Russia cuts citizenship fee for Abkhazia, Ossetia, Transnistria

Russia will reduce the fee for naturalization for residents of Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Transnistria.

Consensus

The consular fee for citizenship applications for residents of Abkhazia, South Ossetsia, and Transnistria will be reduced from $600 to $65.
The fee increase to $600 took effect on August 1.
The reduction is part of a project prepared by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is under anti-corruption review.
The change applies to residents of partially recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as well as the unrecognized Transnistria.
A presidential decree in May 2026 simplified citizenship procedures for Transnistrian residents, removing requirements such as language proficiency and residence in Russia.
The reduced fee is intended to ease financial burden on applicants, many of whom are pensioners.
The project is expected to be adopted soon and is being processed at the government level.

The simplified citizenship procedure for Transnistria was introduced by a presidential decree in May 2026, and the procedure for Abkhazia and South Ossetia was introduced in May 2025. — meduza
The project includes a doubling of consular fees for urgent visas, with specific rates for different types of visas. — tg_agentstvonews
The project is currently undergoing anti-corruption expertise and is expected to be adopted shortly. — kommersant
The project is a government decree prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. — tg_theinsider