The state news agency TASS, which said it had reviewed the Interior Ministry materials, reported that the absence of a military ID is one of several grounds for refusing to accept documents at the intake stage. It gave no further details.
It is unclear from the TASS report whether the measure represents a change to the current passport procedure. The agency cited clauses that concern the domestic Russian passport and are already in force.
Interior Ministry regulations for issuing five-year and ten-year biometric foreign passports list the military ID among required documents with the caveat "if available," Ekho reported. If the document is missing, the ministry requests the data from the military enlistment office itself.
The TASS report does not specify whether the refusal applies to those who have no military ID at all or to those who failed to present one they hold. A Russian who grew up and lives permanently abroad and has never been registered for military service in Russia may have no military ID. Citizens permanently residing abroad are not legally required to be registered for military service.
The Interior Ministry regulations separately provide for a certificate from the enlistment office confirming that no travel restriction applies in connection with conscription. An applicant may submit it on his own initiative, but it is not mandatory. The absence of the certificate "is not grounds for refusing to provide the state service."
Abroad, foreign passports are issued by Russian embassies and consulates under separate Foreign Ministry rules. Failure to deregister from military service in Russia is not itself listed among the grounds for refusal. A refusal is possible, however, if a citizen has been "called up for military service or directed to alternative civilian service."
Rights advocates have repeatedly stressed that a military ID, including for citizens of conscription age, need be presented when applying for a foreign passport only if one exists. The same rules, they say, apply to the enlistment office certificate.
Sources differ in their reading of the TASS report. The agency, citing Interior Ministry materials, reported a refusal when a military ID is absent. Ekho and TV Rain noted that in the current Interior Ministry regulations the military ID is listed with the caveat "if available," and that TASS did not specify whether the change concerns the procedure or those who failed to present a document they hold.