The Russian Federation, beyond its existing foreign missions, is planning to establish special consular service centers in eight countries to cater to the needs of its citizens abroad. These centers will commence operations once their legal status is finalized, Alexei Klimov, the Head of the Consular Department at the Russian Foreign Ministry, told TASS in an interview.
According to him, the countries in question include Argentina, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, UAE, Serbia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. He assured that these organizations will begin operations as soon as the issues pertaining to their legal status within foreign territories are resolved. Information regarding their launch will be disseminated to the public in a timely manner.
"Moving forward, citizens seeking consular services now have an alternative option. Instead of applying directly to the foreign institution, they can visit the relevant information and consultation center to expedite the process, eliminating the need to wait for their turn at the consular office," Klimov added.
The establishment of these centers is designed to decrease applicant waiting times and enhance the operational capacity of Russian consular offices. This move comes amidst a significant rise in the number of Russian citizens living abroad and a surge in demand for consular services, a trend observed over the past two years. Factors such as the size of the Russian diaspora, the demand for consular services, the staff capacity of the relevant diplomatic mission or consular office, and the efficiency of consular service provision by Russian foreign institutions were considered while selecting the countries.
Despite these new centers, Klimov reiterated that Russian citizens retain the right to apply for consular services directly to Russian foreign institutions, provided they have scheduled an appointment and prepared the necessary documents independently.
The eight countries selected are part of a draft order from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. This order expands the list of countries where organizations under the Ministry can assist Russian consulates in performing certain consular actions and accepting applicant documents. The corresponding document was published on January 16 on the Federal Portal of Draft Normative Legal Acts.
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Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS