EN
RU EN

Work visa to Russia for foreigners

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.

Visa-Russian.ru company helps foreigners in getting a work visa. Contact our specialists if you want to avoid the bureaucratic paperwork, save time, and avoid mistakes and failure.

Work visa for foreign citizens

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.

Ways to employ a foreigner

1st option
Highly qualified specialist
 
  • Salary: more than 250.000 ₽/month
  • Position: any

simplified paperwork, the whole process will take about 1 month
2st option
By quota
 
Temporarily unavailable.
 
  • Salary: any,
  • Position: any

getting a quota is a long process and a positive result is not guaranteed
 
3st option
Above quota
 
Temporarily unavailable.
 
  • Salary: any,
  • Position: from the list

Procedure:

  1. Stage: Applying to the Employment Center
  2. Stage: Getting a permit to engage foreign labour
  3. Stage: Getting a work permit
  4. Stage: Accreditation in the Ministry of Internal Affairs
  5. Stage: Making a work invitation
  6. Stage: Obtaining and extending a work visa

- Highly qualified specialists receive a salary of 3 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».

The cost of a work permit for a highly qualified specialist:
Basic services (Work permit) Time Cost
for citizens from the countries with low risk of immigration 14 business days 30000 ₽/ human
for citizens from the countries with high immigration risk 14 business days 40000 ₽/ human

* State duty for a work permit of 4200 ₽ and for a work invitation of 960 ₽ is paid separately.

* The price includes the notification of employment and support for HQS in obtaining a work permit in person.

Accreditation of the company in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and a work invitation 15 business days 25000 ₽/ human
Visa extension without leaving 21 business days 25000 ₽/ human

* State duty for a work visa extension of 1920 ₽ is paid separately.

Additional services Time Cost
Invitations for accompanying family members 15 business days 25000 ₽/ human
Salary notice 2-3 business days 5000 ₽/ human
Notice of early termination of an employment contract 2-3 business days 5000 ₽/ human
Notarized translation of the passport front page 2-3 business days 2500 ₽/ human
VHI policy 2-3 business days 1 year 4000 ₽/human

2 years 8000 ₽/human

3 years 12000 ₽/human
 

Visa-Russian.ru company provides services only to legal entities registered in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Moscow and Leningrad regions.

ORDER Apply for a work permit and work invitation

- If a foreign employee earns less than 3 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».

The cost of registration of an above quota foreign employee:
Service Time Cost
Stage 1. Application at the employment center 30 days 10000 ₽ – Moscow
13000 ₽ - Moscow region
Stage 2. Getting a permission to attract foreign labor * 30 days 9000 ₽/human
Stage 3. Work permit (plastic) ** 14 business days 9500 ₽/human
Stage 4. Accreditation of the company in the Ministry of Internal Affairs 1 day 20000 ₽
Stage 5. Single-entry Work Visa Invitation *** 12 business days 12500 ₽/human
Stage 6. Extending a visa into a multiple-entry work visa **** 20 business days 9500 ₽/human
Notice of a conclusion or early termination of the employment contract 2-3 business days 5000 ₽/human

* The state duty for a permission to attract foreign labour is extra 12000 ₽
** The state duty for the work permit is extra 4200 ₽

Visa-Russian.ru company provides services only to legal entities registered in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Moscow and Leningrad regions.
The company must have certification of jobs.
The company should not have tax debts.

Issue a work permit and work invitation to the Russia
Temporarily unavailable.
The cost of applying for a quota:
Service Cost
Submission of information to the Department of Labour and Employment 15500 ₽ – Moscow
18500 ₽ - Moscow region

Visa-Russian.ru company provides services only to legal entities registered in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Moscow and Leningrad regions.
The company must have certification of jobs.
The company should not have tax debts.

Temporarily unavailable.

Employer’s Actions

To issue a work invitation to a foreigner, an employer must:

  1. Apply for a vacancy in the Employment Centre or get a quota in the Department of Labour and Employment (skip this step for HQSs).
  2. Obtain a permit to employ foreign labour. (skip this step for HQSs).
  3. Apply for a work permit.
  4. Submit documents for a work invitation.

Details about hiring a foreigner can be found here: «Step-by-step instructions for employing a foreign citizen».

How to get a work visa to Russia

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:

  1. Collect the necessary documents - passport, work invitation, insurance. A complete list of documents for a work visa to Russia needs to be clarified at the Russian consulate abroad.
  2. Pay a visa fee, the size of which depends on the country.
  3. Submit an application and documents to the Russian consulate abroad.
  4. Wait for a work visa, it can take up to 20 working days.

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 Visa-Russian.ru specialist with the process, you minimize the risk of failure.

Read the full information on the procedure of employing foreigners on our website.

 
Still have questions
Call us at +7 (495) 935-83-85 , write a letter to or leave your request and our specialists will call you soon.
Your name*
Fields are required to fill in
Telephone # with the country and area code*
Fields are required to fill in
Still have questions