How do I get a work permit? This issue concerns all foreign citizens who have arrived in Russia both on a visa-free and visa-free basis. According to Federal law No. 115 of 25.07.2002, everyone who wants to find a job on the territory of the Russian Federation is required to issue a work permit. An employer does not have the right to employ foreign citizens who do not have such a permit at its enterprise. In this article, we will try to answer questions related to obtaining a work permit for foreigners in Russia.

Obtaining a work permit in Russia for foreigners without a visa

How can an employer check the Federal migration service's work permit

How to get a work permit in Moscow

PRTR and work permit

A work permit is a mandatory document for temporary employment of foreign citizens on the territory of the Russian Federation as employees, as well as for persons who do not have Russian citizenship, but want to do business on the territory of Russia.

Obtaining a work permit in Russia for foreigners without a visa

A foreign citizen who wants to find a job in the Russian Federation canapplyin three ways::

·         Personally visit the Department of the Federal migration service and writean application.

·         Apply to an organization that provides official employment services for foreign citizens.

·         Through your legal representative, such as a lawyer. The representative will need a power of attorney and copies of all documents of the foreign citizen whose interests he represents.

Documents that are submitted to the Federal migration service together withthe application:

·         Passport of a foreign citizen.

·         Migration card with notification to the border control about entering the territory of the Russian Federation.

·         An employment contract for the provision of services concluded between the future employer and a foreign citizen (if such a document is available).

·         Receipt of payment of state duty (2000 rubles). The receipt must contain the details of the Federal migration service, which can be found on the official website.

·         Medical report with the marks of a dermatovenerologist, psychiatrist-narcologist, physiologist; with the results of fluorography and tests for HIV infection. The cost of passing a medical examination is from 1500 to 2000 rubles.

·         A document confirming the foreign citizen's knowledge of the Russian language. The level of knowledge must be at least basic. Such a document will be needed for those who want to work in the housing and utilities sector, in retail trade or in the service sector.

·         Citizens of Tajikistan are required to submit a certificate of professional fitness (clause 10 of the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan).

The term of consideration of the application of a foreign citizen who wants to find a job in the Russian Federation is no more than 10 days from the date of submission of the application and other documents specified above. A work permit is issued for a period of temporary stay or until the end of the employment contract between a foreign citizen and an employer, but not for more than one year from the date of entry of a foreigner into Russia (Federal law No. 115, article 13.13). however, an exception is made for low-skilled foreign workers. In this case, the term of validity of the temporary work permit will be equal to the term of the employment contract, but not more than 3 years.

How can an employer check the Federal migration service's work permit

Often unscrupulous foreign citizens go to all sorts of tricks, just to get a job in Russia. If earlier the employer was practically not protected in this regard, now you can check the authenticity of a work permit without leaving the office.

There are 3 ways to check the FMS work permit:

1.        Go to the official website of the Federal migration service. It has a special section for online verification of the authenticity of employment permits, where all the numbers of work permits issued to foreign citizens are entered. Next, you will be prompted to enter the permission number in a separate window. If the permission is not valid – a notification will appear on the screen after entering the number.

2.        For the second method, you will need an Ultraviolet currency detector. Since the work permit is treated with a protective layer, when exposed to UV rays, thin oblique light green lines should be visible on the front side. This method is not the most reliable, as many scammers already know how to fake such protection.

3.        The third method also involves using an ultraviolet lamp, but only on the back of the document. Under the influence of ultraviolet rays, a clear inscription "Federal migration service of Russia" in light green color should be visible in the right half of the resolution. If such an impression is seen indistinctly and blurry, it means that the resolution is fake.

When checking a work permit, it is best to use all three methods. If the permit is valid, the employer must notify the Federal migration service within 3 days that it has employed a foreign citizen at its enterprise.

How to get a work permit in Moscow

A work permit in Moscow is issued in accordance with generally accepted legislative norms of the Russian Federation, but there are a number of nuances here:

·         An employer has the right to employ foreign citizens only if there is a permit to employ foreign citizens as employees. In order to obtain such a permit, the employer must Deposit a certain amount of money in favor of the Moscow Government.

·         An employer must obtain quotas for attracting foreign specialists for employment in their organization (Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 682 of 15.11.2006). 

·         The position of a foreign employee must strictly correspond to the specialty specified in the permit.

Due to the above nuances, official employment in Moscow and the Moscow region takes much longer than in other regions and regions, as the influx of foreign citizens and citizens of the Russian Federation to the capital district is growing every year.

An employer has the right to draw up the necessary documents either independently or with the help of a legal representative of their company (lawyer), by contacting an organization that provides assistance in obtaining a work permit for foreign employees.

PRTR and work permit

The RVP (temporary residence permit) is issued for a period of 3 years, after which it cannot be extended. Without a PRT, a foreign citizen is considered to be temporarily staying on the territory of the Russian Federation and can stay here for no more than 90 days from the moment of crossing the state border. If a foreign citizen has received a PRT, then he has the right to obtain a work permit without taking into account quotas.

A PRT and a work permit are interrelated procedures. Even when obtaining a temporary residence permit, a foreign citizen will still have to obtain a work permit.

Documents for obtaining a RVP in the Federal migration service of Russia:

·         Applicationin 2 copies according to the established sample.

·         4 photos 35x45 mm.

·         Passport.

·         A document confirming the presence or absence of a criminal record of a foreign citizen.

·         A residence permit or other document issued to a citizen by a foreign state. This document must confirm that the citizen does not reside on the territory of the state of citizenship.

·         Marriage certificate.

·         Child's birth certificate. If the child is between 14 and 18 years old, you must present their passport. You will also need their consent to move to the Russian Federation, certified by a notary.

·         Certificate of absence of HIV infection and drug addiction in the applicant and his family members.

·         Receipt of payment of the state fee for issuing a permit.

How much does a work permit cost for foreign citizens:

·         For self-registration – 2000 rubles (state duty).

·         When applying to an organization that provides legal assistance in obtaining such a permit – from 5,000 to 20,000 rubles per person.

Every employer employing foreign citizens has the right to check the work permit. If the permit is invalid, the employee has the right to refuse to apply for a job and report a fake employment attempt to the police.

Summing up, we can draw a brief conclusion: without a work permit in Russia, it is impossible for foreign citizens to find a job on the territory of the Russian Federation. How do I get a work permit? You can apply to the FMS yourself withan applicationor hire a legal representative who will deal with the registration and submission of all the necessary documents to the FMS.