The Law aims to regulate the legal status of particular categories of people, in particular former Soviet citizens, who have been resident in Russia for a long time.
The Law sets out the conditions and procedures for obtaining Russian Federation citizenship, the grounds on which citizenship can be granted or refused, the deadlines for processing citizenship applications, the procedures for deciding on applications, and the procedures for repealing decisions made.
The Law also clarifies the procedures for restoring citizenship and the grounds on which applications for obtaining or restoring Russian citizenship can be declined.