Working in Russia: Duties & Responsibilities

Step 1

To begin the employment process, you need to obtain the following basic documents:

A patent (for those arriving from visa-free countries) or a work permit (if arriving on a visa). It's important to remember that these are only valid in the region where they were issued and only for the specified profession. You can find out entry requirements on the website of the Consular Section of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Temporary Residence Permit (TRP) or Permanent Residence Permit (VNZh) — if these are issued, then a patent and work permit are no longer required. This applies, for example, to full-time students studying at Russian universities. You can read about their employment options here.

IMPORTANT: Failure to obtain a temporary residence permit or residence permit, as well as working in a profession different from that specified in the temporary work permit or in another region, is punishable by a fine. In Moscow, St. Petersburg and the Moscow or Leningrad regions, it ranges from 5,000 to 7,000 rubles (approx. $70-$100) and deportation from the country. In other regions, the fine ranges from 2,000 to 5,000 rubles (approx. $28-$70)) and the offender may also be deported.

Step 2

The company accepts the new employee by signing an employment or civil law contract. The employer will need to provide the following documents:

• Passport with a temporary residence permit or residence permit stamp and its notarized translation
• Employment record book (issued by the employer)
• ‘SNILS’ 
• TIN 
• Education document
• VHI (voluntary medical insurance) policy

Step 3

After all formalities have been completed, the employer should notify the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the contract with a foreigner within three days via ‘Gosuslugi’, a branch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or Russian Post about the conclusion of a contract with a highly qualified specialist and quarterly about the payment of the highly qualified specialist's salary. The Ministry is also notified of any termination or expiration of the contract. If an employee holds a patent, they must submit notification of their commencement of employment in the same manner. In this case, they will need to provide information about their employer, a copy of their employment contract and insurance policy details. Failure to notify the foreign employee within two months of their commencement of employment will result in the revocation of their patent.

Patent holders may travel to other regions on business trips, but may spend no more than 10 days there. Furthermore, their profession must be listed by the Ministry of Health and Social Development. If the work involves travel and travel time may exceed 60 calendar days, an additional patent must be obtained in another region. Highly qualified specialists can work in different regions without any additional documentation.