Documents Required for Foreign Citizens Purchasing Real Estate in the Russian Federation

1. Identification Documents

If the buyer or seller is a foreign citizen, the following documents are required:

• Foreign Passport (Zagranichny pasport) — must be valid and recognized as an official identity document in the home country or in Russia.
• Russian Translation of the Passport — must be notarized in Russia. (The translator's signature is certified by a notary with the phrase "подлинность подписи переводчика," meaning "authenticity of the translator's signature.")
• If the person legally resides in Russia, one of the following documents must also be presented:
  • Temporary Residence Permit (Razresheniye na vremennoe prozhivanie, RVP), or
  • Permanent Residence Permit (Vid na zhitelstvo, VNJ).
• A foreigner without legal residence status (for example, entering with a tourist visa) may purchase property, but the registration process must be carried out by a legal representative (authorized by a notarized power of attorney).

2. Documents Confirming the Source of Funds

In Russia, the origin of funds used in real estate transactions—especially by foreign buyers—is strictly monitored under the Federal Law No. 115-FZ "On Counteracting the Legalization (Laundering) of Criminally Obtained Income."

Therefore, banks and notaries may request the following:

💳 a) Banking Documents

• Bank mortgage approval (Odobreniye ipotechnogo kredita),
• Credit agreement (Kreditny dogovor),
• Bank account statement (Vypiska so scheta) — proving the legal origin of the funds.

If these documents are in a foreign language, they must be translated into Russian and notarized.

💰 b) Payment Transfer Documents

• For international transfers: SWIFT payment instruction,
• For payments from a Russian bank account: transfer receipt.

If cash was brought into Russia, a customs declaration (Deklaratsiya o vvoze valyuty) confirming the import of currency must be submitted.

🧾 c) Proof of Legal Income

Banks may also request:

• Salary certificate,
• Tax declaration,
• Company financial statement (if the buyer owns a business).

The purpose of these requirements is to confirm that the funds are legitimate and not linked to any international sanctions lists.

3. Opening a Bank Account in Russia

A foreign buyer usually uses one of two methods to make payment:

1. Opening a personal account in a Russian bank (lichny schet v rossiyskom banke)
   • Possible with a passport, notarized translation, and migration card (migratsionnaya karta).
   • All transactions are made in Russian rubles.
2. International bank transfer (mezhdunarodny perevod)
   • Payment is made directly to the seller's ruble account.
   • The receiving bank verifies the legality of the transaction before converting foreign currency into rubles.

4. Notarization and Legal Representation

If the foreign buyer cannot be physically present in Russia:

• A notarized power of attorney (Doverennost') can be issued to authorize a representative to complete the purchase.
• To be valid in Russia, the power of attorney must have:
  • Apostille certification or consular legalization, depending on the issuing country;
  • A Russian translation notarized in Russia.

5. Registration of Ownership After Payment

After payment is completed, the sales contract, notarized translations, and payment receipts are submitted to Rosreestr (Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre and Cartography).

Upon registration, the buyer's ownership is recorded in the EGRN (Unified State Register of Real Estate).

Foreign citizens may own real estate in Russia without restrictions, except for two cases:

1. Property located in military or border areas cannot be owned by foreigners.
2. Agricultural land (zemli selskokhozyaystvennogo naznacheniya) cannot be directly owned; it can only be leased or purchased through a Russian legal entity.

6. Taxation

• A foreign seller pays 30% income tax (nalog na dokhody fizicheskikh lits) on profits from the sale.
• If the property has been owned for more than five years, the sale is tax-exempt.
• The buyer has no additional tax obligations but must declare the address of residence after registration.

Summary

A foreign citizen purchasing real estate in Russia must have:

• A notarized Russian translation of the passport,
• A valid residence or visa document,
• Proof of the legal origin of funds (bank approval, statements, salary records, etc.),
• Apostilled or legalized power of attorney (if represented by another person),
• All necessary documents for registration with Rosreestr (the official real estate registry).