Russia plans to tighten entry rules
Tengrinews.kz – Russia is preparing to tighten the rules for the entry and stay of foreign nationals. Three bills at once have been submitted to the State Duma aimed at combating illegal migration and strengthening control over the health status of migrants.
This was reported by Deputy Speaker of the State Duma and Chair of the parliamentary commission on migration policy Irina Yarovaya on her page.
According to her, the bills were supported by 427 deputies already at the submission stage.
“We have drafted three comprehensive bills that concern the procedures, control and reliability of documentary confirmation of the health safety of foreign citizens who have arrived in the Russian Federation to carry out labor activities,” Irina Yarovaya stated.
Medical examinations
The key changes relate to medical control. At present, foreign nationals are required to undergo a medical examination within 90 days after entering Russia. The new bill proposes to reduce this period to 30 days. In addition, all foreign citizens planning to stay in Russia for more than three months will have to undergo a medical examination annually.
“We are reducing the period from 90 to 30 days and making annual medical examinations mandatory for all foreign citizens who come to our country for more than three months,” Yarovaya explained.
Under the initiative, medical examinations may be conducted only in medical organizations authorized by regional authorities and exclusively at the expense of the foreign nationals themselves. According to the authors of the bill, this should eliminate intermediaries and reduce the number of fraudulent medical certificates.
Electronic certificates and data exchange
The results of medical examinations are planned to be converted into electronic form. The conclusions will be uploaded to the Unified State Health Information System (EGISZ) and automatically sent to the Interior Ministry.
“We are increasing the level of protection and importance of documents issued following medical examinations by converting them into electronic form with mandatory placement in EGISZ,” the Deputy Speaker noted.
If a foreign national is found to have used narcotic drugs, the information will be sent to the Interior Ministry for a decision on possible expulsion. If dangerous infectious diseases are detected, medical organizations will be obliged to immediately notify Rospotrebnadzor.
“The medical organization will immediately inform Rospotrebnadzor so that a fast-track deportation procedure for the foreign national can be initiated,” Yarovaya emphasized.
Fines
A separate block of the bills concerns liability for evading medical examination. It is proposed to increase fines more than twelvefold — to 25,000–50,000 rubles (about 163,000–327,000 tenge). The possibility of expelling a foreign national by court decision is also introduced.
“We are increasing the liability for evasion of medical examinations more than twelvefold — to 25,000–50,000 rubles, with the option of expulsion at the discretion of the court,” the Deputy Speaker of the State Duma reported.
For the first time, liability is also introduced for failure to pay such a fine within the prescribed period.
Liability for medical organizations
The bills also affect medical organizations. For violating the procedure for conducting medical examinations, it is proposed to introduce fines ranging from 300,000 to 1 million rubles (approximately 1.96 to 6.5 million tenge) or suspension of activities for a period from 14 to 90 days.
In addition, a separate criminal liability is established for forging and using fake medical certificates.
“For the use of a forged medical certificate, liability is introduced up to and including imprisonment for up to four years, along with a fine ranging from 500,000 to 1 million rubles (approximately 3.3 to 6.5 million tenge),” Yarovaya stated.
If the forgery or use of a certificate is committed using the internet or with abuse of official position, the liability will be stricter. If this results in mass infection of people, the punishment may reach eight years of imprisonment.
What this means for foreigners and Kazakhstanis
The authors of the initiatives emphasize that the new measures are specifically aimed at countering illegal migration and increasing the transparency of procedures.
“All medical examination procedures for foreign citizens must be transparent and have an impeccable level of reliability,” Irina Yarovaya summed up.
For citizens of Kazakhstan, these changes also have practical significance. Russia remains one of the popular destinations for travel – both for work and for personal reasons. It should be noted that as of 1 January 2025, updated rules have come into force in the country, under which it is permitted to stay on the territory of the Russian Federation without registration for no more than 90 days within a calendar year, regardless of the number of entries and exits.
At the same time, new entry rules for foreigners, including citizens of Kazakhstan, are already in effect in Russia. Since 30 June 2025, a digital profile has been created for each person entering, including passport data, facial photograph, and fingerprints.
Kazakhstanis still have the opportunity to visit Russia without a visa, but they must be prepared to undergo the new procedures:
submitting biometrics at checkpoints (Moscow airports and the Mashtakovo road checkpoint in the Orenburg region);
filling out an electronic application via the ruID app;
the requirement that SIM cards be registered only using biometrics;
undergoing a medical examination and fingerprinting if staying for more than 90 days.
New restrictions have also been introduced for Kazakhstanis, as for other foreigners, when crossing the Russian border. Now systematic violations of traffic rules (the traffic code) can become grounds for denial of entry into the country for up to three years.
When planning trips to Russia, Kazakhstanis should take the new requirements into account in advance, observe the deadlines for passing medical examinations, and use only official medical institutions.
“These bills are a logical continuation of comprehensive measures to counter specifically illegal migration,” the Deputy Speaker of the State Duma concluded.
The State Duma is expected to consider the initiatives in the near future.