For the employer and HR department, this clarification helps structure communication with a work patent candidate (патент, a Russian work permit): the absence of a pre-purchased voluntary medical insurance (VMI) policy (ДМС) does not mean that a trip to the Moscow Migration Centre State Budgetary Institution (ГБУ «Миграционный центр») needs to be postponed. The medical document can be obtained on site. At the same time, the admission procedure and appointment booking must be checked before the visit.
What the migration centre clarified
The Moscow Migration Centre State Budgetary Institution (ГБУ «Миграционный центр») reported that a work patent applicant is not required to purchase a VMI policy before visiting the centre. A policy can be obtained on site.
As an alternative, the applicant may enter into a contract with an authorized medical organization for paid medical services. Such a contract must include primary care as well as specialized care for emergency conditions.
This is a clarification of the available procedure for obtaining a medical document, rather than an announcement of new rules.
How this affects HR support for a candidate
When preparing a candidate to apply for a work patent, an HR specialist should not present the advance purchase of VMI as the only possible option. It can be explained that the medical document issue can be resolved directly at the migration centre.
At the same time, no timeframe for obtaining the policy or contract should be promised: no such timeframe is specified in the centre’s notice. The source also does not clarify the consequences of not having a medical document or a prior appointment.
In practice, it is useful to send the candidate the official source in advance for independent verification: the “Work Patent Application” page («Оформление патента») publishes a list of insurance organizations and current appointment booking information.
Monitoring the visit to the centre
A prior appointment is required for morning admission from 8:00 to 12:00. This requirement is important to consider when planning document submission and internal communication with the candidate.
Before the visit, the current admission procedure should be checked on the centre’s official webpage. The provided material does not specify the admission procedure at other hours and does not establish any other timeframes or requirements.
What to check
- Check the current procedure for admitting work patent applicants on the official webpage of the Moscow Migration Centre State Budgetary Institution (ГБУ «Миграционный центр»).
- Take into account that morning admission from 8:00 to 12:00 is conducted by prior appointment.
- Inform the candidate that the medical document can be obtained at the centre: either a VMI policy or a contract with an authorized medical organization.
- When choosing a contract, check that it provides for primary care and specialized care for emergency conditions.
- Verify the list of insurance organizations published by the centre.