An official of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Central Bureau for Counterfeits, stated that in their analysis reports of documents the "laboratory includes statements warning of uncertainty in the issuance procedure of certain documents, for example, Russian passports" (18 Sept. 2002).

A number of Russian identity documents are listed on the US Department of State's (DOS) Visa Reciprocity and Country Documents Finder, including internal residence documents such as the internal passport, temporary certification in lieu of the internal passport, foreigner's residence permit and resident permit for stateless people (2 July 2002). In addition, the report also lists the military service document (voyenniy bilet), birth, marriage and divorce certificates, and foreign travel passports (ibid.).

The Country Reports 2001 chapter on Russia included a statement concerning the availability of fraudulent documents that was not published in its 1999 or 2000 editions (25 Feb. 2002; ibid. Country Reports 2000 23 Feb. 2001). In 2002, Country Reports 2001 stated that:

There were reports of individual government officials taking bribes from individual and organized trafficking rings to assist in issuing documents and facilitating visa fraud. Law enforcement sources agree that often some form of document fraud is committed in the process of obtaining external passports and visas, but they are uncertain to what extent this involves official corruption rather than individual or organized criminal forgery and fraud. There were reports of prosecutions of officials involved in such corruption. The penalty for violating border laws with fraudulent documents was up to 3 years. The penalty for taking bribes is 3 to 7 years. Those who were charged with more than one crime received heavier sentences (4 Mar. 2002).

Internal Documents

For earlier Responses concerning Russian internal identification documents and specifically the new internal passport issued in 1997, please consult RUS33102.E of 9 November 1999, RUS28175.E of 20 November 1997 and the Extended Response RUS29376.EX of 27 May 1998.

According to the United States Department of State:

The internal passport is issued to all citizens over the age of sixteen by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The document contains information on the bearer's civil status, lists bearer's children, and contains a residence registration stamp (propiska). There are currently two models in circulation, an older "CCCP" model, and the new, purple Russian Federation documents. These documents are obtained from the bearer's local militia precinct (2 July 2002).

A 1997 Rossiyskaya Gazeta article included a description (that was not included in previous Responses) of the Russian internal passports, where it stated:

[I]t is a carefully stitched little book with a dark red cover on which the Russian Federation state seal is depicted. There are 20 pages in the passport; in it are entered the last name, first name, and patronymic of its holder, as well as his or her sex, date and place of birth, place of residence, military duty, and marital status. The passport also contains information on children under the age of 14 years (Rossiyskaya Gazeta 22 Aug. 1997)

The Research Directorate was unable to find reports specifically citing cases of fraudulent Russian internal passports among sources consulted. One report noted that "the new documents would be computer-readable" in an effort to "deter forgery and other fraud" (ITAR-TASS 12 July 1997). Rossiyskaya Gazeta reported an official's concerns prior to the passports' release, where it was stated that:

"This fall, Russians will begin to "lose" their passports en masse," predicts the chief of the passport department of the MVD Passport and Visa Administration, Colonel Vladimir Danilov. "For the sake of receiving one's passport into one's hands more quickly, some of our countrymen will begin coming to the police divisions with declarations on lost passports. Some will be impatient to acquire a passport of the new format out of turn, and some will hope over the course of the exchange to get a minimum of two passports (Rossiyskaya Gazeta 22 Aug. 1997).

In addition, a 1999 report indicates that "[a] fake temporary Moscow registration document - identical in appearance to the genuine article - is available on the streets for as little as $50" (The Russia Journal 4 Oct. 1999). Similarly, "[f]or as little as $3,000, [a military draft] evader can purchase the magic stamp in his internal passport which says he has already completed his military service" (The Independent 5 Nov. 2000). The same report noted that "medical certificates reportedly sell for up to $5,000 ... [and] fictitious positions at accredited educational institutions ... can be arranged for $3,000 to $4,000" (ibid.).

