MOSCOW, December 5 (RAPSI) – Over 40,000 people have been fined for concealing their second citizenship, Kommersant newspaper writes on Friday, citing a source in parliament.

“Administrative penalties have been meted out to 43,000 people, who have been fined between 500 and 1,000 rubles ($9.50-$19),” the source said.

“There is no information if any criminal cases have been initiated in this connection.”

The newspaper writes that those who have dual citizenship or any documents that allow living abroad should have informed the authorities about this before October 4. Those who fail to do so are considered in violation of the Federal Migration Service procedure.

The bill on penalties for concealing dual citizenship was submitted to the lower house on March 31 by Andrei Lugovoi (LDPR). President Vladimir Putin signed it into law in late June. It took effect on August 4.

The law obliges Russian citizens to notify the Federal Migration Service within two months of acquiring foreign citizenship. Failure to do so is punishable by a fine of up to 200,000 rubles ($3,800) or up to 400 hours of community service.

If citizens notify the Federal Migration Service about their dual citizenship late or submit notifications with deliberate misrepresentations they will face fines of up to 1,000 rubles ($19).

Those who fail to notify the Federal Migration Service may face criminal charges.

According to Kommersant, a law mediating these requirements could be adopted by the end of this year.

The amendments prepared for a second reading of the bill say that those who fail to notify the migration agency of their dual citizenship on time because they were abroad would be instructed to do so within 30 days of returning to Russia. Foreign citizens who don’t need a visa to enter Russia and refugees would be obliged to do so by 2016.

An exception has been proposed for Russians who are also nationals of the countries with which Russia has dual citizenship agreements, such as Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.