To work in Russia, a foreign citizen must apply for a work visa. This rule applies to citizens of any country, except citizens of CIS countries, who have the right to work in the Russian Federation on a patent. A work visa gives foreigners the right to work, get paid and live on the territory of Russia for the duration of its validity. Please note that a work visa cannot be issued without a work permit.
This video below is in Russian. You can turn on the English subtitles or any other language in the player settings, just click the gear-wheel icon.
Before getting a work visa to Russia, a foreign citizen must wait for a work invitation from a particular company. Therefore, first, a foreigner needs to find an employer and agree on the working conditions. The name of the company will be indicated in the visa, so a foreign citizen will have the right to work only there.
The whole procedure of employment before issuing a working invitation is the responsibility of the inviting party. A foreigner needs to wait until the employer takes all the necessary steps. It can take from one to several months depending on the type of employment - highly qualified specialists, quota and above quota.
This video below is in Russian. You can turn on the English subtitles or any other language in the player settings, just click the gear-wheel icon.
- Highly qualified specialists receive a salary of 2 million rubles a year. The procedure for them is simplified, and takes about a month before receiving a working invitation. Read more about their employment in the section. «How to hire a highly qualified specialist».
| Basic services | Time | Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work permit | for citizens from the countries with low risk of immigration | 14 business days |
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| for citizens from the countries with high immigration risk | 14 business days |
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* Stamp duty for a work permit of
* The price includes the notification of employment and support HQs for personal work permit.
| Accreditation of the company in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and a work invitation | 14 business days |
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| Visa extension without leaving Russia | 20 business days |
|
| Additional services | Time | Cost |
| Invitations for accompanying family members | 3 weeks |
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| Salary notice | 2-3 days |
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| Notice of early termination of an employment contract | 2-3 days |
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| Obtaining a TIN Certificate | 6 business days |
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| Notarized translation of the passport front page | 2-3 business days |
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| VHI policy | 2-3 business days |
1 year 2 years 3 years |
Travelmart provides services only to legal entities registered in Moscow or the Moscow region.
Apply for a work permit and work invitation- If a foreign employee earns less than 2 million rubles a year, the employer can hire them on above quota positions or receives a quota. The process of registration in this case takes about 3 months. Read more about that in the sections «Employment of foreigners above quota» and «Obtaining quotas for employment of foreign citizens».
| Service | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 1. Application at the employment centre | 30 days |
|
| Stage 2. Getting a permission to attract foreign labour * | 30 days |
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| Stage 3. Work permit (plastic) ** | 14 working days |
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| Stage 4. Accreditation of the company in the Ministry of Internal Affairs | 1 day |
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| Stage 5. Single-entry Work Visa Invitation | 12 working days |
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| Stage 6. Extending a visa into a multiple-entry work visa | 20 working days |
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| Notice of a conclusion or early termination of the employment contract | 2-3 working days |
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* The state duty for a permission to attract foreign labour is extra
** The state duty for the work permit is extra
Travelmart provides services only to legal entities registered in Moscow or the Moscow region.
The company must have certification of jobs.
The company should not have tax debts.
| Service | Cost |
|---|---|
| Submission of information to the Department of Labour and Employment |
|
Travelmart provides services only to legal entities registered in Moscow or the Moscow region.
The company must have certification of jobs.
The company should not have tax debts.
Employer’s Actions
To issue a work invitation to a foreigner, an employer must:
Details about hiring a foreigner can be found here: «Step-by-step instructions for employing a foreign citizen».
Once a foreigner has received a work invitation, they can apply for a work visa.
If the invitation is issued for a highly qualified specialist, you can immediately get a multiple-entry work visa for up to 3 years, depending on the duration of the employment contract and the work permit.
If a foreigner is getting a quota or above quota position, you must first issue a single-entry work visa for 3 months with the possibility of its subsequent extension. Upon arrival in Russia, the visa will need to be changed to a multiple-entry visa for a period of up to one year, depending on the duration of the contract and the work permit.
To get a work visa to Russia you need:
A foreigner may be refused a visa for several reasons: for example, if the employer made a mistake at one of the stages of employment, the foreigner submitted false information or violated immigration laws. By entrusting Travelmart specialist with the process, you minimize the risk of failure.
Read the full information on the procedure of employing foreigners on our website.
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