With respect to birth and baptismal certificates, the United States Social Security Administration (SSA) "does not make any assumptions about the reliability of the information shown on civil or religious documents from Russia or the basis on which the documents were issued" (2 Mar. 1997). In addition, Rossiyskaya Gazeta noted that "a birth certificate ... according to federal laws, is not an identification document" (5 Jan. 2001).

Travel Documents

For recent Responses concerning Russian and Soviet passports for foreign travel, please consult RUS36618.E of 30 March 2001, RUS34765.E of 14 July 2000 and RUS33102.E of 9 November 1999.

According to United States Department of State:

The Russian Federation (and many of the other former republics of the Soviet Union) continues to issue foreign travel passports, which are virtually indistinguishable in design from the old-style Soviet passports. These 'regular' passports will be valid until the stated expiration date, or some future announcement of a complete changeover.

The Russian Federation began issuing "Russian Federation" official and diplomatic passports on September 16, 1996. The old-style Soviet official and diplomatic passports are no longer valid.

With the implementation of the new exit/entry law in 1993, citizens are no longer required to obtain exit permission from the Office of Visas and Registration (OVIR) before travelling abroad. Citizens who are emigrating permanently must obtain a passport endorsed for permanent emigration from OVIR.

Under the present regulations, OVIR has sole authority to issue regular foreign travel passports, although the Foreign Ministry has been authorized to continue issuance of such passports on an interim basis. Passports are not routinely issued to children under the age of sixteen. They are usually included in the passport of a parent or other adult with whom they are travelling. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sole authority to issue diplomatic and official passports (2 July 2002).

Several reports indicate that counterfeit, forged, altered, modified or faked external passports are available in Russia. According to the 1997 testimony of then Acting Associate Commissioner for Enforcement of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, George Regan, Russians "can easily obtain a made-to-order passport from travel agencies or document facilitators ... [and] [b]lank Russian passports are easily obtained from document vendors" (United States DOJ 23 Apr. 1997). Referring to a 2000 California Department of Justice report, a 2002 article also noted that "counterfeit Russian passports were generally available from a 'travel agency' 'document facilitators' for $120 to $200" (The National Review Online 5 Feb. 2002). A 1997 interview with Russia's then Chief of the Passport Division of the Internal Affairs Ministry Passport and Visa Administration, also mentioned that "various firms" provided Russians with "false passports" (Rossiyskaya Gazeta 22 Aug. 1997).

Although George Regan commented in 1997 that "Russians seldom resort to altering passports..." (United States DOJ 23 Apr. 1997), a Russian ex-patriot organization in Israel claimed in 1999 that "Russian passports with Jewish-sounding names, altered to 'prove' Jewish ancestry, are being sold on the black market, making a 'Jewish passport' a hot item in Russia" (Dei'ah ve Dibur 27 Oct. 1999; Artuz Sheva Radio 25 Oct. 1999). In addition, Chinese criminal gangs reportedly "take Chinese illegal migrants to Russia's Maritime Territory and supply them with forged Russian passports ... and then travel to Moscow where ... [they would] apply for Italian visas" (RIA News Agency 20 Feb. 2002). The Vladivostok News also reported that Russian passports supplied to Chinese migrants "were forged" noting that they were altered "to claim the immigrants were Russians of Korean decent" (22 Feb. 2002).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Arutz Shev Radio [Tel Aviv]. 25 October 1999. "Former Refuseniks Call for Change in Law of Return." Hosted by Israel News. http://christianactionforisrael.org/israeln/102999.html [Accessed 13 Sept. 2002]

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2001. 4 March 2002. "Russia." United States Department of State. Washington, DC. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2001/eur/8331.htm [Accessed 18 Sept. 2002]

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2000. 23 February 2001. "Russia." United States Department of State. Washington, DC. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2000/eur/877.htm [Accessed 18 Sept. 2002]

