Blog · 2024-08-17

Relocation news digest - August 17, 2024

🇫🇷 France: a new residence permit category added to the online application system

France has added its 10-year residence permit programme to ANEF, the national online application system.

The system streamlines the paperwork, offering far greater transparency - applicants can track their status online - and removing the need to visit a prefecture in person.

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka: electronic visa issuance temporarily suspended

Sri Lanka's Department of Immigration and Emigration (DOIE) has temporarily suspended its new eVisa online platform in order to refine the system.

Until further notice, foreign nationals planning to visit Sri Lanka must apply for a visa on arrival, which allows a 30-day stay.

🇲🇾 Malaysia: immigration applications can be filed online again

The ESD online portal has been back up and running since 2 August 2024, after a month-long outage.

🇧🇬 Bulgaria: the country is switching to the euro

Bulgaria's National Assembly has passed, in its final reading, the law adopting the euro as the national currency.

For one month after the law takes effect, both currencies will circulate on equal terms.

Prices for goods and services will be displayed in both currencies for a full year.

🇲🇾 Malaysia: authorities ease work permit requirements

From 16 August 2024, Malaysia's Expatriate Services Division (ESD) will relax the documentation required for work permit applications.

The following documents will no longer be required:

bank statement;
employer's letter;
job description;
work schedule;
CV.

🇫🇮 Finland: authorities move to ban property deals for Russian citizens

Finland's Ministry of Defence is drafting a bill that would impose a full ban on the purchase of property in Finland by Russian nationals.

🇷🇺 Russia: Raiffeisen to block dollar and euro transfers from 2 September

Raiffeisen's support team has officially confirmed the news.

Once Raiffeisen introduces its full ban on dollar and euro transfers, sending money abroad from Russia will become all but impossible.

🇸🇬 Singapore: authorities clarify policy on employing foreign nationals

Singapore's Ministry of Manpower has clarified that employers are not permitted to apply for a work permit for a foreign national who is in Singapore while still employed by a foreign company - doing so constitutes an offence.

🇹🇷 Turkey: authorities to fingerprint everyone entering the country

Turkey's Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya has announced plans for a scheme to take fingerprints on entry to the country.

The Turkish authorities intend to adopt the practice from the United States and the United Kingdom.

🇷🇺 Russia: broker BKS to suspend yuan deposits and withdrawals from brokerage accounts

The brokerage BKS Mir Investitsiy has notified clients of a temporary suspension of Chinese yuan deposits and withdrawals from brokerage accounts to the details of external banks, including those of BKS Bank. The restriction took effect on 13 August.

🇻🇺 Vanuatu: authorities to collect biometrics at four locations abroad

To obtain a Vanuatu passport, applicants will be able to submit biometrics in Belgium, Hong Kong, New Caledonia and the UAE.

🇨🇾 Cyprus: authorities adopt the EU Blue Card Directive

The directive offers the following advantages to non-EU citizens who wish to work in the European Union:

the right to accumulate professional experience;
a simplified path to permanent residence and citizenship;
an extended period of validity.

🇷🇺 Russia: the Interior Ministry removes the tool for checking domestic passport validity

The function to verify the validity of a domestic passport has disappeared from the websites of Russia's Interior Ministry and the Gosuslugi portal.

The removal comes amid reports of passports being annulled for relocators. The Russian authorities have annulled the domestic passports of at least nine Russians who had spoken out against the war.

Obtaining new passports abroad is impossible. When a passport is annulled, a Russian citizen loses access to all state services, such as the Gosuslugi portal. SIM cards from Russian carriers and banking apps stop working.

To minimise the risks, Murblz advises securing a second citizenship in advance. The fastest passports for Russian citizens in 2024 are Paraguay and Kyrgyzstan.

🇺🇸 USA: American banks are freezing Russians' accounts

Banks can determine a client's location by IP address when they log into the bank's mobile app or enter their card details to pay at an online store.

American banks may freeze their clients' accounts if it emerges that they attempted to use the banks' services from within Russia.

❗️ Murblz advises using a VPN.

🇹🇷 Turkey: authorities to deny residence permits to tourists

Turkey's Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya has stated that the authorities will not grant residence permits to those who entered the country on a tourist basis.

FAQ

How do I apply for a French residence permit online?

France keeps moving permit categories into the national ANEF platform: you file online, track the status in your account, and for many procedures no longer need to visit the prefecture in person. The ten-year residence permit was among the categories added. Not every category migrated at once, so check on ANEF whether yours is already available.

Do I need a visa for Sri Lanka?

Yes, though the format has changed more than once: the eVisa platform was suspended for rework, and during that period tourists obtained a 30-day visa on arrival instead. Requirements are standard: a return ticket, proof of accommodation and the fee. Use the immigration department's official site rather than intermediary websites, of which there are many and which add a markup.

When does Bulgaria switch to the euro?

The Bulgarian parliament passed the euro adoption law with 1 January 2026 as the target date. Under the law, the lev and the euro circulate on equal terms for about a month after the switch, and prices are shown in both currencies for around a year. For the current status, the conversion rate and cash exchange rules, follow the Bulgarian central bank.

How do I get a work permit in Malaysia?

The employer files it through the Expatriate Services Division: the company registers, proves it is entitled to hire foreigners and applies for the specific position. Requirements on employers were relaxed, and the ESD online portal is accepting applications again after a month-long pause. The permit category depends on the role and salary, and that category also determines whether you can bring your family.

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