An independent reference on consumer loans. We neither issue nor match loans and do not work with lenders; we are not connected with the former site on this domain. This is not legal or financial advice.
Guides
Here you will find guides for moments when you need to act: before signing a contract, when deciding whom you can trust with your data at all, when you can no longer pay, and when you want to close the door on fraudsters. Each guide describes a general procedure, not a ready-made solution.
Missed payments rarely start with irresponsibility. More often they start with silence, when nobody raised the problem in time.
The guides describe a general course of action and are no substitute for advice. If the debt is large, you have been sued, or the lender is breaking the law, contact a lawyer.
Four situations in which a borrower most often needs a plan.
Start with the box showing the total cost on the first page, then move on to the table of individual terms: amount, term, interest rate, number and size of payments, penalty. After that, find all paid add-on services and check whether they are marked as agreed by you.
Compare the exact name, website address and company details with the Bank of Russia registers. Everything must match, down to the domain: fraudsters often copy someone else's design and change one letter in the address.
Online loans (in Russian)
The ban is set via the public services portal or at a multifunctional center and has been available since March 1, 2025. Once it is in place, lenders must not issue you new consumer credits and loans until you lift it yourself.
In the first 14 calendar days, a loan can be repaid without notifying the lender, paying interest only for the days you actually used it. Early repayment is also possible later, but check the notice procedure in your contract.
As soon as it becomes clear that you will not be able to make the next payment on time, tell the lender. Explain what has changed and when you expect to resume payments.
Ask whether the schedule can be changed: extending the term, temporarily lowering the payment or moving the due date. The lender does not always agree, but the conversation usually goes more smoothly before the debt builds up.
Send requests and agreements in writing and keep copies and replies. A verbal promise over the phone is hard to prove later.
Paying off one debt with another is the fastest way to grow your overpayment. A new loan adds another layer of interest, and the original budget problem does not go away.
If debt collectors threaten you, call your relatives or behave rudely, record it and file a complaint with the Bank of Russia. Debt collection activity is restricted by law, and in a serious situation it is worth contacting a lawyer.
Individual and general terms, the payment schedule, the add-on services application and the debt closure certificate: why each document matters.
Hypothetical borrower scenarios: a loan until payday, imposed insurance, an upfront “approval fee”, missed payments and a loan in someone else's name.
Short answers about the cost of a loan, missed payments and debt, fraudsters, and protection against loans taken out in your name.
Archived address: online loans — a checklist before applying, checking a lender, estimating overpayment and the right to repay within the first 14 days.
This reference summarizes Russia's Federal Law No. 353-FZ “On Consumer Credit (Loans)” and public materials from the Bank of Russia. The law is amended from time to time, so before signing, check the version currently in force and the text of your own contract, and in a dispute, talk to a lawyer.