Russian officials are expected to arrive in Georgia's Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region in September to facilitate the simplified issuance of Russian passports, the de facto Minister of Internal Affairs for the self-proclaimed Republic of South Ossetia, Erislav Mamiev, announced.
The so-called “minister” stressed that a special facility is already being prepared to organize the passport application process.
"The entire document submission process will be organized on-site. Citizens won't have to leave the republic, which will offer them maximum convenience. This is a great achievement – the internal Russian passport will be issued right here in South Ossetia,” Mamiev emphasized.
The initiative follows a decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 17, 2025, which permits residents of de facto South Ossetia and Abkhazia who possess Russian citizenship but lack a Russian passport to apply for the document without leaving the territories. This process is set to remain in effect until August 1, 2028.
The exact number of "citizens" of de facto South Ossetia who also hold Russian citizenship is unknown. In 2019, the then-so-called president of the occupied region, Anatoly Bibilov, claimed that approximately 95% of the population also held Russian citizenship.
Earlier, on May 17, 2025, Putin further simplified the process for "citizens" of de facto Abkhazia and South Ossetia to obtain Russian passports. According to the decree, individuals over 18 years old who were "citizens" of the so-called republics as of August 26, 2008, can apply for Russian citizenship without fulfilling requirements such as residing in Russia for five years or demonstrating knowledge of the Russian language, history, and basic legislation.
