How Laws Are Made in Russia

A federal law in Russia passes four fixed stages: a bill is introduced by a body with the right of legislative initiative, the State Duma adopts it, the Federation Council approves it, and the President signs it before official publication. The rules are set out in the Constitution, mainly in articles 104 to 108.

For a client in California this has practical weight. The date of entry into force, transitional provisions and the place of a rule in the hierarchy decide which version governs a contract, an inheritance or a pending case.

Who Can Introduce a Bill

The Constitution names a closed list of subjects: the President, the Federation Council and its members, State Duma deputies, the Government and regional legislatures. The Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court may introduce bills only on matters within their jurisdiction.

A bill is filed with the Duma with an explanatory note. If it affects federal spending or taxes, the Government must first give a written opinion. Drafts are tracked in the Duma's public database.

Three Readings in the State Duma

In the first reading deputies vote on the concept of the bill. Amendments are then collected, and the responsible committee prepares a table of changes it recommends to accept or reject. The second reading is where most of the content changes. The third reading is a final vote on the text as a whole.

A federal law needs a majority of the total number of deputies, not only of those present. Comparing versions between readings often explains why a rule was worded as it was.

Review by the Federation Council

Within five days the adopted law goes to the upper chamber, which has fourteen days to consider it. If it does not act in time, the law is deemed approved. The budget, federal taxes, ratification of treaties and matters of war and peace must be considered on the merits.

If the Council rejects a law, the chambers may form a conciliation commission. The Duma can also override the rejection with two thirds of all deputies.

Presidential Signature and Publication

The President has fourteen days to sign or reject a law. A veto is overcome if both chambers repeat the vote by a two-thirds majority, after which the President must sign within seven days. Federal constitutional laws need three quarters of the Council and two thirds of the Duma, and they cannot be vetoed.

The signed text is published in Rossiyskaya Gazeta, the Collected Legislation or on pravo.gov.ru. Unless the law sets its own date, it takes effect ten days after official publication.

The Hierarchy of Legal Acts

The Constitution sits at the top, followed by federal constitutional laws and federal laws. Decrees, Government resolutions and ministerial orders come below and cannot contradict laws.

Regional laws apply alongside federal ones in areas of joint jurisdiction, but they yield when they conflict.

Why Codes Take Priority

Several codes declare their own priority. The Civil Code provides that civil law rules in other laws must comply with it, and courts rely on this when a special statute conflicts with the code.

Codes are amended by separate federal laws, so the current text is always a consolidated version.

When a New Law Touches Your Case

Amending laws usually contain transitional provisions. They say whether new rules cover contracts signed earlier or cases already in court. Missing such a clause is a frequent error when legislation is read through machine translation.

If a law changes while your inheritance or lawsuit is in progress, first check when the rule took effect and whether it covers relations that began earlier. Attorney Elena Petrova checks the current wording, its history and transitional rules, and explains the result in English.

The main channel of communication with the attorney is email: attorneypetrova1@gmail.com.