The Ministry of Internal Affairs proposed to withdraw benefits from drivers from CIS countries and Georgia if these states apply to join the European Union. The period of stay in Russia for them will be reduced from 180 to 90 days. The draft resolution has been published on the portal of normative legal acts.
The benefit will cease to be valid 10 days after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs signals a country's course towards joining the EU. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in agreement with the government, will notify the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Digital Development, and the FSB. They will notify foreign agencies and citizens via "Gosuslugi" within 10 days.
Currently, the benefit applies to drivers who enter Russia without a visa in vehicles registered abroad for cargo transportation. They work without an employer or client in Russian jurisdiction and do not process documents to extend their stay. The project states that the desire of CIS countries and Georgia to join the EU "does not correspond to the goals" of the CIS and EAEU and "creates a threat to Russia's national security".
In April 2026, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin increased the temporary stay period for this category of citizens from 90 to 180 days. Now it may be canceled.
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