Kyrgyzstan and Russia dual citizenship: can you keep both

10 min read · Published 6 October 2026 · Updated 7 October 2026

Kyrgyzstan allows a second citizenship and admits applicants without renouncing Russian citizenship, and since 2020 Russia has not required giving up a previous passport. We cover both directions: a Russian moving to Kyrgyzstan and a Kyrgyz citizen getting Russian citizenship.

In short

Yes: Kyrgyzstan allows a second citizenship and admits applicants without renouncing Russian citizenship, and Russia does not end its own. The exception is citizens of Kazakhstan, China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, whose second passport Kyrgyzstan does not recognise.

Previous passport on naturalisation	Kept
Country rule	No renunciation needed, except for citizens of Kazakhstan, China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan
Legal basis	Article 22 of Kyrgyz Law No. 70 on Citizenship
What Russia requires	notify the Interior Ministry within 60 days
Checked	October 2026

This is one of the simplest country pairs: neither Kyrgyzstan nor Russia requires renouncing a previous citizenship. Inside each country a person with two passports is treated only as its own citizen.

What Kyrgyzstan requires on naturalisation

Article 22 of the Kyrgyz Citizenship Law No. 70 of 2007 allows a Kyrgyz citizen to hold another country's citizenship, and applicants are admitted without first renouncing their previous one. The proviso in Article 6: inside the country a second passport gives no extra rights and does not release from obligations.

The general residence requirement is 5 years. Former USSR citizens and people born in the Kirghiz SSR need 1 year with residence, spouses of Kyrgyz citizens 3 years, and ethnic Kyrgyz are admitted with no residence period. The simplified procedure has no language exam. Anyone living in the country for more than 60 days obtains temporary residence, issued within 15 working days. The citizenship application fee is about $25, and state fees for the whole path for citizens of the Eurasian Economic Union are about $120. The President decides, and from entry to decree it takes about 19 months at the law's maximum terms.

The reverse direction: a Kyrgyz citizen acquiring a Russian passport keeps Kyrgyz citizenship, and since 2020 Russia has not required renouncing a previous citizenship. Kyrgyz citizenship is lost only if the second passport is from Kazakhstan, China, Tajikistan or Uzbekistan.

What Russia requires

Russia allows a second citizenship and does not end its own, but inside the country treats you only as a Russian citizen (Article 10 of Federal Law No. 138-FZ on Citizenship).

Within 60 days of receiving the second passport, file a notification with the Interior Ministry (MVD). If you are abroad at that moment, the period runs from the day you enter Russia.
Attach a copy of the foreign passport or another document proving the citizenship.

Failure to notify falls under Article 330.2 of the Russian Criminal Code: a fine of up to $2,400 or up to one year of income, or up to 400 hours of compulsory work.
Late or incomplete notification: a fine of $10-15 under Article 19.8.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences.
A residence permit abroad must be reported under the same rules (Article 11 of Law No. 138-FZ).

A Russian citizen with a second passport may not hold state or municipal office, serve in government bodies or stand for election. The duties of a Russian citizen, including military service, remain, and inside Russia the second passport is not taken into account.

How to keep both passports: step by step

Check your ground. A former USSR passport, birth in the Kirghiz SSR, a citizen parent or marriage shorten the residence period.
Obtain temporary residence if you live in Kyrgyzstan for more than 60 days, and register your address.
Live the required period without long absences: trips abroad of no more than 3 months a year.
File the application in person at a public service centre; staff fill in the form, and the Russian passport is not surrendered.
Receive the decree and a Kyrgyz passport.
Notify the Russian Interior Ministry within 60 days of receiving the passport, or within 60 days of entering Russia if you are abroad.

Both passports are kept lawfully. A Kyrgyz citizen acquiring a Russian passport surrenders nothing, provided they have no third citizenship from the list of neighbours.

What happens to children

If one parent is a Kyrgyz citizen and the other a Russian citizen, the child can hold both citizenships: both countries recognise a second passport. Russian citizenship for a child born abroad is registered on the parents' application.

Minor children are admitted to Kyrgyz citizenship together with their parents. Each country treats the child only as its own citizen, so its passport is used when entering that country.

