Russia now accepts headscarves and hijabs in passport photos

Moscow has relaxed regulations covering applications by foreign nationals applying for citizenship, and will allow headscarves and hijabs in passport photographs, the Russian Interior Ministry said last Wednesday.

The new law will come into force on May 5, ten days after its publication.

“In cases where the religious beliefs of the applicant do not allow them to appear in front of strangers without a head covering, photographs are to be provided in head coverings that do not hide the oval of the face,” the document states.

Pictures with scarves that fully or partially obscure the chin of the applicant will not be accepted, according to the report.

The authorities already allow Russian citizens to use photographs in hijabs when applying for passports, drivers’ licenses, work permits, and patents.

President Vladimir Putin has said Russia is a “multinational and multi-religious country” that treats everyone with respect, adding that some “190 ethnic groups live in the country,” some of which are “represented by millions of people.”