New Rules for International Students: Mandatory Check-Ups and Fingerprinting

On December 29, 2021, amendments to the Federal Law ‘On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation’ took effect. The new regulations state that foreign citizens arriving in Russia for a period of more than 90 days, including for education purposes, must undergo a medical examination and submit fingerprints and photographs.

Who is exempt from the mandatory procedures?

• Citizens of the Republic of Belarus;
• Family members of officials of international (interstate, intergovernmental) organisations, as well as employees of diplomatic and consular institutions in Russia;
• Foreign citizens with dual citizenship, one of which is Russian;
• Foreign citizens with a temporary or permanent residence permit.

The procedures are mandatory for international students who arrived in Russia after December 29, 2021 and plan to stay here for 90 days or more. 

The HSE University Department of Internationalisation has developed detailed instructions on undergoing the new procedures. For more information, make sure to attend the webinars (registration is required):

1. For full degree international students:  February 18, 5 pm.
2. For international exchange students: February 18, at 3 pm (More information for exchange students can be found here)
3. For international doctoral students: Date to be announced later
4. Information for Preparatory Year students will be available on the website of Preparatory Programmes

February 15, 2022