The procedure for employment and obtaining a permanent residence permit in the Russian Federation has been simplified for foreign IT specialists.

Work permit or a patent is not required for foreign IT specialists to conclude an employment contract or civil law contract for work (services) with organizations working in the field of information technology and having a document of state accreditation of the organization carrying out activities in the field of information technology (except for Technology-Innovative Special Economic Zone resident organizations).

Employers (accredited IT companies) are entitled to attract and recruit such employees without any permit. Accreditation status of an IT company can be verified by the register of accredited IT companies that is publicly available in Russian at the "Аккредитация ИТ-компаний" section at https://digital.gov.ru/ru/activity/govservices/1/ .

Foreign IT specialists working for accredited IT companies, along with their family members (including spouse, children (including adopted children), spouses of children, parents (including adoptive parents), spouses of parents, grandparents, grandchildren), are eligible for permanent residency permit in the Russian Federation without expiration date under a simplified procedure.

To obtain a residence permit, IT specialists and their family members should apply to a migration office of a territorial branch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia at their chosen place of residence. Such requests shall be considered within 3 months.

In addition to the basic documents necessary for applying for a permanent residence permit in the Russian Federation, foreign IT specialist are also required to provide:

  • an employment contract or a civil law contract for work (services) concluded with an accredited IT company, executed in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation;
  • a document about education and (or) qualifications certifying education and (or) qualifications in the field of information technology;
  • documents confirming the degree of relationship - in case of applying for a permanent residence permit by family members of a foreign IT specialist.

Detailed information on the list of documents required for applying for a residence permit in the Russian Federation is available in Russian at the official website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (www.мвд.рф) in the section "Государственные услуги – Главного управления по вопросам миграции МВД России – Выдача вида на жительство".

The simplified procedures for foreign IT-specialists are effective since June 28, 2022 (Federal Law of June 28, 2022, # 207-FZ "On Amendments to the Federal Law "On legal status of foreign citizens in the Russian Federation").