On January 08, 2015, Resolution of the Government of Russia No. 1595 dated December 29, 2014, simplifying the requirements for documenting business trips, came into force^[1].

Thus, as of January 08, 2015, the following documents, drawing up of which had been previously mandatory, were cancelled:

1.Business trip certificates 

Now the actual duration of the employee’s stay at the business trip destination, which was previously determined using business trip certificates, will be calculated on the basis of travel documents or employee’s official notes together with supporting documents (waybill, invoices, receipts, cashier’s checks), if travel to the business trip destination was by personal vehicle.

2. Business trip assignments

Previously, the purpose of a trip was set out in business trip assignments and orders to send an employee on a business trip. With the abolition of the obligation to draw up business trip assignments, it will be sufficient to specify the purpose of the trip in the order to send the employee on a business trip, signed by the employee acknowledging that he/she has been informed of its contents.

3. Reports on the fulfillment of a business trip assignment

Despite the abolition of employee’s mandatory report on the fulfillment of a business trip assignment, we recommend that you keep the employee’s obligation to provide such or similar reports at the request of the employer. This will allow you to monitor the achievement by the employees of the goals set before them by the employer in sending them on a business trip. We recommend implementing the obligation of employees to provide such reports in the Business Trip Policy of your company.

Implementation of the above amendments to legislation allows for a significant simplification in HR paperwork and frees the company from the obligation to produce a number of redundant documents.

Recommendations

We recommend that you introduce amendments to the internal policies of your company regulating the sending of employees on business trips (e.g.: Business Trip Policy, Internal Working Rules), in order to bring them into line with the changes in labor legislation.

Specialists at Awara will be happy to answer any questions related to documenting the sending of your employees on business trips both in Russia and abroad, as well as assist you with relevant changes in the internal policies of your company.

[1] Said Resolution abolished or amended provisions of the Resolution of the Government of Russia dated October 13, 2008 No. 749 “On special aspects of the sending of employees on business trips” and Resolution of the Government of Russia dated December 26, 2005 No. 812 “On the amount and manner of payment of per diem in foreign currency and allowances to the per diem in foreign currency at the official missions in foreign countries for employees who have signed an employment agreement for work in federal government agencies, employees of state budget funds of the Russian Federation, and federal government institutions”.