Kyrgyzstan Halts Russian Citizenship Applications After 7,000 Russians Naturalized in 2024

Moustafa Daly
Cairo

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More than 7,000 Russian citizens, including ethnic Kyrgyz, have obtained Kyrgyz citizenship in 2024, reports Radio Free Europe (RFE), a 1650% increase compared to 400 applications in 2021. However, the government suspended new Russian applications last month.

The spike has created a "bustling" online market where Russian-language advertisements on social media tout services to help Russians secure Kyrgyz passports. Speaking in Parliament, Kyrgyz opposition lawmaker Dastan Bekeshev lamented that "Russian bloggers mockingly say: Look, you can buy Kyrgyz citizenship, it is very easy to do, you pay here, you get citizenship."

Kyrgyz opposition politician Emil Toktoshev expressed concern, telling the parliamentary hearing that "Everyone mocks us. They say: What kind of government is this?"

He suspects potential corruption in the process, arguing that "If they openly advertise and sell our passports, then they aren't selling them for nothing. They might have connections here."

However, Bekzat Ibraimov, deputy head of the population registration department under the presidential administration, told RFE that he believes "corruption is impossible." He argues that if only "one person were responsible for making decisions, if applicants dealt with just one individual, then maybe corruption could occur. But here, the process goes through several stages."

No official CBI program - yet

“Kyrgyzstan has become a crucial buffer, facilitating banking, payments, business operations, logistics, and even passport solutions,” says Natalie Fridlender, an immigration expert with experience working with Russians. She says that Russian capital has provided a "substantial boost" to Kyrgyzstan’s economy, making it one of the "beneficiaries of the Russia-Ukraine conflict."

She claims that officials have discussed plans to launch a CBI program based on a $500,000-$1,000,000 contribution, but the government has not made any further announcements about its potential implementation.

Fridlender considers this a missed opportunity, noting that an official CBI program with clear pricing, laws, and procedures would help attract a broader market. 

Fridlender notes that the Kyrgyz passport's advantages are limited, as it offers "a low travel rating, no meaningful investor protection laws, and unclear tax incentives," making it "only attractive to Russians who need it.”

Kyrgyzstan’s Quadrilateral Agreement naturalization pathway

The rising demand for Kyrgyz citizenship stems largely from the Quadrilateral Agreement between Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Russia. This treaty allows individuals born before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 to apply for Kyrgyz citizenship without ever having resided in the country.

Between 2022 and 2024, over 2,500 Russians used this legal route to acquire Kyrgyz citizenship. The surge increased processing times, says Fridlender, explaining that the process took up to four months in 2022 and 2023 but had stretched to about nine months in 2024.

Russian applicants usually get Kyrgyz citizenship through intermediaries advertising expedited processing for fees that, reportedly, sometimes exceed $20,000.

Bekeshev questioned the disparity in processing applications during a parliamentary meeting, pondering "why some people who have never lived in Kyrgyzstan quickly receive Kyrgyz citizenship, but our pure Kyrgyz do not."

This view sharply contrasts with the government’s public stance. Officials claim the multi-stage nature of the application process prevents any single person from manipulating the system.

Despite the growing demand, Kyrgyz authorities abruptly halted new Russian citizenship applications in February 2025. Officials cited concerns over aggressive advertising, fraudulent facilitators, and growing international scrutiny as reasons for the sudden pause, according to RFE.

Fridlender says that the demand for second citizenship among Russians remains strong and argues that Caribbean governments, which now restrict Russian applicants, could reclaim this market by opening up their citizenship programs.