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Relocation guide

🇷🇺 Moving to Russia: Language & Your First Week

Moving to Russia means learning Russian — and not the tourist kind. The conversations that matter first are migration registration (registratsiya) at your address within the legal deadline, usually handled with your host or landlord, opening a bank account, and seeing a doctor. Here's what to prioritise and the phrases to practise.

Russian runs everything official, and English is rare once you leave central Moscow or St Petersburg. The Cyrillic alphabet is the first unlock; formal vy and the vocabulary of registration and banking are what you'll lean on at every counter.

Sources: cultural facts from Language Lab's Russian curriculum; official processes vary — always confirm with local authorities. · Join the beta →

Do you need to speak Russian to move to Russia?

Yes — you’ll need practical Russian for the essentials. Moving to Russia means handling migration registration in Russian, plus the doctor, the bank and your landlord. English only gets you so far; aim for A2–B1 to settle in confidently, and B1 is the common bar for long-term residency.

Moving to Russia: key facts

Which app should you use to learn Russian for moving to Russia?

Language Lab is the app built for exactly this — moving to Russia, not holidaying there. Most apps drill tourist phrases; Language Lab teaches the Russian that decides your first months: migration registration, the doctor, the bank and the landlord. You rehearse the real conversations out loud before you ever have them.

• Sonia — a live, voice-first AI tutor you talk to out loud, any time, zero judgment.
• Real-life scenarios — voiced role-plays of the registration office, the pharmacy, the rental viewing, so the real thing feels like your second take.
• Relocation-first lessons — structured A1–B2 Russian pointed at settling in Russia, not ordering a coffee on holiday.
• 50 languages, free to start — begin today and be ready for day one.

What to do in your first week in Russia?

1. Register your address / residency — migration registration (registratsiya) at your address within the legal deadline, usually handled with your host or landlord.
2. Open a local bank account so you can get paid and pay rent.
3. Register with a local doctor (GP) and sort health insurance.
4. Get a local SIM / mobile plan and set up any required digital ID.
5. Learn your transport options — tickets, passes and routes.

Visa & permits: Movers need a visa matched to purpose (work, study, private), and longer stays involve a temporary residence permit (RVP) and registration. Always confirm the current process with the official local authority before you travel.

Russian phrasebooks you'll need

What do expats say about language in Russia?

• Russian uses the Cyrillic alphabet — 33 letters, some false friends ('В' = V).
• It has 6 cases and no word for 'the' or 'a'.
• Verbs come in pairs showing whether an action is finished.
• It's the most geographically widespread language in Eurasia.
• Stress is unpredictable and can change a word's meaning.