Propiska was a registration in the place of living in the
Soviet UnionThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
and designated the right to live in the apartment. Permanent registration in a state-owned apartments over time received the meaning close to that of property right.
Etymology and role
The noun derives from the Russian verb "propisat" ("to write into") — meaning to "write a passport into a registration book" of the given local office. The initial 1930s decree on
propiska demanded to register
documents, not
people. Later, "propiska" became an official term. The
propiska was to be recorded both in the
internal passportAn internal passport is an identity document that can be compared to identity card used in some countries to control the internal movement and residence of people...
of the citizens of the
Soviet UnionThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
and at the local governmental office. In cities it was a local office of MVD (i.e. police precinct). In rural areas it was a selsovet, or "village council", a governing body of a rural territory. Propiska could be permanent and temporary. The administrations of hotels, student dormitories and people who let their premises for rent were obliged to maintain temporary propiska records of their guests. The
propiska played the roles of both residence permit and residential registration of a person.
History
In the Soviet Union, every citizen had a permanent place of
propiska. One could not refuse or be stripped of
propiska without substitution. Because of this there were no homeless citizens in the USSR. At the same time, it was very difficult to get a local
propiska in a major city without having an invitation for a job or having relatives living in the city.
Moving to a large city, especially
MoscowMoscow is the capital and the largest city of Russia. It is also the largest metropolitan area in Europe, and ranks among the largest urban areas in the world. Moscow is a major political, economic, cultural, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the world, a...
, was extremely difficult for migrants, and was a matter of prestige.
In theory it was possible to exchange apartments over mutual agreement between parties, but few people wanted to move from a large city to a smaller one, even with additional money paid, although exchange of two flats for one in a larger city was sometimes possible. Certain "risk groups", such as
dissidentA dissident, broadly defined, is a person who actively challenges an established doctrine, policy, or institution. When dissidents unite for a common cause they often effect a dissident movement....
s, Roma and former criminals, were often barred from getting
propiska in Moscow and some other major cities. However, many people used subterfuge to get Moscow
propiska, including
marriages of convenienceA marriage of convenience is a marriage contracted for reasons other than the reasons of relationship, family, or love. Instead, such a marriage is orchestrated for personal gain or some other sort of strategic purpose, such as immigration...
and
briberyBribery, a form of pecuniary corruption, is an act implying money or gift given that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an...
. Another way of obtaining Moscow residency was to become a
limitchik, i.e., to enter Moscow to take certain understaffed job positions, e.g., at cleaning services, according to a certain workforce quota (
limit). Such people were provided with a permanent living place (usually a flat or a room in a shared flat) for free. Some valuable specialists could be also invited by enterprises, which provided them with flats at expence of the enterprise.
At a certain period of Soviet history residents of rural areas had their passports stored at selsovets (officially "for safekeeping") which prevented them from unofficial migration to the areas where they did not have living apartments. It was designed to prevent cities from influx of migrants who sought for higher living standards in large cities, but had permanent registration far away of their actual place of living.
Modern usage
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the
propiska system was officially abolished. However some of the former
Soviet republicsThe Republics of the Soviet Union or the Union Republics of the Soviet Union were ethnically based administrative units that were subordinated directly to the Government of the Soviet Union...
, such as
BelarusBelarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia to the north and east, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the north. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel , Mahilyow and Vitebsk...
,
KyrgyzstanKyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a country in Central Asia. Landlocked and mountainous, it is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east....
, and
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, chose to keep their
propiska systems, or at least a scaled down version of them.
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
changed
propiska to
registration. Citizens should register if they live in the same place for 90 days (Belarus citizens in Russia and vice versa - 30 days). There are two types of registration, permanent and temporary (for not more that 90 days, but can be prolonged). A place of permament registration is indicated on a stamp placed in an
internal passportAn internal passport is an identity document that can be compared to identity card used in some countries to control the internal movement and residence of people...
, of temporary is written on A5 blank (blank is printed on special paper like plain, not laminated but some do that to prevent tears by the Police) with color photo (3*4). Living without a place of residence indicated in the internal passport is considered an administrative offense. The registration is used for economic, law enforcement and other purposes, such as accounting social benefits, housing and utility payments, taxes,
conscriptionConscription is a general term for involuntary labor demanded by an established authority. It is most often used in the specific sense of requiring citizens to serve in the armed forces...
, etc.
Now registration plays little role in questions of property. In Soviet time, for example, if after a marriage a wife was registered in a home her husband rent from the state, then, in case of divorce, she may obtain some part of her husband's place of residence for her own usage. In modern Russia this was mostly abandoned as most apartments had been privatised (there are some exceptions, e. g. for children after divorce), but many people still fear that if they register someone on their property, this person can claim part of it later (
Housing Code of Russian Federation, Art. 31, part 4. (Russian)).
For foreigners it called "Migration control" and stamped on
Migration cardMigration card is an identity document in Russia for foreign nationals. Originally they were bilingual , but were changed into Russian-only...
and/or on coupon aprox. one-third A4 paper which are to be returned to officials before the departure.
In
UkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south. The city of Kiev is both the capital and the largest city of...
, the
Constitutional CourtThe Constitutional Court of Ukraine is the sole body of constitutional jurisdiction in Ukraine. The Constitutional Court of Ukraine interprets the Constitution of Ukraine and decides whether laws and other legal acts are constitutional....
ruled that
propiska was unconstitutional in 2001 (November 14) and a new "informational" registration mechanism was planned by the government, but, in effect, has never come into being. Additionally, access to
social benefitsSocial security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection, or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. Social security may refer to:...
such as housing, pensions, medical care, and schooling are still based on a
propiska, as are things like the location for a driving test (and the associated driving lessons).
Registration authority in Russia
Registration allows
- Pass-free access to border zone (If registered in location in border zone in the same subject);
- Issue a pass card to closed city
See also
- Eastern Bloc emigration and defection
Eastern Bloc emigration and defection arose as a point of controversy soon after the Revolution of 1917, when the Soviet Union began to employ emigration restrictions...
- Passport system in the Soviet Union
The passport system in the Soviet Union underwent a number of transformations in the course of its history. In the late Soviet Union citizens of age sixteen or older had to have an internal passport. In addition, a passport for travel abroad was required for travel abroad...
- Russian passport
Russian passports are issued to citizens of Russia for the purpose of international travel.- Internal passport :The Russian internal passport is the primary identity document for citizens of the Russian Federation residing in Russia. It is initially issued to citizens at the age of 14 by the...
- 101st km
- Hukou system
External links