How to Get a Labour Permit
In the territory of the Russian Federation foreign citizens (stateless persons) need a labour permit to be able to exercise labour activity. For a natural person it is an official document in the form of a plastic card that is executed upon an application from the foreign citizen (or his/her representative) at the according Federal Migration Service subdivision that states the foreign citizenТs right to temporally exercise labour activity in the territory of the Russian Federation or the right of the foreign citizen registered in the Russian Federation as an individual entrepreneur to exercise entrepreneur activity. For an employer a permit for foreign labour power intake is needed.
A labour permit can be used only in accordance with the profession stated in the plastic card and only within the mentioned constituent element (s) of the Russian Federation. If you are going to exercise labour activity in several regions simultaneously it is advisable to obtain a labour permit that will be valid in several or even all constituent elements of the Russian Federation.
Citizens of CIS states that would like to work in Russia do not have to get an entry visa. For them there is a simple procedure of getting a labour permit at the Department of the Federal Migration Service of the corresponding region. According to Russian legislation the execution period for a labour permit for Moscow and Moscow region is 10 days. If a foreigner form CIS states applies for a permit valid for more than 90 days, he is to submit within 30 days from the date of the receipt of such permit to the territory body of the Department of the Federal Migration Service medical documents stating that he/she is healthy, has no HIV, narcotics addiction or contagious diseases, otherwise the permit is cancelled.
At present a special condition is in force that has been approved by the High Council of the Union of Belarus and Russia stipulating that Belarusian citizens do not have to get a documentary labour permit to work in the Russian Federation. Foreign citizens who reside temporally or permanently in the territory of the Russian Federation need no labour permit in case they have a residence permit. Moreover foreigners who study or work in Russia during vacations and those who were accredited in the Russian Federation as reporters, teachers, are invited to take a position at an educational institution (excluding teachers at professional religion educational institutions) and some other categories of foreign citizens do not need such permits either.
People with professions that require obligatory licensing or qualification in the territory of Russia (practitioners, lawyers and so on) shall submit a copy of their Russian translated and notarized diploma.
Non-CIS countries citizens as well as citizens of Georgia and Turkmenistan are to get a labour permit at the Federal Migration Service.Such permit is executed upon conformance of the Federal State Employment Service and issuance of the corresponding certificate that holds information on how efficient it would be to take foreigners for this job. This conformance is performed within 10 days.
Upon issuance of a labour permit the foreigner shall get employed within 90 days otherwise he/she will have to leave the Russian Federation. If you had to leave Russia your labour permit is valid for the whole period it was issued for. State duty on a labour permit for a foreigner or stateless person is 1,000 rubles.
On no account execute documents through doubtful agent companies because this is the way you can get no labour permit and no right to stay in the territory of the Russian Federation. If you get your documents not at the Federal Migration Service check their authenticity; labour permit blank has multilevel protection, and blank forms have been changed for many times in the past few years.
A permit for foreign labour power intake for organizations employing foreign citizens form CIS states (excluding Georgia and Turkmenistan) is not required. For employment of a foreigner form a non-CIS state the employer is to obtain the corresponding permit. A company (legal entity) that is planning to employ foreign citizens shall be registered at the Department of the Federal Migration Service or its territory body for execution of invitations and visas. Having received a working visa the foreigner has the right to conclude labour agreements and contracts with the employing organization.
The responsibility for the employed foreign worker is carried by the employer. The employer who has employed a foreigner shall provide him/her with a set of documents and within 90 days (term stipulated by the Law) submit to the Migration Service a certificate stating that the foreigner is healthy, has no HIV, narcotics addiction or contagious diseases. Employing a foreigner with an official permit for labour activity the employer shall upon conclusion of the contract necessarily within 10 days advise the Employment Service and the Tax Service.
State duty for a permit for foreign labour power intake and use is 3,000 rubles. In case of lack of such permit fines are levied. For natural persons (individual entrepreneurs) the size of the fine may be from 20 to 50 Minimum Monthly Wages, for official persons from 250 to 500 Minimum Monthly Wages, for legal bodies from 2,500 to 8,000 Minimum Monthly Wages.
