Military registration when you are abroad

• First check whether there is a summons or any restriction against you: the Summons Register (реестрповесток.рф) and Gosuslugi. A summons counts as served on the day it appears in your personal account, or otherwise 7 days after it is posted in the register, even if you never opened it (art. 31, Law 53-FZ).
• If you have left for more than 6 months, the law requires you to notify the enlistment office within 2 weeks: in writing, via Gosuslugi or in person (art. 10, Law 53-FZ). The fine for not doing so is 5,000-15,000 roubles (art. 21.5 part 3 Code of Administrative Offences), with a 3-year limitation period. People who live abroad permanently are not required to be on the military register (art. 8).
• How to deregister without appearing in person (allowed by art. 8, para 1.2). Via Gosuslugi with documents proving you live abroad: a residence permit with translation, a rental contract. Through a proxy or by registered letter with a list of contents. According to Idite Lesom (foreign agent), deregistration via Gosuslugi works, but a proxy with the military ID is often required to come in person. A power of attorney can be made at a local notary with an apostille (not needed in Minsk Convention countries). If refused, demand a written answer (30 days) and complain to the military prosecutor (Call to Conscience).
• Consulates do not handle military registration and do not serve summonses: the law lists only post, the enlistment office, workplace or school, and electronic summonses (art. 31). A summons in the register is not among the grounds for refusing a passport listed on the Foreign Ministry website. But if a criminal case has been opened against you, a passport will be refused (art. 15, Law 114-FZ). On the risks of visiting a consulate, see the memo 'Documents abroad'.
• Since autumn 2025 electronic summonses have been arriving en masse for people living abroad, even those who notified the office (Call to Conscience). Rights groups advise writing to the enlistment office before the appearance date asking to withdraw the summons, with proof that you live abroad, deregistering in parallel, and complaining to the prosecutor if refused.
• Interim measures (Law 53-FZ, art. 7.1). A conscript may not leave Russia from the day the summons is posted in the register until they report. 20 days after the reporting date, anyone who did not come without a valid reason, reservists included, is barred from being a sole trader or self-employed, registering housing and cars, driving and taking loans. The measures are lifted automatically after reporting or proof of a valid reason.
• If you come to Russia, you may not manage to leave again. According to Idite Lesom as of 18.09.2026, of 97 conscripts who contacted them after trying to leave, only 64 succeeded.
• Liability. Failing to appear on a summons: a fine of 10,000-30,000 roubles (art. 21.5 part 1). The criminal article 328 (up to 2 years in prison) applies only to conscripts aged 18-30. Under Supreme Court Plenum ruling No. 3 (para 6), leaving without deregistering or returning without registering, with the aim of avoiding a summons, also counts as evasion. It is a continuing offence: the 2-year limitation period runs from when you leave conscription age (para 13). The 284-FZ register of people abroad is not applied for military registration fines, only after a criminal sentence.
• Reservists. There is currently no criminal liability for not appearing on a summons 'to update records' or on a mobilisation order, only a fine and temporary measures (Go by the Forest). The law provides an exit ban only for conscripts, but on 2 September 2026 a reservist was for the first time not allowed to leave Russia by decision of an enlistment office. Go by the Forest warns that no conclusions can be drawn from one case. Special call-ups under Law 411-FZ apply only to those who signed a reserve contract.
• What changed in 2026. Conscription runs all year: summonses and medical boards in any month; dispatch to units 1 April-15 July and 1 October-31 December (art. 26.1, Law 53-FZ; Law 412-FZ). Applications for alternative civilian service are due by 1 April for autumn dispatch and by 1 October for dispatch in spring of the following year (art. 11, Law 113-FZ).
• If you plan to visit Russia, check the register and talk to rights groups first: an exit ban is sometimes visible only at the border. Your entry must also be reported to the enlistment office within 2 weeks. Carry your deregistration certificate and proof of living abroad. Where to turn: Go by the Forest (only the @iditelesom_info_bot bot; there are clones), Call to Conscience, the Conscientious Objectors Movement, Soldiers' Mothers of St Petersburg.

current as of 26 September 2026. More: ConsultantPlus: art. 10 of Law 53-FZ, military registration duties (in Russian); ConsultantPlus: art. 8 of Law 53-FZ, who is exempt from registration (in Russian); ConsultantPlus: art. 31 of Law 53-FZ, serving summonses (in Russian); ConsultantPlus: art. 7.1 of Law 53-FZ, temporary measures (in Russian); ConsultantPlus: art. 26.1 of Law 53-FZ, dispatch of conscripts (in Russian); ConsultantPlus: art. 21.5 Code of Administrative Offences (in Russian); ConsultantPlus: art. 328 Criminal Code (in Russian); ConsultantPlus: Supreme Court Plenum ruling No. 3 of 03.04.2008 (in Russian); ConsultantPlus: art. 11 of Law 113-FZ, deadlines for alternative service (in Russian); Foreign Ministry: grounds for refusing a passport (in Russian); Call to Conscience: how to deregister from military records (in Russian); Go by the Forest: how to notify the enlistment office of departure (15.07.2026, in Russian) (foreign agent); Go by the Forest: how many conscripts managed to leave (18.09.2026, in Russian) (foreign agent); Go by the Forest: first exit ban for a reservist (05.09.2026, in Russian) (foreign agent)