Here is an example. As a Russian citizen, I can only provide my Turkish husband with a single-entry three-month visa, while his best friend – a US citizen who came to Moscow on a one-year working visa – has the right to apply for a one-year spousal visa for his beautiful American wife.

Ensuring the family reunification, if only for three months, is also far from easy. The first thing you need to get is a guest invitation.

Make no mistake, with those informal samples Americans download from the Internet and e-mail their Russian friends before they apply for a US visa. The Russian invitation officially takes a month and 200 rubles ($7) to get and, among other papers, it will require an apostilled and notarized sealed copy of a marriage certificate.

There is one important caveat: there are plenty of firms that can provide you with a tourist invitation, but it will only allow you to stay in Russia for up to 30 days. In this case, you will also be required to book a hotel. If you are interested in staying in Russia for a longer term, what you need is a guest invitation that can only be received by your spouse.

Nothing more permanent than temporary

Getting new invitations and visas every three months is very cumbersome and, frankly, rather expensive, so after a while many couples of mixed citizenship start thinking about a more permanent basis for their stay in the country. Russia doesn't have a green card system. Instead, it maintains a two-phased procedure that allows foreign spouses get citizenship within two years from the moment of application, but at least three years since the date of a wedding.

Razreshenie na Vremennoe Prozhivanie (Temporary Residence Permit)

This is a seal in your passport that gives its holder the right to reside in Russia for up to three years. You still cannot elect or be elected, but at least there is no need to leave the country every three months.

While the permit eliminates the need for an entry visa, it still requires its holder to get an exit visa every time you need to cross a Russian border.

The documents you will be asked to provide alongside the application can take time to collect. If a marriage certificate was issued outside of Russia, make sure to get an apostille (can only be granted in the country that issued your marriage certificate) and a notarized translation. Add to that a notarized translation of your passport, a certificate showing you don't have any criminal records (can be granted by your country's Embassy) and two medical certificates confirming you don't have HIV and several other infectious diseases (can be granted only in designated clinics – ask for a list of them in a local branch of the Federal Migration Service). Don't forget four photos and a Sberbank receipt for the amount of 400 rubles as a state duty.

But the biggest question is not how, but rather where to apply for the permit? The Soviet-era system of propiska (permanent registration) is not as stringent as it used to be, but it still casts limitations on Russians' ability to move within the country and look for jobs in other regions. In your case, it means that you will be allowed to reside only in the region where you filed your permit papers. If you or your wife owns an apartment in that region, your life will be spared of many worries. If not, you'll have to find a friend, relative or a perfect stranger willing to make a few hundred bucks for providing you with a three-year registration at his place.

When everything is cleared and your papers have been accepted by the local branch of the Federal Migration Service, be prepared to wait another five to six months until the service makes its decision on whether to grant your residency permit. You will still need to get a separate work permit in order to be legally employed in Russia.

Vid na Zhitelstvo (Residency and Work Permit)

A year after receiving your first residency service, you can apply for this form of picture ID, which gives you the right both to live and work in the Russian region of your choosing. Basically, it gives you the same rights as other Russian citizens, except for the opportunity to vote and run for office. It also puts you on par with Russian taxpayers and decreases your tax rate from 30%, common for all foreigners (payable for the first three months, and reclaimable after working for a year), to 13% – the flat rate for all Russians.

The application procedure for Vid na Zhitelstvo is the same as for the residency permit. You have to obtain the same medical certificates, submit documents proving you have a place to live (rented apartments do not count) and provide documented proof you have enough funds for yourself and your family members (currently 6,118 rubles per month for every family member).

Within six months from the application, the Federal Migration Service has to make a decision on whether to grant you Vid na Zhitelstvo. It is granted for a period of five years, with an unlimited number of extensions.

Grazhdanstvo (Citizenship)

Russian legislation allows foreigners to obtain citizenship at least three years after they have been married to a Russian citizen. If you have Vid na Zhitelstvo, you can apply for citizenship immediately after attaining it.

Oksana Boyko, RT