For Russian men, renouncing citizenship is the only way to end military obligation for good. Abroad, that now costs almost 10 times more.

As of August 2026, renouncing Russian citizenship from abroad costs nearly 10 times as much as it used to. The change was set out in a government decree.

Russian consulates and diplomatic missions now list a $1,200 fee on their websites for processing an application to renounce citizenship. Applicants must also reimburse consulates for their actual costs, which likely include mailing documents, handling paperwork, and issuing supplementary certificates.

The cost of that part of the process varies from country to country. Giving up a Russian passport in most EU countries, the United Kingdom, and the United States will run $2,640, Meduza confirmed. In Kazakhstan, renouncing citizenship now costs $1,560. Armenia charges the same. Serbia has set its fee at $1,920.

Update: After this story was published, Meduza readers pointed out to us that under the law, Russian citizens are not supposed to pay consulates’ “actual costs.” That is spelled out in Article 36 of the Consular Charter. We recommend contacting the consulate you plan to use for clarification before you file.

Inside Russia, the fee has gone up as well — from 4,200 rubles to 50,000 (roughly $50 to $600). That is still far cheaper than at consulates abroad, but bear in mind that an application can take up to six months to process. So cost alone should not decide where you file; you also need to work out the logistics your particular case requires.

The main reason is other countries’ requirements — specifically, when someone is acquiring citizenship in a country that bars holding two or more passports. Among the destinations popular with emigrants from Russia, Kazakhstan is one such country. There, applicants must surrender their first passport before applying for a new one; they must attach a notarized renunciation of Russian citizenship to the application.

Under standard naturalization, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia require the same renunciation from citizens of countries not on an approved list; Russia is not on it. There are exceptions you can check to see if they might apply to you. But in all likelihood, you will still have to give up the Russian passport.

Formally, the same rule applies in Spain, which exempts a handful of countries whose citizenship a person may keep; Russia is not among them. The procedure is less rigid in practice, though: when swearing an oath to the king and the constitution, Russians must sign an official declaration renouncing their previous citizenship, but many decide not to surrender their passports — taking on the risk of losing their Spanish citizenship in the process.

Germany had strict requirements until the summer of 2024, when they were repealed. Many Asian countries, including China, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea, enforce strict rules. Then again, in every one of those countries except South Korea, obtaining a passport is all but impossible.

Looking at the world as a whole, the problem is not especially widespread, Anastasia Burakova, a lawyer and the founder of the human rights organization Kovcheg (The Ark), told Meduza:

Sometimes, Burakova said, holders of two or more citizenships run into restrictions even where dual nationality is effectively permitted. That can happen to people applying for civil service jobs (though by no means for every position), taking work in law enforcement or the security services, or running for office at certain levels: a politician is not supposed to have obligations to another country.

Keeping Russian citizenship really can create difficulties with foreign companies, Burakova said. But that applies mainly to dealings with “banks and other organizations whose security criteria may lead them to take a dim view of Russian citizenship.” Cases in which someone is turned down for an “ordinary” job — one with no access to state secrets and the like — because of a Russian passport remain the exception, so there is no basis for saying that renouncing citizenship helps in any way with finding work.

The picture looks somewhat different for owners of large businesses, senior executives, and investors. A Russian passport can expose them to heightened sanctions risk, such as the risk of having assets frozen, and to constant compliance checks by foreign banks.

Yes. They have to do with the war and the “generally dismal political situation in Russia,” Burakova said. Among the reasons for renouncing citizenship, she pointed to:

• Risks tied to military service obligations. Renouncing citizenship remains the only way to cancel conscription and mobilization obligations completely and permanently. It also frees a person from the restrictions that come with them, such as a ban on leaving Russia, frozen bank accounts, and bans on real estate transactions and on driving, all of which take effect when a draft summons is served.
• Protection from deportation and extradition to Russia. Holding a foreign passport guarantees that a person will not be handed over to the Russian authorities at the request of law enforcement, including in fabricated or politically motivated cases. This matters enormously in the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, where cross-border searches for wanted people work efficiently and Moscow retains political influence — and not only there (here is one recent example, and here is Meduza’s full guide to countries that are dangerous for antiwar Russians).

Broadly speaking, yes. At least until compelling reasons emerge, and until the laws change in the country where you live or in Russia — a turn of events we cannot rule out. “By and large, most people face no risk from holding Russian or any other citizenship, and it makes life a little simpler when it comes to travel and to property in Russia,” Burakova said.

Along with the fairly steep price, there are several conditions you will have to meet. Under Russian citizenship law, you must have no outstanding obligations of any kind to the state or to Russian individuals or legal entities. Those restrictions fall into the following categories:

• Any tax debts: unpaid property, vehicle, land, or personal income taxes. Filing an application requires a special certificate from the Federal Tax Service confirming that you owe nothing.
• Administrative fines: any unpaid traffic police fines, or fines for disorderly conduct or other offenses, including political ones.
• Criminal prosecution and court sentences: you will be refused if a criminal case has been opened against you and you have the status of a suspect or a defendant, or if you are under a court sentence that has taken legal effect but has not yet been carried out — the term has not been served, the criminal fine has not been paid, or the community service has not been completed.
• Court-ordered debts and enforcement proceedings: unpaid child support, utility arrears, and commercial loans if the bank has already gone to court and the case has been handed to the Federal Bailiff Service. An ordinary loan that is being paid on time, with no missed payments, is not an obstacle.
• Military service obligations: an active draft summons, or an unfulfilled obligation to perform military service, which applies to citizens of draft age who have not been removed from the military registry.
• The risk of statelessness: the applicant must produce another country’s passport or an official guarantee that one will be issued, such as a document from a foreign government confirming its readiness to grant citizenship upon renunciation of Russian citizenship.