how simplified residency and citizenship routes are impacted by the new decree.
By Kevin Michelizzi • American Inside Russia and Crimea
🗓️ November 18, 2025
If you’re a foreigner exploring the idea of living in Russia, applying for residence, or diving into citizenship, now is the time to pay attention. A newly issued presidential decree has introduced a military-service documentation requirement for certain foreign men applying for residency or citizenship in Russia.
As usual, the online ecosystem is chaotic: half-truths, misinterpretations, and people mixing programs together that have nothing to do with one another.
This article explains exactly who must comply, who is fully exempt, and why so many people are confused.
Spoiler: if you’re using Decree 702, the Compatriots Program (the “Green Book”), or the Repatriation route, you are not affected.
Let’s clarify this once and for all.
📜 What the Decree Actually Does
The decree introduces a simple but significant requirement:
If you are a foreign man of military-service age (roughly 18–65) and you apply through certain standard “simplified” residency or citizenship routes, you must provide:
proof of military service
or
an exemption certificate
or
a certificate of unfitness for military service
This requirement does not apply universally.
It does not apply to every foreigner.
It applies only to specific, non-program, simplified pathways.
⚖️ Who Is Affected
Below is the most complete list available of categories where male applicants must provide military-service documentation.
1. Simplified PR (ВНЖ) through marriage
If a foreign man applies through marriage outside any state program, military documentation is required.
2. Simplified PR through “Native Russian Language Speaker” (NRL / НРЯ)
A fully affected category.
All men 18–65 must submit the required documents.
3. Simplified PR based on parenthood of a Russian citizen (minor or adult)
If not under Decree 702, Compatriots, or Repatriation, the decree applies.
4. Simplified citizenship through marriage
One of the most common affected pathways.
If not tied to a state program, men must provide military-service documents.
5. Simplified citizenship through the NRL route
Native Russian Language (NRL): Another major affected category.
6. Simplified citizenship for former USSR citizens (outside a state program)
The classic “I was born in the USSR so I qualify” route is affected
unless the applicant qualifies under Compatriots or Repatriation.
7. TRP → PR → Citizenship pathways that are not tied to state programs
This includes foreigners who attempt to climb the ladder without:
Decree 702
Compatriots Program
Repatriation
8. Humanitarian grounds → PR (not tied to any program)
The decree applies if they later apply using simplified pathways.
9. Certain workers applying through simplified PR/citizenship (outside HQ Specialist or investment routes)
If the applicant is not a Highly Qualified Specialist (ВКС) and is using simplified routes, military documentation is required.
10. Foreigners from Central Asian ‘stan’ countries who apply WITHOUT 702 or the Green Book
This is one of the largest and most relevant affected groups.
Historically, citizens of:
Kazakhstan
Uzbekistan
Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
could access very generous simplified pathways based on multilateral agreements and historical ties.
These non-program simplified routes are now exactly the categories targeted by the decree.
If a man from these countries does not enter through:
Decree 702,
Compatriots Program (Green Book),
Repatriation,
then he must provide military-service documentation.
❌ / ✔️ Who Is Not Affected
These categories are fully exempt from the decree:
• Women
Never required to provide military documents.
• Minors (under 18)
• Men over the maximum service age (typically 65)
• Participants in official state programs:
1. Decree 702 — Shared Values Visa
Fully exempt at every stage, from Temporary Residency to Permanent Residency, and Citizenship.
Program rules cannot be altered by this decree.
2. Compatriots Program (Соотечественники) — the “Green Book”
This is the State Program for Voluntary Resettlement of Compatriots.
Participants receive a green certificate, which is why it is called the Green Book.
Exempt from the new requirement.
3. Repatriants (Репатрианты)
Not a program — a legal category.
Based on birthplace (you or your parents/grandparents born in RSFSR or on Russian territory).
Also exempt from the decree.
• Highly Qualified Specialists (HQS/ВКС)
Governed by Federal Law; exempt.
• Investment-based and other Federal Law–based routes
Also exempt.
📊 SIMPLE SUMMARY TABLE: WHO IS AFFECTED?
Military-Service Requirement Under the New Decree
🏛️ Why the Exclusions Matter
Federal Laws and State Programs outrank general decrees under Russian legal hierarchy.
Therefore:
Decree 702
Compatriots Program (Green Book)
Repatriation
…cannot be overridden or modified by a separate decree unless updated internally.
Thus, the military-service requirement does not apply to those routes.
🧩 Why So Much Confusion?
There are several big reasons this topic exploded into contradictory interpretations online:
1. People mix up “simplified citizenship/residency” with “state programs.”
These are completely different legal systems.
Simplified citizenship = affected.
State programs (702, Compatriots, Repatriation) = not affected.
2. Many explanations only read one paragraph of the decree.
Without understanding the legal hierarchy (Federal Law → State Program → Decree), the entire interpretation collapses.
3. Constant confusion between Repatriants and the Green Book.
Green Book = Compatriots Program
Repatriation = birthplace-based
They are separate.
Mixing them creates wrong assumptions.
4. No unified ministry clarification yet
Until МВД and МИД issue a standardized instruction, regional migration offices can differ in interpretation — temporarily.
5. “Stan country” cases get misapplied to people in 702 or Compatriots
This is one of the biggest sources of chaos.
Foreigners from Central Asian countries who apply without programs get hit with the decree — correctly.
People see this and panic, thinking it applies to 702 or the Green Book — it does not.
🧭 Why This Matters for You
If you’re considering residency or citizenship in Russia:
✔ Know which legal basis you’re using.
Not just “I want PR,” but:
“Am I applying under 702?”
“Am I under Compatriots?”
“Am I using Repatriation?”
“Or am I in a generic simplified category?”
✔ If you are in a state program (702, Compatriots, Repatriation)
The military-service requirement does not apply.
✔ If you are applying through general simplified pathways
and you are a man 18–65,
you will be required to provide documentation.
✔ Women, minors, older men
are unaffected.
📝 Final Thoughts
Russia’s immigration system is layered, complex, and often misunderstood.
This decree highlights the importance of understanding the exact pathway you use — the difference between:
a simplified route
and
a state program
…is the difference between facing a military documentation requirement or never being asked for it.
If you are serious about your move, consult a qualified migration lawyer familiar with these categories. I recommend Braiden Consulting as a trusted partner for accurate, up-to-date migration guidance.
Welcome to Russia Beyond the Narrative — let’s keep digging.
American Inside Russia & Crimea
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What category you are falling under? What if you're invalid from service in a third country?