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1999. 25 February 2002. "Russia." United States Department of State. Washington, DC. http://www.state.gov/www/global/human_rights/1999_hrp_report/russia.html [Accessed 18 Sept. 2002]

Dei'ah veDibur. 27 October 1999. Yated Ne'eman. "Immigrants from the West and the Soviet Union Urge Change in Law of Return." http://www.shemayisrael.com/chareidi/archives5760/vayero/ayehudi.htm [Accessed 17 Sept. 2002]

The Independent [London]. 5 November 2000. Fred Weir. "Draft Dodgers Who Would Rather have TB Than be Called Up." Republished in Johnson's Russia List No. 4622, 5 November 2000. http://www.cdi.org/russia/johnson/4622.html [Accessed 16 Sept. 2002]

ITAR-TASS [Moscow]. 12 July 1997. "Russia to Phase out Soviet Passports." Republished in The Jamestown Foundation Monitor Vol. 3, No. 140, 18 July 1997. http://russia.jamestown.org/pubs/view/mon_003_140_000.htm [Accessed 16 Sept. 2002]

The National Review Online [New York]. 5 February 2002. Linda Gorman and Dave Kopel. "You've Got Identity: Why a National ID is a Bad Idea." http://www.nationalreview.com/kopel/kopel020502.shtml [Accessed 16 Sept. 2002]

The 2000 California Department of Justice report referred to in this Response was not identified in this article and the hyperlink provided was broken. The article's authors did not reply to a request for clarification.

RIA News Agency [Moscow]. 20 February 2002. "Russia, Chinese Security Officials Stem Illegal Immigration Channel to Italy." (BBC Monitoring 20 Feb. 2002/DOS) http://usinfo.state.gov/regional/ea/chinaaliens/innewsfeb02.htm [Accessed 13 Sept. 2002]

Rossiyskaya Gazeta [Moscow, in Russian]. 5 January 2001. Mikhail Nogov. "Progress in Implementing Passport Reform in Russia Eyed." (FBIS-SOV-2001-0108 5 Jan. 2001/WNC)

_____. 22 August 1997. Boris Talov. "Russia: Upcoming Passport Exchange Process Viewed." (FBIS-SOV-97-259 16 Sept. 1997/WNC)

The Russia Journal [Moscow]. 4 October 1999. Jon Wright. "Criticism of Police Crackdown was Media's Right, Duty." http://www.trj.ru/index.htm?cat=9&type=3&sid=3506912301612603532490678&obj=1436&action=printer [Accessed 16 Sept. 2002]

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Central Bureau for Counterfeits. 18 September 2002. Telephone interview with official.

United States. Department of Justice (DOJ). Immigration and Naturalization Service, Headquarters Intelligence Division. 23 April 1997. Testimony of George Regan Acting Associate Commissioner, Enforcement Immigration and Naturalization Service Before the Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims, Committee of the Judiciary, U.S. House of Representatives on Combatting Illegal Immigration: A Progress Report. http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/aboutins/congress/testimonies/1997/970423.pdf [Accessed 17 Sept. 2002]

United States. Department of State (DOS). 2 July 2002. Visa Reciprocity and Country Documents Finder. "Russia." http://travel.state.gov/reciprocity/Country%20Folder/R/Russia.htm [Accessed 16 Sept. 2002]

United States. Social Security Administration (SSA). 2 March 1997. (GN 00307.827). "Evidence from Russia." http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/Inx/0200307827 [Accessed 19 Sept. 2002]

Vladivostok News. 22 February 2002. "Bust Reveals Italy Bound Migration." http://vn.vladnews.ru/Arch/2002/ISS297/News/upd22_1.htm [Accessed 16 Sept. 2002]

Additional Sources Consulted

IRB Databases

Internet sites including:

Adjudicative Desk Reference

Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation (ACCORD). 6th European Country of Origin Information Seminar

European Council of Refugees and Exiles

European Country of Origin Information Network

European Research Centre on Migration and Ethnic Relations

World News Connection