Russia Publishes List of Countries Eligible to Apply for Shared Values Visa
The Russian Government's Publication of Official Acts website published an important list today--the countries counted as unfriendly related to the August presidential decree on Western migration to the Russian Federation. While there were few surprises considering the guidance that was issued weeks in advance to migration experts like our friend Timur Beslangurov and to the media disclosing that countries on the 'unfriendly list' of U.S. vassals and Ukraine war effort sponsors would be listed, nonetheless there were a few small countries on the list, such as the island nations of the Bahamas and Micronesia as well as the small European states Andorra, Luxembourg and San Marino.
The full list is quoted below:
Australia - Austria - Albania - Andorra - The Bahamas - Belgium - Great Britain (UK) - Germany - Greece - Denmark - Ireland - Iceland - Spain - Italy - Canada - Cyprus - Latvia - Lithuania - Liechtenstein - Luxembourg - Malta - Micronesia - Monaco - Netherlands - New Zealand - Norway - Poland - Portugal - South Korea - Romania - San Marino - North Macedonia - Singapore - Slovenia - USA - Taiwan - Ukraine - Finland - Croatia - Montenegro - Czech Republic - Switzerland - Sweden - Estonia - Japan
Above image credit: OpenAI Art visualizing an American standing in a green hoodie in Red Square
To recap, the Shared Values Visa allows citizens or legal permanent residents of the above countries to apply for temporary residency in the Russian Federation without a regional patent or migration quota. Nor do you need to initially meet the Russian language, history or legal knowledge requirements. Learning Russian is of course still necessary to stay in the country for the long-term and knowing some basics of Russian law and history is still necessary for obtaining citizenship after transitioning from temporary to a permanent residency permit (PRP). Our friend Tim Kirby at AmericanVillages.ru works with a company that specializes in teaching you Russian to pass these tests--you may contact Tim through ESW or directly through his website.
Temporary residency is a stamp in the resident's passport that allows a foreigner to live and work in Russia for up to three years before the holder must apply for a new residency permit. If you move while living on a temporary residency permit, you must notify the authorities of your new address (the so-called propiska system). Both temporary and permanent residency permits must be updated annually with your address and proof of income to stay in the country. As our buddy Tim says frequently you have to live somewhere in Russia while maintaining your residency--and not all private landlords are open to renting to foreigners--so you might as well consider buying property near Moscow as a long-term investment if you have the funds to do so.
For further information about how Westerners can migrate to Russia, see the following posts:
ExitStrategy.World Webcast with American Villages in Russia's Tim Kirby and Russia's Leading Expert Attorney on Western Migration, Timur Beslangurov September 13, 2024
ExitStrategy.World Eurasia Editor Stanislav Krapivnik Comments on Russia's New Migration Decree August 29, 2024
Did Western YouTube Vloggers in Russia Encourage the Kremlin's Decree Welcoming Westerners to the RF? August 27, 2024
The Russian Ark is Officially Under Construction August 25, 2024
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