In plain words
The statute of limitations (срок исковой давности, srok iskovoy davnosti) is the time within which you can use the court to make the other side fulfil an obligation: repay a debt, pay for goods, compensate damage. The general period is 3 years (Art. 196 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation).
An important detail: the period by itself does not forbid filing a lawsuit. The court will accept the claim even after three years. But if the defendant says "the period has expired", the court will dismiss the claim for that reason alone (Art. 199 of the Civil Code). The court does not apply the limitation on its own: a party must ask for it.
When to start counting
- If there is a performance date (for example, "return by 15 March"), from the day after it.
- If no deadline is set, after the creditor demanded performance and the time to comply has passed (usually 30 days for a loan).
- For payments in instalments (a loan, utilities), separately for each payment.
- In other cases, from the day the person learned or should have learned of the violation and of who the defendant is.
Even if a person learned of the violation late, a lawsuit cannot be filed later than 10 years from the day of the violation (except in certain cases).
Special periods
| Claim | Period |
|---|---|
| General period (debts, contracts, damage) | 3 years |
| Declaring a voidable transaction invalid | 1 year |
| Consequences of a void transaction | 3 years |
| Defects in work (as a general rule) | 1 year, for buildings 3 years |
| Claims arising from carriage of goods | 1 year |
The limitation does not apply to some claims, for example to bank deposits and to the protection of personal non-property rights.
Worked example
Under a loan receipt, a friend had to return 50,000 ₽ by 15 March 2023 and did not. The limitation period began on 16 March 2023 and runs for 3 years, until 15 March 2026. But 15 March 2026 is a Sunday, and if the last day of a period falls on a day off, it moves to the nearest working day (Art. 193 of the Civil Code). So a lawsuit could be filed up to and including 16 March 2026. You can count days and days off in the days between dates calculator.
If on 1 June 2025 the friend had returned 10,000 ₽ and written that he would pay the rest later, that would be an acknowledgment of the debt. The period would start again and expire in June 2028.
Calculate it yourself
Change the numbers and the step-by-step calculation updates instantly. Russian rules for 2026.
What interrupts and suspends the period
- Acknowledgment of the debt: a partial payment, a written acknowledgment, a request for a deferral. The period starts again.
- Going to court, including an application for a court order. While the case is pending, the period does not run. If the order is cancelled, a remaining period of less than 6 months is extended to 6 months.
- A mandatory pre-trial claim: the period is suspended for the time given for a reply (as a general rule, up to 30 days).
Common mistakes
- Thinking that the debt "burns off" after 3 years. It remains; it just can be recovered through court only if the debtor does not raise the limitation.
- Not raising the expiry when you are the defendant. This must be done before the court of first instance gives its decision.
- Paying "a little" on an old debt under pressure from debt collectors: a partial payment may count as an acknowledgment of the debt.
In Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus
Russia
The general period is 3 years from the day the person learned or should have learned of the violation, but no more than 10 years from the violation itself (Art. 196 of the Civil Code). The court applies the limitation only at the request of a party to the dispute.
Kazakhstan
In Kazakhstan, the general limitation period is also 3 years (Civil Code of Kazakhstan); some claims have shorter periods.
Belarus
In Belarus, the general limitation period is 3 years (Civil Code of Belarus); the court applies it at the request of a party.
Sources: Civil Code of the Russian Federation, Chapter 12 («Гражданский кодекс РФ»), ConsultantPlus