Amendments to Russian Migration Law will become effective as of 15.02.2011.

The law “On migration registration” will be amended as follows:

• Foreign nationals may be registered only at their place of residence (for instance, rented apartment, hotel, etc.)

To register a foreign national’s address of residence, the following additional documents should be submitted in addition to the standard set of documents (photocopy of passport, visa and migration card):

– Regular copy of apartment title certificate;
– Regular copy of apartment lease;
– Notarized power of attorney issued by the apartment owner to the person that will register foreign nationals on behalf of the owner.

• Employers and employees are no longer responsible for migration registration. This responsibility now lies with the persons at whose place foreign nationals actually resides (i.e. owners of rented apartments, hotels, etc.)

• Previously, the law defined “a foreign national’s place of residence” as the organization or institution in which the foreign national worked. The location of a foreign national’s employer is no longer deemed as the foreign national’s place of residence.

We consider that since the law still states that “foreign nationals must be registered at their place of residence” (Article 20 of the law “On migration registration”), immigration authorities will hold liable foreign nationals without registration.

Highly qualified professionals and their family members do no longer need to be registered if they stay in Russia fewer than 90 calendar days. If foreign nationals stay in Russia for more than 90 days, they must register no later than 93 days from the date of entry into Russia.

If a highly qualified foreign national is already registered, when he/she travels around Russia and stays at a new location for fewer than 30 calendar days, such foreign national does not need to be registered at the new place of residence.

A foreign national is de-registered automatically when:

– The foreign national is registered at a new place of residence after receiving information from immigration authorities about his/her registration at the new place of residence;
– The foreign national has left Russia after receiving information from customs authorities about the departure of such foreign national from Russia.

The law “On legal status of foreign nationals” was amended as follows:
• Residence permits will be issued for the same duration as work permits and will be canceled if foreign nationals do not renew their employment agreements. Residence permits will remain valid for 30 days after expiration of work permits;
• The Federal Migration Service needs to be notified of the payment of wages to highly qualified professionals no later than the last working day of the month following the reporting quarter.
Should you require further details, please feel free to contact us. We look forward to assisting you with any immigration related matters.

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