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According to the Federal Law "On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation"(№115-FZ of 25 July 2002, Article 13, paragraph 4, p. 7.1), full-time foreign students do not need a work permit to apply for a job in Russia. You only need to provide an employer with the student status certificate.

In this case, the employer also will not need to obtain special permission to attract foreign workers. The employer must send by mail or personally a notice of the conclusion or termination of an employment agreement or an independent contractor agreement to the regional department of the Directorate for Migration Affairs of the Directorate General of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation in St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region.

Please note that an employment agreement or an independent contractor agreement will be terminated after your graduation or dropout.

A foreign citizen shall not be entitled to:

• hold government or municipal jobs;
• be employed in organizations whose activities relate to national security;
• hold the position of a chief accountant or any other position related to accounting in a Russian company. The exception is for foreigners who have received a temporary residence permit or residence permit

Foreign students do not need special permits for practical training.

You can find detailed information about the practical training process at ITMO University on the Student Office website.

After graduating from the Russian university, foreign citizens cannot stay in Russia or land jobs if they have not obtained a work permit or a patent. The document set is specific for the citizens of different countries.

These documents are not required for:

• those who have received a temporary residence permit or a residence permit in Russia;
• foreign citizens from the member States of the Eurasian Economic Union (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan). The hiring procedure of such employees does not differ from the employment of Russian citizens.

A work permit is a document which allows a foreign citizen from a visa country to work for a Russian employer. A visa country is a country whose residents need a visa to be admitted to Russia (China, Vietnam, Thailand, etc.).

A foreigner work patent is a document confirming the right of a foreign citizen from a visa-free country (Ukraine, Tajikistan, etc.) to work temporarily in the Russian Federation and their legal presence in Russia. A monthly fixed advance payment is required to renew a patent. Employers do not need permission to employ such citizens.

More detailed information can be found on the Federal migration service website.

A foreign citizen has the right to register as an individual entrepreneur in Russia complying the following requirements:

• Has reached the age of 18;
• legally and permanently lives in Russia

The term “permanently lives” means that a foreign citizen must have a temporary residence permit or residence permit. Detailed information regarding these documents is given in the Unified Document Center which is located at Krasnogo Tekstilshchika st., 10-12. Information about visiting hours you can find on the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.

Documents required for registration as an individual entrepreneur:

To register as an individual entrepreneur, a foreigner needs to submit the following documents to the Federal Tax Service:

• Application for registration of a physical person as a private entrepreneur in the form R21001.
• Original passport or a document replacing it, and its notarized translation.
• Copy of a residence permit or temporary residence permit (usually a simple copy is enough, but sometimes a notarized copy is required).
• Copy of a document containing information about the permanent residence address in Russia.
• Receipt or payment order confirming the state fee payment for the registration as an individual entrepreneur.
• Document that indicates a lack of criminal record (is necessary for certain types of activities).

Documents can be submitted to the Tax office in any way convenient for you: in person, through the Multifunctional Public Services Center, through a representative/intermediary, by post with the declared value or by email.

You can find details about the process of registration as an individual entrepreneur in the Russian Federation, as well as contacts of the Federal Tax Service for making an appointment, on their website.

A foreign citizen can register an LLC in Russia. For registration, the LLC founder does not need a temporary residence permit or residence permit - you can do business from abroad.

If LLC is founded by a foreign citizen, then the following documents must be attached to the registration set of documents:

• Original passport or a document replacing it, and its notarized translation (for some countries apostille is also required)
• Document confirming permanent residence outside the Russian Federation (also with a notarized translation)
• Work permit in the Russian Federation (if a foreign citizen is appointed as a director of an LLC)

The LLC registration process is rather complicated and contains many nuances. If you already have some ideas on your business structure, we recommend contacting the Federal Tax Service for clarification of details.