In simple terms
Gosuslugi (Госуслуги) is the state portal gosuslugi.ru and a mobile app. Through them you can file an application with an agency without queuing, receive an answer, pay a fine, a tax or a state fee, and book a doctor's appointment. The portal works in Russian.
Foreigners need Gosuslugi more and more. Since 2025 a verified account has been required to get a SIM card. Many banks and employers ask for one too.
How to sign up
- Simplified account. Enter your name and a phone number or email. Almost nothing can be done with it.
- Standard. Add your passport details and SNILS (СНИЛС). The data is checked automatically.
- Verified. Confirm your identity at a service centre: at a multifunctional centre (МФЦ, MFC), at a branch of some banks or at another centre from the list on the portal. Bring your passport and SNILS. Almost all services are available only with a verified account.
The name in the account must match your passport and its translation. It is usually written the way it appears in the notarised translation of the passport.
What a foreigner can do
- Check and pay fines, taxes and state fees.
- Register at the place of stay if the host party also has a verified account (registration).
- File some applications with the Ministry of Internal Affairs (МВД), for example the annual notification for a VNZh.
- Confirm a SIM card and see which numbers are registered to you.
- Attach yourself to a clinic if you have a compulsory health insurance policy (полис ОМС, OMS).
What RuID is
“Gosuslugi RuID” is a separate app for foreigners. In 2025 it was tested in a pilot mode, and from 30 June 2026 some visa-free foreigners (for example, those coming to work or study) file an electronic entry application in it. It replaces the paper migration card. This does not apply to citizens of Belarus.
Example with numbers
A foreigner received a traffic police (ГИБДД) fine of 500 ₽. Many such fines can be paid with a 50% discount if you pay within 20 days of the date of the decision. Through Gosuslugi they pay 500 × 50% = 250 ₽ and save 250 ₽. If they wait longer, they will have to pay the full 500 ₽, and for non-payment after 60 days the fine may be doubled.
How to avoid mistakes
- Do not give your password and SMS codes to other people, even “helpers” with documents.
- Do not register an account to someone else's phone number.
- Install only the official app from app stores.
- If the data in your account does not match your passport, correct it at a multifunctional centre (МФЦ) before filing any applications, otherwise an application may not be accepted.
The rules change — check the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (МВД) and Gosuslugi.
Key rules
Russia
The gosuslugi.ru portal works across Russia. Since 2025 foreigners need a verified account to get a SIM card, and from 30 June 2026 some visa-free foreigners file their entry application in the “Gosuslugi RuID” app. Citizens of Belarus are exempt from RuID.
Sources: Gosuslugi, the government services portal («Госуслуги»), Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, Main Directorate for Migration Affairs («МВД России, ГУВМ»)