For employers

Hiring foreign workers in Russia

The full procedure: how your permitted share is calculated, when a quota and an engagement permit are required, and which notifications an employer files and by when. Plus how we run all of it end to end, from sourcing to arrival on site.

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3 daysto notify the authorities

50%construction share for 2026

3–5weeks, visa-free countries

5–8weeks, visa countries

Procedure

Two different processes that get confused

Visa-free countries

Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Belarus

Quota and engagement permit not required
EAEU citizens (Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Belarus) need no patent at all
Citizens of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan need a patent, obtained themselves within 30 days of entry
The employer checks the patent and notifies the migration authority within 3 working days
Time to arrival: 3–5 weeks

Visa countries

India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, China

A quota for foreign workers is required
A permit to engage foreign labour is required
Per candidate: invitation letter and work permit
Medical clearance, consular procedure, fingerprinting
Time to arrival: 5–8 weeks where a quota exists

Where the timeline usually breaks. Not in sourcing, but in the quota: applications to engage workers from visa countries are filed in advance, for the following year. Companies planning visa hiring for 2027 are collecting documents now. If there is no quota, the honest answer on timing is "not this quarter", and we say so immediately.

Duties

What the employer must do, and by when

Obligation	Deadline	Exposure for missing it
Notify the migration authority of an employment contract	3 working days	up to 1m ₽ on the company
Notify the migration authority of a termination	3 working days	up to 1m ₽ on the company
Check the patent is valid, and its region and trade	before allowing work	up to 1m ₽ per worker
Stay within the permitted share for your activity code	continuously	up to 1m ₽ or suspension up to 90 days
Ensure migration registration	per the registration law	fine and risk to the worker’s status

We close this table in two ways. With recruitment we take the documents through to the start date and flag the notification deadlines, but you remain the employer. With outstaffing the whole table moves to the provider along with the liability.

Urgent requests

When you need foreign workers within the month

"We need foreign workers urgently" in practice means one of three scenarios, each with its own realistic timeline:

7–10 days. People already in Russia with valid documents, for a volume role with no rare qualification. The fastest option, but the choice is limited.
3–5 weeks. The flow from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan: visa-free entry, and EAEU citizens need no patent.
5–8 weeks. Visa countries — where the qualification actually is: welding, CNC, garment production.

We almost always propose a combination: close the gap with the fast visa-free flow and start a visa group in parallel so the shortage does not return in two months.

Need people?

Describe the roles, headcount and deadline — we will come back with a date plan and a budget.

FAQ

What employers ask most

Do we need a permit to engage foreign labour?

For citizens of visa-free countries, no. For citizens of visa countries (India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, China), yes — together with a quota and an invitation letter. We check this before sourcing starts and tell you whether your deadline is achievable.

How long does hiring foreign workers take?

3–5 weeks from visa-free countries and 5–8 weeks from visa countries where a quota exists. Without a quota the timeline is defined by obtaining it, and applications are filed in advance for the following year.

Which notifications must an employer file?

Notification of the conclusion and of the termination of an employment or civil-law contract with a foreign national, filed with the territorial migration authority within three working days. A late filing is penalised by a fine of up to 1 million roubles on the company.

What if people are needed urgently and there is no quota?

Go to visa-free countries — Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan — where no quota is required and the timeline is 3–5 weeks. Or take people through outstaffing, where the provider is the employer. In parallel we start the visa pipeline for the next cycle.

Hiring foreign workers in Russia in 2026: what changed

Two changes define planning this year. First: Government Decree No. 1995 of 5 December 2025 cut the permitted share of foreign workers for almost every activity — construction from 80% to 50%, forestry, wood processing and vegetable growing to 40% — and required companies to bring headcount into line by 1 January 2026. Second: enforcement around notifications and patents tightened, and fines are now counted per worker rather than per incident.

That changes the logic. The question used to be "where do we find people", and the answer was about sourcing. Now the first question is "how many are we even allowed", and only then "where do we find them". We start with exactly that calculation: your activity code, your region, your average headcount.

The procedure step by step

Identify your activity code and check whether a share is set for it in 2026.
Check whether your region is on the list of territories where the general share does not apply — the decree names them explicitly.
Calculate the limit from your average headcount and compare it with your actual number of foreign workers.
Choose the arrangement: direct employment if the limit allows, outstaffing if it does not.
Choose the source country: visa-free is faster, visa countries are more qualified but need a quota and a permit.
Run sourcing, screening and documentation; after arrival, track notification deadlines and document expiry.

The common mistake: estimating the share by eye

The share is calculated from average headcount, not from the number of people on site on a given day. Companies with many subcontracted crews and seasonal workers regularly get this wrong in both directions: some keep fewer people than they are allowed and lose output, others drift over the limit and collect a fine of 800,000 to 1,000,000 roubles under Article 18.17. Our limit calculator works out the maximum for your headcount and share.