Temporarily
If your work assignment is temporary, or if your job requires you to spend a substantial amount of time in other countries, you may want to consider using a business visa.
Business visas do not permit employment, so you cannot be officially hired by a Russian company or a Russian branch of a foreign company, but they do permit you to spend up to 90 days at a time in Russia to conduct business activities. You can either apply for a 6- or 12-month business visa, which allows you to spend a maximum of 90 days out of any 180-day period within the visa’s validity, or use one or more consecutive 90-day business visas. There is no limit on how many business visas you can apply for consecutively, but you must leave Russia to apply for a new one.
A 90-day business visa can be single- or double-entry. A 6- or 12-month business visa can be single-, double-, or multiple-entry. Please note a multiple-entry visa to Russia will not be issued if this is your first trip to Russia.
To get a business visa you must submit to the Russian Consulate in your home country:
- a visa application form
- your original passport, valid at least 6 months beyond the end of the planned trip
- 1 recent passport photo
- either an original invitation letter issued by an authorized organization, or the telex number for an invitation telexed to the Consulate directly by the authorized organization. See: Types of Visas for more information on invitations.
- for a visa valid more than 90 days: a medical certificate proving you are HIV-negative (less than 30 days old)
- for a multiple-entry visa: an expired passport containing a previous Russian visa, if your current passport does not contain one
- an introductory letter issued by the company or organization you are visiting or by yourself if you are self-employed.
For a one-year visa, your entry date can be no earlier than 5 days after the visa issue date. Spouses and children require separate invitations and visas.
Permanently
For permanent employment in Russia, you will need a work permit and work visa. A work visa is initially issued for one entry with a validity of three months. After you arrive, you can obtain a one-year, multiple-entry visa in Russia. You can obtain further one-year, multiple-entry work visas every year, but you must apply at least three months in advance. This is the only visa that can be issued in Russia, instead of your home country.
With the exception of citizens of the Commonwealth of Independent States, individuals cannot apply for a work permit on their own. You will require a company to sponsor you.
The process includes the following steps:
1. The company obtains permission to hire foreigners from up to three different government agencies, and is allotted a certain number of the annual quota on foreign workers. It is wise to verify that your employer already has this approval in place when you accept a job. If not, plan for delays during your expatriation process.
2. The company applies for a work permit and official invitation letter for you at the Passport and Visa Department of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. They will need copies of your passport and a recent passport photo.
3. Your company receives the work permit and invitation letter and gives them to you.
4. You apply for a visa at the Russian Consulate in your home country, presenting:
- a visa application form
- your original passport, valid at least 6 months beyond the end of the planned trip
- 1 recent passport photo
- a medical certificate proving you are HIV-negative (less than 30 days old)
- an introductory letter issued by your company or organization you are visiting.
- the original invitation letter, or the telex number if the invitation was telexed to the Consulate directly
5. You are issued a 3-month single-entry visa, which you use to enter Russia. You then register with Foreign Labor and apply for a one-year, multiple entry work visa at the Passport and Visa Department of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. You do not have to leave the country again to obtain this visa but you may be required to undergo a medical examination and provide an apostilled copy of your professional qualifications (for example a degree certificate).
Because of the long and arduous nature of this process, the extensive paperwork required, multiple agencies involved, and frequent changes to regulations, companies large and small generally use professional help to comply with the requirements. From start to finish, the process officially takes three months. In practice, six months is not an uncommon time frame.
Note that your entry date can be no earlier than 5 days after the visa issue date. Dependents can be included on the invitation and visa. They do not have permission to work.
Long-term
If you wish to stay and work in Russia permanently, with freedom to change jobs, you may want to apply for residency. Residents do not require a work permit to work.
This process requires extensive paperwork and takes six to twelve months. You must first apply for temporary residency, which you must hold for two years before you can apply for permanent residency. Permanent residents enjoy few restrictions and most rights of Russian citizens (except the right to vote). Temporary residents, on the other hand, are restricted from seeking employment outside the region they are registered in, and must apply for exit visas (a 2-week minimum process) if they wish to leave Russia, and, of course, entry visas to return to Russia.
There is an annual quota for applications for residency. You are encouraged to submit your papers the first business day after New Year’s and Christmas holidays to ensure they are accepted. If you have a Russian spouse or were born on the territory of the former Soviet Union, you may be able to apply outside of the quota.
