For employers
We set out a company’s duties for each foreign worker, the notification deadlines and the real size of the fines — which are counted per person. And we show the two arrangements under which that liability moves to the provider.
Obligations
| Obligation | Deadline | Exposure |
|---|---|---|
| Check the patent or work permit before allowing work | before starting work | 250,000 – 800,000 ₽ per worker (up to 1m ₽ in Moscow, St Petersburg and the two adjacent oblasts) |
| Check the trade and region on the patent match the job | before starting work | same offence |
| Notify the migration authority of the contract | 3 working days | up to 1m ₽ on the company |
| Notify the migration authority of the termination | 3 working days | up to 1m ₽ on the company |
| Stay within the permitted share for your activity code | continuously | 800,000 – 1m ₽ or suspension up to 90 days |
| Ensure migration registration | on arrival | fine and risk to the worker’s status |
The detail people miss. Fines under Article 18.15 are counted per foreign worker. An inspection that finds eight people with lapsed patents on a site in Moscow Oblast is not "a fine of up to a million" but up to eight million roubles.
Verification
A patent is valid exactly up to the date covered by the advance income-tax payment. A missed payment voids it, and from that day the worker is unlawful even though the document in hand still looks fine.
A patent is only valid in the region that issued it. A worker with a Moscow patent on a site in Kaluga Oblast is a violation.
If a trade is stated on the patent, only that trade may be performed. "General labourer" instead of "welder" is grounds for a report.
Entry purpose "work", and valid migration registration at the address of actual stay.
Citizens of Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Belarus need no patent at all — an employment contract and a notification are enough.
A valid medical insurance policy or paid-services agreement, and completed medical clearance.
Our answer
Everything above is an employer’s duty. There are exactly two ways not to carry it.
First — outstaffing. The workers are employed by an accredited private employment agency. It is the employer: it checks documents, files notifications, tracks patent expiry and answers to inspectors. You assign tasks and accept the work. Such people do not enter your permitted share.
Second — outsourcing a scope. You buy output: tonnes, metres, pallets. The contractor’s people never appear in your reporting at all.
The caveat we always state: a client is not released from due diligence. Ask the provider for its accreditation, copies of the crew’s documents and confirmation of notifications. We supply that pack as standard.
Describe the roles and the site — we will come back with an arrangement, a budget and a timeline.
FAQ
From a visa-free country: passport, migration card with entry purpose "work", migration registration, a valid patent with the advance income-tax payment up to date (EAEU citizens need no patent), medical insurance, medical clearance. From a visa country: work visa, work permit, migration registration, medical documents.
Article 18.15 of the Code of Administrative Offences, per worker: 250,000 to 800,000 roubles for a company — and 400,000 to 1,000,000 in Moscow, St Petersburg, Moscow Oblast and Leningrad Oblast — or suspension of operations for 14 to 90 days.
Yes, if the workers are employed by an accredited agency under a provision-of-workers contract, or if you have outsourced a scope of work. In both cases the contractor is the employer. But due diligence stays with you: check accreditation and request the crew’s documents.
For visa-free countries the main lines are the patent, medical clearance and the recruitment fee. For visa countries add the engagement permit, invitation letter, consular fees, work permit, return flights and usually accommodation and meals. We quote your specific roles within one business day.
Regulation tightened on two fronts at once, and both hit companies rather than workers.
Permitted shares were cut. Government Decree No. 1995 of 5 December 2025 set the 2026 shares: construction 50% instead of 80%, forestry, wood processing and vegetable growing 40%, retail sale of alcohol, tobacco and medicines 0%, road freight transport 24%. Headcount had to be brought into line by 1 January 2026.
Fines are counted per worker. Under Article 18.15 of the Code of Administrative Offences, engaging a foreign national without a work permit or patent is punishable by a fine on the company of 250,000 to 800,000 roubles — and 400,000 to 1,000,000 in Moscow, St Petersburg, Moscow Oblast and Leningrad Oblast — or suspension of operations for 14 to 90 days. Multiply by the number of people on site and you have the real size of the exposure.
In our experience problems do not arise where a company decided to cut corners and took people without documents. They arise for conscientious employers at three points: a lapsed advance payment on a patent (the worker forgot to pay, the patent is void, and the company does not know), a mismatch between the region or trade on the patent and the actual job, and a missed notification deadline on hiring or termination. None of these is about bad intent; all three are about not tracking dates.
We recruit and supply staff: we find people in 25+ countries, verify skills on work video, handle documents on the source-country side, bring them in and support them. We do not provide migration registration or patent processing separately from recruitment — that is a different market with its own specialist firms. If you need registration for people you hired yourself, it is fairer to say up front that this is not our line of work.
The common assumption is that migrant labour means unskilled labour. On the volume visa-free flow from the CIS that is largely true, and it is precisely why we work with visa countries: India has MIG/TIG welders with factory experience, Vietnam has line operators and electronics assemblers, Sri Lanka has finishers and machinists. Such a worker arrives on a work visa on a contract of up to two years, having passed work-video screening and pre-departure preparation. It is slower and dearer than visa-free hiring, but it fills positions that the domestic market does not fill at all.
Send us your positions and timeline — we will come back with pricing, start dates and the legal setup. First shortlist within 48–72 hours.
We'll send pricing, lead times and the paperwork involved for your positions. No commitment.