Taxes and military service

Income tax in Kyrgyzstan is 10%, and since 2026 a citizen's foreign income is not taxed. You become a tax resident after 183 days in the country. The double tax agreement between Russia and Kyrgyzstan is in force.

Kyrgyzstan has conscription, new citizens of draft age are put on the military register, and a second passport does not exempt them. Russia also treats a person with two passports only as its own citizen, so Russian obligations, including military registration, remain.

Common mistakes

Not notifying the Russian Interior Ministry. Failing to file is a crime under Article 330.2 of the Criminal Code: a fine of up to 200,000 roubles or community service, and a late filing is an administrative fine.
Believing in a three-month passport. The 1999 agreement on registration applies only to those who were born or lived in Kyrgyzstan before 21 December 1991, or who have a close relative citizen living there.
Not getting residence. Anyone living in the country for more than 60 days must obtain it, or the year does not count.
Leaving for long periods. Absences of more than 3 months a year break the period.
Ignoring a third passport. Kyrgyzstan does not recognise a second citizenship for citizens of Kazakhstan, China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

How to get Kyrgyzstan citizenship

A Russian with a Soviet past gets Kyrgyz citizenship after a year of living in the country with residence, others after 5 years, and spouses after 3 years. Details on the page Kyrgyz citizenship and in the guide citizenship for people born in the USSR.

Requirements, timelines and costs are on the page Kyrgyzstan citizenship.

You can check any pair of countries with the dual citizenship checker and compare all countries in the overview dual citizenship in 2026.

The path to a Kyrgyz passport in a year

The law does not stop you applying for Kyrgyz citizenship on your own. But mistakes cost more than the fee: expired residence, absences that reset the year, the wrong document proving USSR citizenship, a forgotten notification to the Russian Interior Ministry. We check your ground, request the certificate on the USSR passport, arrange residence and prepare the application for the public service centre.

The cost of support depends on the basis and the family; a consultant will calculate it in the chat.

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This topic in other countries

Dual citizenship rules with Russia in other countries:

FAQ

Can you hold Kyrgyzstan and Russian citizenship at the same time?

Yes: Kyrgyzstan allows a second citizenship and admits applicants without renouncing Russian citizenship, and Russia does not end its own. The exception is citizens of Kazakhstan, China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, whose second passport Kyrgyzstan does not recognise.

Do I need to notify the Russian Interior Ministry about Kyrgyzstan citizenship?

Yes. A Russian citizen notifies the Interior Ministry of a second citizenship within 60 days under Article 10 of Law No. 138-FZ; failing to notify carries criminal liability under Article 330.2 of the Russian Criminal Code.

Can you hold Kyrgyz and Russian citizenship at the same time?

Yes. Kyrgyzstan allows a second citizenship and admits applicants without renouncing Russian citizenship, and Russia does not end its own.

Does a Kyrgyz citizen lose their passport on getting a Russian one?

No. Kyrgyz citizenship is lost only on acquiring a passport of Kazakhstan, China, Tajikistan or Uzbekistan.

Do you have to give up Russian citizenship for Kyrgyz?

No. Article 22 of Law No. 70 allows a second citizenship, and applicants are admitted without first renouncing their previous one.

How long must you live in Kyrgyzstan before citizenship?

1 year for former USSR citizens and people born in the Kirghiz SSR, 3 years for spouses of citizens and 5 years for others.

How much does Kyrgyz citizenship cost?

The application fee is about $25, and state fees for the whole path for citizens of the Eurasian Economic Union are about $120.

Do you need to speak Kyrgyz?

There is no exam in the simplified procedure. The commitment to respect the Constitution and laws remains.

Do you need to notify the Russian Interior Ministry of a Kyrgyz passport?

Yes, a Russian citizen files the notification within 60 days of receiving the second passport, otherwise criminal liability applies.

Will a child be a citizen of both countries?

Yes, if one parent is a Kyrgyz citizen and the other a Russian citizen: both countries recognise a second citizenship.

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Kyrgyzstan and Russia dual citizenship: can you keep both

What Kyrgyzstan requires on naturalisation

What Russia requires

How to keep both passports: step by step

What happens to children

Taxes and military service

Common mistakes

How to get Kyrgyzstan citizenship

This topic in other countries

FAQ

Don’t want to figure this out alone?

Programs in Kyrgyzstan

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