Dramatic Decline in Russian Passport Issuance: 45% Drop Recorded in 2024

According to a report from the Kommersant business newspaper on Thursday, Russian immigration authorities issued significantly fewer passports to foreign nationals last year compared to any year since at least 2020, based on data from the Interior Ministry.

In 2024, the authorities distributed 209,000 Russian passports, which is almost 45% less than the previous year. Additionally, approvals for temporary residency plummeted by over 50%, totaling 44,500, while the number of permanent residence permits saw a decline of more than 20%, amounting to 214,900.

The Interior Ministry attributed this decrease to heightened immigration regulations and a slowdown in the so-called «passportization» of annexed regions in Ukraine, as noted by Kommersant.

Conversely, a record number of 190,200 individuals were deported from Russia, with 157,000 of those expelled for legal infractions—marking increases of over 30% and nearly 45%, respectively, compared to 2023. The ministry also denied entry to 267,200 individuals, which represents a nearly 55% rise from the previous year.

In the meantime, Russian immigration officials have intensified efforts to revoke citizenship, taking away citizenship from 1,757 naturalized Russians in 2024.

“Russia has lost its willingness to grant citizenship,” remarked Vyacheslav Postavnin, a former deputy director of the Federal Migration Service and the head of migration analysis at the Russian House of International Scientific and Technical Cooperation.