How to apply for a foreign passport through Gosuslugi and more

Now in Russia you can get a foreign passport of the old and new type. They differ in several ways.

The new document is more expensive, but it is valid longer. This is convenient when you have visas for more than five years. And a chip with data allows you to go through border control faster: employees simply scan it, instead of entering information into a database.

It’s worth getting an old-style passport and saving money in several cases:

1. You are planning to apply for a passport through the nearest MFC. Most institutions do not issue new documents. An exception is if there are employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs on the premises of the MFC who provide this service.
2. In the near future you are going to change your surname or appearance.
3. A passport is only needed for one or two trips.
4. You are applying for a passport for your child. Children grow and change. A ten-year-old will not be able to travel with a photo of a baby in his documents, so the passport will have to be changed before it expires.
5. You have many children and little money. Let's say you are the parent of three kids. They will simply enter their data into your old-style international passport and you will only pay 2,000 rubles for processing your own document. New-style passports for everyone will cost 10,250. Even if you issue old-style documents for your children and pay 8,000 for everything, the difference is still noticeable.
6. You want to get your passport faster. You can be given a ready-made old-style document on the day of your visit to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. But only if you’re lucky: the speed of registration depends on the workload of specialists. For MFC, add paper transportation time.

What documents are needed to obtain a passport?

You must provide:

• application for a foreign passport;
• passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation;
• existing international passport, if its validity has not expired;
• photographs (35 × 45 mm, the face occupies 70–80% of the image, light contrasting background): two for a new passport, three for an old one; if you submit an application through Gosuslugi, then one for an old-style document.

The photo that will be in the new document will be taken by employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs when accepting the documents. They will also take fingerprints.

When submitting documents, it is better to have copies of them with you, and of all pages, and not just completed ones.

You may also need:

• permission from command if you are a military personnel;
• military ID, if any;
• certificate of change of last name, first name or patronymic, if you have new data.

9. Indicate where you are applying for a passport:

• at your place of residence - where you are registered;
• at the place of actual residence - where you are without registration;
• at your place of stay - where you have your temporary registration.

Permanent registration information will be entered automatically.

The place of actual residence will need to be indicated.

10. Upload a photo. It doesn’t have to be done in a photo studio; an image taken on a phone camera will do. But it is important to comply with the requirements of the portal:

• File format - JPEG, PNG, BMP.
• The maximum size of an attached file is 5 MB, the minimum is 10 KB.
• The minimum resolution of the attached photo is 450 DPI.

These photographs are needed for the application form, but they should look like a passport.

11. Select the type of passport registration.

Available options:

• Primary - if you receive the document for the first time.
• In addition to the existing one - if one passport is not enough for you (read below on how and why to obtain a second document).
• To replace the used one - if the previous passport has expired.
• Instead of a damaged one - if the old one is worn out or fell victim to a child's experiment.
• To replace a lost one - if you have lost a document.

Here, note why you need a foreign passport: for temporary trips on vacation or business trips, or for permanent residence in another country.

If you already have a valid foreign passport, you need to enter its details.

12. Enter data on activities for the last ten years, following the instructions on the website. Fill out the fields in accordance with the entries in the work book; all places of work must be documented. If the break between different organizations was more than a month, write “Did not work”, there should be no blanks.

13. Answer a block of questions directly related to permission to travel abroad:

• Did you have access to sensitive or top secret information?
• Do you have contractual obligations that prevent you from traveling abroad?
• Have you been called up for military service or alternative civilian service?
• Are you avoiding fulfilling obligations imposed by the court?
• Have you been convicted of a crime?
• Have you been brought in as an accused?

Obviously, it is better if your answer is “no” on all counts. Otherwise, you will be denied a passport. There is no need to lie, the information will be checked.

14. Select the branch closest to you to submit documents.

15. Check the boxes to consent to the processing of personal data and submit the application.

If you did something wrong, the application will be returned to you indicating the errors. The system will save it as drafts, so you don’t have to fill out the form again. Just fix the bugs.

The draft can be found by clicking on your last name. The recent statement can be found in the notifications. Or click on the “Personal Account” box, this will take you to the drafts.

A correctly completed application will be accepted by the migration department of the local Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. A little later, you will receive a letter indicating when, what time and with what documents you will have to come to the department. If you fail to arrive on time, you have six months to submit documents for this application on a first-come, first-served basis.

In practice, not everyone receives a letter in the mail with a summons to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It is better to periodically check notifications in your personal State Services account.

Before visiting the office, do not forget to pay the state fee. When your application is reviewed, a payment receipt form will be sent to your State Services personal account. If you pay the state fee through the portal, it will be 30% cheaper.

1. Find the nearest multifunctional center on the “My Documents” website.

2. Make an appointment by phone to avoid waiting in line. Well, or go straight to the MFC, but then you will have to wait for an appointment.

3. Fill out the application for a foreign passport or sample in two copies. Write in block letters, avoid typos and blots, there should be none. As a sample, use the instructions for filling out an application on State Services (see above). Attach a package of documents to your applications, two (for the new sample) or three (for the old) photographs.

4. Pay the state fee. Details can be found on the website of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of your region or among the migration services of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

5. Contact the MFC with a package of documents.

How to apply for a foreign passport through the Ministry of Internal Affairs

You can submit documents directly to the Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

1. Find on the website of the territorial department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs the address of the nearest department where documents for a foreign passport are accepted.

2. Fill out an application for a passport or sample, take the necessary documents and their copies, two or three photographs.

3. Pay the state fee.

4. Contact the selected department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

How to obtain a passport through a diplomatic mission

If you are in another country when your passport has expired, a new document will be issued to you at the diplomatic mission.

The package of documents is still the same, but instead of the state fee, you will need to pay a consular fee - $30 for an old-style passport and $80 for a new one.

Why your application may not be accepted

The most common reasons for refusal:

• filled in illegibly, not all data is provided;
• you did not bring all the documents;
• you were unable to come in person and tried to submit an application through a representative (does not apply to “State Services”);
• any document has expired;
• Photography requirements are not met.

How long to wait for a ready passport?

In law Federal Law “On the procedure for leaving the Russian Federation and entering the Russian Federation” dated August 15, 1996 N 114-FZ Registration of a passport will take:

• no more than a month if you applied for it at the place of registration;
• no more than three months if you receive it at your place of residence or through a diplomatic mission, and also if you had access to state secrets.

You can reduce this time to three days if you confirm that you need emergency treatment abroad or that your close relative is seriously ill or has died there.

How to find out that you can get a passport

When the document is ready, you will receive an SMS or email. In addition, you can check whether your passport is ready on the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

A foreign passport may not be issued at all.

The package of documents includes:

• birth certificate with a stamp or insert on citizenship or passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation;
• parent's passport;
• a document confirming the child’s relationship with the applicant (the same birth certificate or a certificate from the guardianship authority);
• photos.

The payer of the state duty must indicate the child on the receipt.

The State Services form is filled out from the parent’s account. A child from 14 to 18 years old signs on the form and in the completed passport, but only in the presence of a legal representative. Parents do everything for children under 14 years old.

If you are just getting a passport, please provide your children’s details on the application. For example, on “State Services” a special block looks like this:

If you already have a foreign passport, contact the MFC or the Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for migration issues. You need to bring with you:

• internal ;
• international passport;
• child’s birth certificate with a stamp or citizenship insert;
• three photographs of the child;
• receipt for payment of the state fee “Introduction of changes to the passport identifying the identity of a citizen of the Russian Federation outside the territory of the Russian Federation”, its size is 500 rubles.