Russia’s upper house approved two bills on 24 July that would impose fourteen new restrictions on Russian citizens who have a final criminal conviction or certain administrative penalty, live abroad, and are deemed to be evading punishment. The measures, still awaiting President Vladimir Putin’s signature, would take effect as soon as they are published in the official legal information portal.
Legislative background
- Bills: 1095029‑8 (stand‑alone statute) and 1095042‑8 (amends about a dozen existing laws, including the Consular Charter and regulations on real‑estate, vehicle, licensing, state services, and consumer credit).
- Parliamentary passage: Both bills were approved unanimously by the State Duma on 22 July and by the Federation Council on 24 July.
- Current status: Not yet law; they become effective on the day of official publication, not after a transition period.
Conditions for application
The restrictions apply only when all three of the following are confirmed:
- A criminal sentence or an administrative penalty has entered into legal force.
- A competent authority determines that the person is evading execution of that punishment.
- The person’s departure from Russia is verified.
Criminal convictions may be under any article of the Criminal Code. Administrative penalties are limited to a closed list that includes:
- Violations of the foreign‑agent law,
- Public discrediting of the armed forces,
- Calls for sanctions against Russia,
- Calls to violate Russia’s territorial integrity, and
- Participation in organizations designated “undesirable” by the state.
Scope of the fourteen measures
Financial restrictions
- Banks must refuse credit and loan agreements to listed individuals.
- Access to mobile applications and websites for money transfers must be blocked.
- Funds and other property are frozen, with narrow exceptions.
Property and business restrictions
- Registrars must return applications for cadastral registration and registration of real‑estate rights.
- Vehicle registration is prohibited.
- Registration as an individual entrepreneur or as a professional‑income‑tax payer is blocked.
Legal‑capacity restrictions
- State and municipal services in electronic form are withheld.
- Licenses and accreditations may be refused or suspended.
- Notarial acts on the person’s behalf are declined.
- Powers of attorney become ineffective; electronic signatures are annulled with no replacement route.
Consular restrictions (affecting services abroad)
- Applications for a new foreign‑travel passport are denied.
- Requests for marriage registration, name change, legalization of foreign documents, and retrieval of personal records are refused.
- Applications to renounce Russian citizenship are declined.
Implementation and administration
- Decision‑making body: The Ministry of Justice will decide whether to apply or lift the measures and will maintain a public list on its website.
- Entities that may submit candidates: Prosecutor General’s Office, Interior Ministry, Federal Security Service, Federal Bailiffs Service, and Federal Tax Service.
- Verification of abroad status and evasion: Handled by the Interior Ministry.
This arrangement replaces an earlier draft that placed the decision‑making authority with the Prosecutor General’s Office.
Financial and property implications
- Frozen assets are transferred to a special ruble account at an authorized bank, under terms set by the Bank of Russia.
- Close relatives without independent income may receive a monthly humanitarian allowance drawn from the frozen funds; the amount is determined by an inter‑agency commission approved by a presidential decree and set in agreement with the central bank.
- Creditors who suffer damage because a listed person cannot fulfill an obligation may recover that damage and associated legal costs through the courts from the frozen property.
Removal from the list
The restrictions are lifted automatically when any of the following occurs:
- The sentence is quashed.
- The sentence is deferred or the person is released from serving it.
- Execution of the sentence is confirmed.
- The individual returns to Russia.
- The individual dies.
A person who believes they should be delisted may submit a reasoned application to the Ministry of Justice; the ministry has 20 working days to decide. A refusal can be appealed in court. No outer time limit is set for the measures; they remain until one of the above grounds is met.
Related legislation
On 10 June, President Putin signed a law expanding the list of administrative offenses for which Russians abroad can be held liable and permitting seizure of their property as an interim measure. This law takes effect on 1 September 2026. It originated from a bill submitted by Tatarstan’s State Council in 2024.
Next steps
According to Article 107 of the Russian Constitution, an adopted federal law must be submitted to the President within five days, and the President must sign and promulgate it within fourteen days. Counting from the 24 July approval, the outer deadline falls in the second week of August, although such laws often move faster. The operative moment will be the publication of the bills on the official legal information portal, after which the Ministry of Justice will begin posting the list of affected individuals.
Source article: www.imidaily.com
