In Russia, the territorial scope of the patent system for labor migrants working in Moscow and St. Petersburg may be expanded. The Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation has prepared relevant amendments to the country’s law "On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation." RBC has reviewed the draft changes.
It is proposed that migrants in the capital agglomerations will be able to work under a single patent in two regions, provided that agreements are made between the subjects of the Russian Federation. In turn, employers operating within one region will be able to hire foreign citizens who have received a patent in the other region. This means that a patent issued in Moscow could be used to work in the Moscow oblast, and vice versa. Similarly, a patent issued in St. Petersburg could be used to work in the Leningrad oblast, and vice versa.
The new procedure will apply to Moscow and the Moscow oblast, as well as St. Petersburg and the Leningrad oblast, according to the draft law. It is expected to come into effect on September 1, 2025. As the migrant’s activities will no longer be restricted to one region, foreign citizens are “likely to work without any patent at all, rather than applying for two.” These circumstances are contributing to the growth of illegal labor migration and the shadow economy, according to the Ministry of Finance.
"When selecting the regions, the inseparable economic ties and common labor market of these subjects were taken into account. The adoption of the draft law will reduce business costs and also increase the mobility of labor resources," the Ministry of Finance commented to RBC.
The draft law has been agreed upon by the Moscow city government, the Moscow region government, the Federal Tax Service, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as indicated in the accompanying materials. RBC has sent requests to the regions affected by the regulation. The press office of the governor and government of the Leningrad oblast informed RBC that the draft law has not yet been sent to the region for “coordination.”
What are the changes about?
A work patent for migrants is a document that allows a visa-free foreign citizen (for example, from Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Moldova, but not from EAEU countries) to work in Russia. Currently, patents operate on the principle of “one patent – one region and one profession.” Business entities often face the need to arrange two patents for foreign workers simultaneously, according to the explanatory note.
At the same time, the procedure for obtaining two patents “involves significant time and financial costs for foreign citizens,” the explanatory note states.
The Ministry of Finance hopes that the adoption of this federal law project will reduce costs for businesses and ease the administrative pressure on foreign workers and employers using their labor. The ministry is confident that it will also increase the mobility of labor resources and make the patent system more attractive for foreign citizens.
