What will change in the lives of Russians from December 1
Starting in December 2025, a number of new laws will come into force in Russia, which will significantly affect both the daily lives of citizens and businesses. Among the key changes are an increase in the recycling fee for imported cars and increased control over the activities of developers. For more information about what kind of innovations await the country in December and how they will turn out for different spheres, see the Izvestia article.
Indexation of social benefits and pensions
In December, Russians who turned 80 in November will begin receiving a doubled fixed portion of their insurance pension. The payment will increase automatically from 8,907.70 to 17,815.40 rubles and will be scheduled before the New Year without the need to submit applications or provide documents.
A similar increase is provided for citizens with disability group I. In addition, the amount of the care allowance will increase: for recipients of an insurance pension, it will amount to 1,314 rubles, and for recipients of a state pension — 1,377 rubles.
Calculation of scrap collection
The updated recycling fee calculation system for passenger cars imported from abroad comes into force on December 1. The main change is related to stricter conditions for granting benefits to individuals.
According to the new rules, the amount of scrap will depend not only on the engine volume, but also on its power. The base rate, as before, is 20 thousand rubles, and the final payment amount is determined by multiplying this rate by a coefficient corresponding to the number of horsepower and literage.
For cars with a capacity of up to 160 hp, which are imported into Russia by individual importers, it remains possible to pay a preferential fee of 3.4 thousand rubles (for new cars) or 5.2 thousand rubles (for models older than three years). For sequential hybrids and electric cars, the threshold of the "preferential" rate for "physicists" is set at 80 hp.
Importers of cars with internal combustion engines over 160 hp, as well as hybrids and electric vehicles more powerful than 80 hp will have to pay significantly more. The rates provided for them are the same as for importers-legal entities. Compared to the previous tariffs, the amount of waste collection for them will increase several hundred times from December 1.
Use of communal property
On December 1, the amendments introduced by Federal Law No. 123-FZ of 03/15/2025, which directly affect residents of apartment buildings, begin to take effect.
The first innovation concerns the use of building facades. Now, any work affecting the exterior of the house requires mandatory approval from the owners. The installation of air conditioners, satellite dishes, canopies and other structures can only be approved by a majority — more than 50% of the total number of owners of the premises. The voting procedure is becoming stricter, which excludes decision-making by a narrow circle of active residents with low turnout.
The second change concerns the commercial use of common property, i.e. basements, attics, as well as the placement of advertising structures on facades. Now, in order to conclude the relevant agreements, a decision must be taken by a qualified majority — at least two-thirds of the votes of all owners. All such decisions are necessarily recorded in the minutes of the general meeting.
The fourth change is aimed at increasing the transparency and legitimacy of general meetings. Starting from December 1, a "meeting administrator" must appear in every apartment building. He will be responsible for organizing meetings, counting votes and entering the results into the GIS of housing and communal services.
In addition, the procedure for termination of the contract with the management company on the initiative of the owners is becoming more complicated. Now termination of the contract is possible only after one year from the date of its conclusion, except in cases of significant violations confirmed in court.
Credit rating of banks
From December 2025, the credit rating of financial institutions will be taken into account when allocating government resources. It must correspond to the established minimum level on the national scale. In particular, the required ratings are: "AA-(RU)" according to the ACRA scale, "giAA-" according to the RA Expert scale, "AA-.ru " on the scale of "National credit ratings" and "AA-|ru|" on the scale of "National Rating Agency".
This innovation is aimed at increasing the stability of the financial system. After the law comes into force, access to large government contracts will be granted only to those organizations that have proven their reliability and stable financial position. This approach should reduce the risks in the investment market.
The law has no direct consequences for citizens, but it will indirectly increase the transparency of banks and help them better assess their reliability when placing deposits or participating in government programs.
The second stage of the introduction of digital passports
The second stage of the digital passport implementation will begin in Russia from the end of December 2025. Now citizens will be able to use the document to verify their identity in banks and other financial institutions, provided that they have already completed face-to-face identification at a particular institution.
Despite this, a digital passport will not replace a paper one. The original will still be necessary in situations stipulated by federal laws and regulations of the Bank of Russia.
Collecting biometrics from foreigners
From December 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026, biometric data of foreign citizens, photographs and fingerprints will be collected at border checkpoints as an experiment when they enter and leave the country. The collected data will be used to generate a digital profile.
The innovation will not affect citizens of Belarus, children under the age of six, diplomats, employees of international organizations and their family members. Foreign citizens who enjoy the right of visa-free entry will still be able to make multiple trips within the established period of stay, including after providing biometric data.
New rules for consumer installments
New rules for the provision of consumer installments will come into force in Russia on December 1, 2025. The main change concerns the deadline for its provision. The maximum period will be 6 months, and from December 2027 it will be reduced to 4 months. There are also restrictions on late fines, which cannot exceed 20% per annum of the debt amount. Installment payment operators no longer have the right to charge fees or set additional overpayments for the service itself.
In addition, sellers are prohibited from setting different prices for the same product, depending on the payment method — immediately or in installments. If the total amount of valid installments for one client exceeds 15 thousand rubles, the operator is obliged to transmit information about the agreement to the credit bureaus. This will allow banks and other market participants to more accurately assess the client's debt burden and solvency.
The law also introduces a new concept — the operator of the installment service. It can be a bank, a microfinance organization, or any business entity, provided that its capital is at least 5 million rubles and it is included in a special register maintained by the Bank of Russia. The central Bank will also have the authority to control such operators. The Central Bank will be responsible for collecting reports, conducting inspections, and monitoring compliance.
The new rules create a more transparent and predictable system for businesses. Operators that are not banks or MFIs will not be able to attract citizens' funds to finance installments, and will also be required to publish their operating rules on the website and at service points, strictly following the standards established by the Central Bank.
Protection of debtors from collectors
Since the beginning of December, debtor citizens will be able to directly file complaints with the Federal Migration Service of Russia through the Gosuslugi portal in cases of violations by collection agencies of the rules of interaction by phone. The law sets clear limits on the frequency of telephone contacts with the debtor:
• no more than one call per day;
• no more than two per week;
• no more than eight per month (Article 7 of Federal Law No. 230-FZ dated 07/03/2016).
To promptly verify the complaints received, the FSSP will request information from telecom operators about the actual number of calls. If the information provided by the debtor is confirmed, liability measures will be applied to collectors in accordance with Part 14 of Article 19.2 of Law No. 230-FZ and the draft order of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation dated 10/27/2025.
Benefits for participants in shared-equity construction
Until the end of December 2025, participants in shared-equity construction retain the right to delay the execution of claims under court documents, including penalties, penalties, fines and other sanctions imposed on developers. To obtain a postponement, it is enough to file an appropriate petition, and the court is obliged to extend the deadline for fulfilling obligations until December 31, 2025.
The deferrals that were previously granted by the courts until June 30, 2025 on the basis of a government decision are automatically extended until the end of the year, without the need for additional appeals or the issuance of new judicial acts.
From January 1, 2026, all disputes and penalties from developers for violations of the terms of equity participation agreements will be dealt with in the usual manner, without the use of any preferential mechanisms.
Driver's license extension
Until the end of December, motorists can still use the mechanism for automatic renewal of a driver's license for three years if their validity expires during this period. This measure was introduced in 2022, but it will expire in January 2026.
So, if the validity period of the certificate ends on December 31, 2025, it is automatically extended until December 30, 2028 — without the need to visit the traffic police or provide any documents.
Starting in January 2026, the driver's license will be replaced as usual, meaning you will need to undergo a medical examination and pay a state fee.
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