Work permit for a foreign citizen

To obtain a work permit for a foreign citizen, an employer who does not wish to hire the foreign worker as a highly qualified specialist and pay a monthly salary of 250,000 rubles must apply for a work permit under one of the non-quota (quota-free) positions or obtain a quota for hiring foreign labor. 

Please note that the list of non-quota positions is quite limited. This list mainly includes top management positions, cultural figures, engineers, tourism specialists, and a number of unskilled positions. Moreover, as of December 15, 2023, based on Order No. 459n of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Russian Federation dated May 15, 2023, "On Approval of the List of Non-Quota Professions...", a quota is also required for the position of "General Director." 

Confidence Group draws employers' attention to the fact that the main issue in obtaining a work permit under the standard procedure is the mandatory provision of a certificate confirming the foreign citizen's proficiency in the Russian language, knowledge of Russian history, and the basics of Russian legislation. If the employer is unsure, whether the foreign citizen can pass the relevant exam or knows in advance that the foreign citizen does not speak Russian, it is pointless to start the work permit application process, including the quota application process.

Stages and processing time for work permit receiving

Stage 1: posting a vacancy on the "Work in Russia" portal (website: https://trudvsem.ru/), i.e., electronically. Please note that the vacancy must remain posted for at least 30 days before proceeding to the next stage. The vacancy also requires regular renewal by submitting a confirmation electronically no later than 4-5 days before its expiration. 

We remind you that to apply for a foreign labor quota, the organization and its head must have verified personal accounts on the Gosuslugi and "Work in Russia" portals. Confidence Group assists employers in posting vacancies.

Stage 2: application and quota obtaining. This stage is required if the employer plans to hire a foreign citizen under one of the quota positions. More details about the quota. 

Stage 3: obtaining a foreign labor hire permit. This permit contains information about the profession (specialty, position) for which the employer intends to hire a foreign worker, as well as the worker's country of citizenship and the number of workers. 

Foreign labor hire permit is processed within 30 calendar days and is issued for one region only. Accordingly, a work permit for a foreign citizen can only be issued for one region. If the work is to be performed in several regions, a foreign labor hire permit and a separate work permit must be obtained for each region. 

Only after the employer has obtained foreign labor hire permit, the vacancy posted on the "Work in Russia" portal (Stage 1) can be removed, and documents for the work permit for the foreign citizen can be submitted.

Stage 4: obtaining a work permit under the standard procedure. A work permit under the standard procedure can be issued for up to one year. The processing time for a work permit is 15 working days from the date of document submission. The main advantage of this work permit is that the employer can pay foreign employees a lower salary compared to highly qualified specialists, who must earn at least 250,000 rubles monthly. 

Certificate confirming proficiency in Russian, knowledge of Russian history and basics of Russian legislation 

A mandatory requirement for obtaining a work permit for a foreign citizen under the standard procedure is the presence of a certificate confirming a certain level of proficiency in the Russian language, knowledge of Russian history and the basics of Russian legislation. Foreign citizens often face difficulties in passing this exam, and many potential candidates do not speak Russian at all. Thus, obtaining a work permit under the standard procedure is extremely problematic for employers who are not ready to pay high salaries but urgently need foreign labor. 

According to current legislation, a foreign citizen must provide the above-mentioned certificate to the territorial body of the federal executive authority of internal affairs within 30 calendar days from the date of issuance of the work permit. Failure to provide this certificate within the specified period will result in the cancellation of the work permit. 

Russian legislation does not provide any exemptions for not submitting this certificate when applying for a work permit. Confidence Group advises employers to ensure that foreign citizens obtain the relevant certificate in advance to guarantee the issuance of the work permit. Currently, various training options are available for foreign citizens, including remote learning, as well as demo versions of exams for familiarization. 

We strongly recommend that employers monitor the deadlines for submitting the certificate of proficiency in Russian language, history and legislation by foreign citizens who have received a work permit to avoid the cancellation of work permits and subsequent penalties for illegal employment of foreign citizens without the necessary permits. 

We remind you that, in accordance with Parts 1 and 4 of Article 18.15 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, attract a foreign citizen in Russia without a work permit or for a profession (specialty, position, type of work) not specified in the work permit entails the following administrative fines:

These penalties apply in Moscow, Moscow region, St. Petersburg, and Leningrad region. In other regions, the penalties are slightly lower. 

We also remind you about the need to undergo fingerprinting and a medical examination to obtain a work permit. 

Medical examination

Foreign citizens entering Russia under a visa for the purpose of "work" must undergo a medical examination within 30 calendar days of entering Russia. According to current legislation, the results of the medical examination are valid for 1 year. 

The medical examination includes:

In each region, the list of medical organizations authorized to conduct medical examinations for foreign citizens is approved by a regional government decree. You can find the list of medical organizations for your region here. 

In Moscow, the list of medical organizations for medical examinations of foreign citizens is approved by Decree of the Moscow Government No. 1517-PP dated September 28, 2021. The choice of medical organization depends on the foreign citizen's migration status and the purpose of the medical examination. For more details, please read our news article. 

In Moscow region, in accordance with Decree of the Moscow Region Government No. 1210/40 dated November 26, 2021, foreign citizens working under a work permit, temporarily residing, or permanently residing in Moscow region can undergo a medical examination at the medical organizations listed in our news article. 

Fingerprinting

As of December 29, 2021, foreign citizens entering Russia are required to undergo fingerprint registration. 

Foreign citizens entering Russia under a visa must undergo fingerprint registration within 30 calendar days of entering Russia. 

Mandatory fingerprint registration for foreign citizens entering Russia is available at the following government institutions:

As you can see, the process of obtaining a work permit is quite complex, involves many stages, and requires additional steps that are often difficult for employers to coordinate and complete on time. Our company is ready to support employers at all stages of preparing work permits for foreign citizens. 

Service costs are listed below: