Foreigners, including labor migrants, or stateless individuals will only be able to purchase SIM cards from Russian mobile operators with registration on the "Gosuslugi" portal using biometrics and personal visits to communication salons. This is outlined in a draft law prepared by the Ministry of Digital Development.
According to the document, these requirements will not apply to diplomats, representatives of international organizations, and refugees. The draft law has been sent to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Federal Security Service, Roskomnadzor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Federal Communications Agency, and Ministry of Economic Development. These authorities are required to approve it by April 15th.
On April 10th, the State Duma passed in the first reading a draft law aimed at combating the use of fake marriages by migrants to illegally obtain residency permits in Russia through a simplified scheme.
The government has proposed to require all migrants arriving in Russia from visa-free countries for more than three months to undergo biometric and medical checks. This primarily concerns citizens of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) who come to Russia to work, as stated in the document.
The draft law involves amending two federal laws - "On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation" and "On State Dactyloscopic Registration in the Russian Federation." The explanatory note emphasizes the need to develop a mechanism for "ensuring proper control over the temporary stay of foreign citizens."
The authors of the draft law highlight that due to fragmented health control of migrants arriving in Russia under the visa-free regime for a long period, there is an increased risk of penetration and spread of dangerous infectious diseases in the country. The absence of biometric data hinders the search for criminals, terrorists, and individuals whose presence in Russia is undesirable.
