Russia Enables Optional ERN Passport Stamp as New Rules on Voluntary Marks Take Effect

Overview

• From January 1, 2026, citizens may request up to six specified optional passport marks, with the Unified Population Register record number (ERN ID) replacing the INN entry.
• A Federal Tax Service order effective today sets the procedure for the ERN mark, which will be applied in the passport as a tax-authority stamp.
• Permissible optional marks include marriage registration or dissolution, information on Russian children under 14, details of previously issued passports, valid identity documents issued abroad, and blood group and Rh factor.
• Marks are entered by designated bodies: tax authorities for the ERN, the Interior Ministry and its territorial units, civil registry offices, multifunctional centers, and state or municipal medical organizations.
• The Interior Ministry reiterates that only marks provided for by passport regulations may be added, and passports must be replaced if they contain unapproved entries; mandatory marks remain residence registration and military-service status.