The Consulate General of Russia in Bonn is scheduled to close on 18 September 2026. This change concerns Russian citizens living in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and North Rhine-Westphalia who were registered with the Bonn consulate or submitted an application there for a Russian international passport. It does not set out Russian visa or border-entry rules for foreign nationals; it concerns consular services for Russian citizens in Germany.

Who is affected by the Bonn consulate closure

The closure affects Russian citizens connected with the Consulate General in Bonn, including people who were on its consular register. Consular registration is an administrative record maintained by a Russian diplomatic mission abroad for Russian citizens living in its service area.

The announcement specifically addresses residents of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and North Rhine-Westphalia. If you live in one of these federal states but are unsure whether your record was held in Bonn, check your previous correspondence and the current instructions of the Consular Section of the Russian Embassy in Germany before making an enquiry.

Consular registration: transfer is automatic

The Consulate General in Bonn closes on 18 September 2026. From 19 September 2026, people who were registered there will be placed automatically on the consular register of the Consular Section of the Russian Embassy in Germany.

You do not need to send a separate request, notice or application to transfer your consular registration. The published information does not require any action from registered persons for the transfer itself. Before submitting any new consular request, review the current instructions issued by the Embassy’s Consular Section.

What happens to passport applications filed in Bonn

Applications for Russian international passports that were submitted in Bonn before the closure will continue to be considered by the Consular Section. If you have an application in progress, do not assume that the closure cancels it or that a new application is needed: the stated arrangement is that previously filed applications will remain under consideration.

Check the status of your passport through the official channel used for passport-status information. The available notice does not specify a new filing procedure, a collection address, processing times or appointment arrangements. These points should be confirmed with the Consular Section or the relevant Russian consular authority before you travel or submit documents.

Collection of passports already marked ready

International passports processed in Bonn and showing a 100% ready status will be issued only after the necessary equipment has been connected. The exact date when collection will begin has not yet been announced.

Do not travel to collect a passport solely because its status shows 100% readiness. Follow announcements on the official website of the Russian Embassy in Germany and in the Telegram channel of its Consular Section. These channels will publish the notice when passport issuance starts.

What to check before contacting the consular section

Separate steps before and after the closure date. Before 18 September 2026, confirm whether you were registered in Bonn and check the status of any passport application. From 19 September, no separate registration-transfer message is required, while passport collection remains dependent on the official start announcement.

The published information does not state which appointment system, documents, nationality-related requirements, fees or processing periods may apply to future requests. For those details, verify the rules directly with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs where relevant, or the specific Russian consular office handling your case.

Что проверить

  • Confirm whether you were on the consular register of the Consulate General in Bonn.
  • If you were registered in Bonn, do not send a separate request to transfer your registration.
  • Note the closure date: 18 September 2026.
  • From 19 September 2026, expect automatic registration with the Consular Section of the Russian Embassy in Germany.
  • If you applied for a Russian international passport in Bonn, check its official status.
  • If the passport status is 100% ready, wait for the official announcement that issuance has begun.
  • Monitor the Russian Embassy’s official website and the Consular Section’s Telegram channel.
  • Before making a new request, verify current instructions with the relevant Russian consular authority.