The Russian government has announced that citizens of the country who are been banned from traveling abroad will soon have their passports confiscated.
According to a government decree published last week, starting from December 11, all Russians banned from leaving the country will be required to hand in their passport to the relevant authorities within five days of receiving notice of the travel ban, VisaGuide.World reports.
A citizen of the Russian Federation, whose right to leave the Russian Federation is temporarily limited is obliged, within five working days from the date of the decision on this temporary restriction, depending on the basis for the temporary restrictions to appear and hand over your passport for storage before the expiration of the temporary restriction or expiration of the passport.
This resolution which is set to take effect in the second week of December, underscores a stricter control over the movement of certain Russian citizens.
As Current Time explains, the decision outlined in the government’s resolution allows the introduction of travel restrictions for people associated with the Federal Service, those who have access to state secrets and “information of special importance”, as well as convicts, suspects, and accused individuals in criminal cases, among others.
This means, that those listed above will immediately be required to hand in their passport in case they are banned from leaving the country.
According to the same source, in line with the government resolution, if a person has been prohibited from traveling outside Russia, they must provide officials with their military ID. By providing such a document, individuals prove that they have completed the mandatory military service or alternative civilian service and thus can reclaim their passports.
The move to require those who have been banned from leaving the country to hand in their passports follows President Putin’s approval of a legislative proposal in the summer, amending the “Procedure for Exit from the Russian Federation and Entry into the Russian Federal” law, Current Time notes.
As per the new legislation, individuals who have been called up for military service or alternative civilian service are required to hand in their passports to the migration department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the Multifunctional Migration Center.
Russians are granted a five-day window from the moment they are required to hand in their passports and the return of the documents is contingent on the completion of their service.