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.
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
Highly qualified specialist
- Salary: more than 250.000 ₽/month
- Position: for companies engaged in trade - according to the list in the Order of the Ministry of Labor of Russia, for all other companies - position, according to the diploma
simplified paperwork, the whole process will take about 1 month and a half
By quota
- Salary: any,
- Position: any
getting a quota is a long process and a positive result is not guaranteed
Above quota
- Salary: any,
- Position: from the list
Procedure:
- Stage: Applying to the Employment Center
- Stage: Getting a permit to engage foreign labour
- Stage: Getting a work permit
- Stage: Accreditation in the Ministry of Internal Affairs
- Stage: Making a work invitation
- 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».
| Basic services (Work permit) | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| for citizens from the countries with low risk of immigration | 14 business days | |
| for citizens from the countries with high immigration risk | 14 business days |
* State duty for a work permit of
* 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 | |
| Visa extension without leaving | 21 business days |
* State duty for a work visa extension of
| Additional services | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Invitations for accompanying family members | 15 business days | |
| Salary notice | 2-3 business days | |
| Notice of early termination of an employment contract | 2-3 business days | |
| Notarized translation of the passport front page | 2-3 business days | |
| VHI policy | 2-3 business days | 1 year 2 years 3 years |
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».
| Service | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 1. Application at the employment center | 30 days | |
| Stage 2. Getting a permission to attract foreign labor * | 30 days | |
| Stage 3. Work permit (plastic) ** | 14 business days | |
| Stage 4. Accreditation of the company in the Ministry of Internal Affairs | 1 day | |
| Stage 5. Single-entry Work Visa Invitation *** | 12 business days | |
| Stage 6. Extending a visa into a multiple-entry work visa **** | 20 business days | |
| Notice of a conclusion or early termination of the employment contract | 2-3 business days |
* The state duty for a permission to attract foreign labour is extra
** The state duty for the work permit is extra
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.
| Service | Cost |
|---|---|
| Submission of information to the Department of Labour and Employment |
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.
Employer’s Actions
To issue a work invitation to a foreigner, an employer must:
- Apply for a vacancy in the Employment Centre or get a quota in the Department of Labour and Employment (skip this step for HQSs).
- Obtain a permit to employ foreign labour. (skip this step for HQSs).
- Apply for a work permit.
- 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:
- 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.
- Pay a visa fee, the size of which depends on the country.
- Submit an application and documents to the Russian consulate abroad.
- 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.
