Russia's ‘Register of controlled persons’: What it is and how to stay off it

Since 2025, Russia has maintained a ‘Register of controlled persons’ – an official database maintained by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This register includes foreign nationals who have lost their legal right to stay in the country. The register is updated every four hours and the information it contains is available not only to government agencies, but also to commercial organizations that deal with foreign nationals. As a result, a person placed on this register will face problems with bank accounts and travel within the country. And, of course, deportation awaits them.

Who ends up on the register & why

The register includes foreign nationals who are in Russia and violate immigration laws. The grounds for inclusion are clearly defined by law:

1. Expiration of documents: temporary residence permit, residence permit, patent, work permit, visa or employment contract. Or if these documents have been cancelled and the person has not obtained new ones

2. A foreign national from a visa-free country has been in Russia for more than three months, but has not obtained the required permits (TRP, permanent residence permit, patent, etc.). Russia enforces a 90/365 rule, meaning that a foreign national who does not require a visa can spend no more than 90 days in Russia per year

3. A decision has been issued on administrative expulsion, deportation, undesirability of stay or entry ban

4. The person has illegally crossed the border

5. A child may also be included in the register if their parents have not regulated the child's legal status. Such children will be unable to enroll in schools or kindergartens

What happens when a person is placed on the register

A foreign national included in the Register of Controlled Persons is prohibited from:

• Changing their place of residence (stay) without permission from the Ministry of Internal Affairs
• Leaving the region where they reside (they may leave Russia)
• Buying or selling real estate or cars
• Getting married
• Using bank accounts (transactions are limited to no more than 30,000 rubles per month – approximately $400)
• Driving a vehicle

Additionally, a person included in the register is required to regularly report to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and comply with all legal requirements.

You can check whether a person is on the register on the Ministry of Internal Affairs website. 

What to do if a person ends up on the register

As Nikita Sokolov from ‘Braiden Consulting’ law firm explains, since data is entered into the register automatically, based on specific algorithms rather than manually, erroneous inclusions are possible. For example, the system detects that a foreign national has stayed beyond a certain period, but their new documents have not yet appeared in the system.

"If a person gets on the register by mistake, they should either call the Ministry of Internal Affairs hotline or contact the territorial migration office at the foreign national's place of registration and submit a request for removal from the register, providing documents confirming their legal status. After that, they can contact the bank, if their cards have been blocked," says Nikita. You can also submit an application on the Ministry of Internal Affairs website.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs is required to review the request within 30 days – but it usually happens faster. If the decision is positive, the restrictions will be lifted.

"But, if a person ended up on the register for good reason – for an actual violation of immigration laws – then other options remain: they must leave Russia and remedy the causes of the violation. If they are placed on the register for overstaying their permitted time, they will most likely be issued an expulsion from Russia along with a subsequent entry ban for a certain period. They comply with that decision and then re-enter the country," says Nikita.