You can get the red passport if you marry a Russian, but there is a catch Time and location of a couple’s residence is a key factor for a prospective Russian citizen. Anyone who marries a Russian national qualifies for a Russian passport and may count on a simplified application process. In general, a foreign national must be married to a Russian person for a period of three years before he or she may become a Russian citizen. In addition, there are additional requirements the couple must observe, as well. “At the time of application for Russian citizenship, the spouses must be permanently residing in Russia and must be married for three years. It is important to note that the residence in Russia is considered to be permanent if the person in question does not leave Russia for longer than three months in one year. It means that every calendar year [the foreign national who is married to a Russian] must stay in Russia for at least 9 months and 1 day or longer,” says Yekaterina Osipova, Director of the Legal Clinic at the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University (the University is a part of the 5-100 project aimed to maximize the competitive position of a group of leading Russian universities in the global research and education market.)