Expert: Amendments to  Federal Law "On the Legal Status of Foreign  Citizens in the Russian Federation" should not apply to individuals  engaged in freight and passenger transportation

ArmInfo.The proposed changes to the Federal Law "On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation" should not apply to individuals engaged in freight and passenger transportation, as was stated by Tatevik  Bezhanyan, a migration program expert  at the Armenian Caritas NGO,  during a press conference on October 13.

She explained that, according to the amendments, citizens of  visa-free countries entering the Russian Federation for purposes  other than employment (i.e., without a corresponding stamp on their  migration card) may stay in the country for no more than 90 days  within a 180-day period. This restriction also applies to drivers  engaged in freight and passenger transportation, despite the fact  that they are essentially performing labor functions. Moreover, the  restrictions apply not only to road carriers but also to air and rail  drivers.  According to Bezhanyan, a law on the registry of controlled  persons, introducing a so-called "expulsion regime," also came into  effect in the Russian Federation on February 5, 2025. This law  provides for sanctions against foreign citizens who violate residence  regulations. Such individuals are added to the registry, after which  their bank accounts are frozen, and all transactions become  impossible.

According to a decree of the President of the Russian Federation,  foreigners were allowed to legalize their stay in the Russian  Federation until April 30, 2025. This deadline was subsequently  extended until September 10. Prior to this date, she noted, law  enforcement oversight was relatively lenient, including with respect  to drivers. However, since mid-September, the situation has changed  dramatically: police have begun actively checking the documents of  foreign citizens and tracking the number of days they stay. The  expert reported that if the established time limits of 90 to 180 days  are exceeded, foreign citizens are subject to a three-year entry ban,  if they exceed 180 to 270 days, a five-year entry ban, and if they  exceed 270 days, a ten-year entry ban.

Bezhanyan reported that she has already received appeals from 74  citizens, with 13-14  already issued five- year entry bans, despite  their documents indicating a stay of no more than 180 days.  In some  cases, delays were caused by force majeure circumstances: vehicle  breakdowns, traffic jams on Verkhniy Lars, etc., which objectively  prevented them from leaving Russia within the established time  limits.

Bezhanyan also noted that Russian border service officers often state  that these restrictions do not apply to drivers, which is consistent  with common sense. However, by law, the Russian Ministry of Internal  Affairs oversees the stay of foreign citizens and enforces migration  regulations. They have the authority to deport citizens without legal  proceedings.  Bezhanyan believes that the Eurasian Economic  Commission could play an important role in this matter.  "We hope  that the relevant decision will be made as soon as possible.  Otherwise, the consequences could be extremely severe, both for the  drivers themselves and for our trade turnover," she noted.