Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs (МВД России, the federal authority responsible for migration matters) reported the entry into force of Federal Law No. 190-FZ of June 26, 2026 (Федерального закона от 26 июня 2026 года № 190-ФЗ), which amended state fees in the migration field. For companies hiring workers from abroad, this means they need to review the cost of certain HR and migration applications before preparing documents.
Which expenses affect the HR process
For an employer, the most significant fee is for a permit to hire foreign workers (разрешение на привлечение работников из-за рубежа): it is 15,000 rubles per person. A separate fee of 5,000 rubles has been set for issuing a work permit (разрешение на работу). These payments apply to different applications, so they cannot automatically replace one another or be treated as a single overall fee in workforce planning.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs also specified fees related to arranging entry and subsequent documentation: an invitation to enter Russia (приглашение на въезд) costs 8,000 rubles, and a multiple-entry visa (многократная виза) costs 6,000 rubles. The specific set of actions depends on the employee’s situation and the required documents. The original notice does not establish a single procedure under which all the listed payments apply to every foreign candidate.
Why the amounts should be checked before starting the process
The state fee becomes part of the hiring budget before the person starts work if the company requires a permit to hire foreign workers, a work permit, an invitation, or a visa. The practical task for HR and administrative teams is to link the selected documentation route to the specific type of application, rather than using outdated internal calculations without verification.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs directly recommends checking the required type of application and the published amount for it before submitting documents. This helps distinguish the employer’s expenses at the recruitment and entry stages. The published information does not explain the payment procedure, so no conclusions can be drawn from this notice about the payment method, bank details, or supporting documents.
Separate fees by residence status
The Ministry of Internal Affairs list includes payments that may be important for a foreign national and for the HR specialist handling their documents. A residence permit (вид на жительство) costs 30,000 rubles, while temporary residence (временное проживание) costs 15,000 rubles. A separate amount of 8,000 rubles is specified for a temporary residence permit for educational purposes (разрешение на временное проживание в целях получения образования).
In addition to initial documentation, fees have been established for certain subsequent applications. Replacement of a residence permit costs 6,000 rubles. A fee of 5,000 rubles is charged for issuing a duplicate temporary residence permit or a temporary residence permit for educational purposes. The Ministry of Internal Affairs notice does not specify the circumstances in which replacement or a duplicate is required, so these amounts should not be included in the standard budget unless actually necessary.
How to establish internal controls
It is useful for a company to divide control into two parts: the HR decision to hire a person and the migration application required to implement that decision. For each specific situation, the name of the required document and the corresponding fee should be recorded. This approach reduces the risk that the estimate will include a payment for a document that is not being issued in that case.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the law is already in effect. At the same time, the original publication does not state the specific date from which the fees apply. The Ministry of Internal Affairs also did not report what will happen if the fee is not paid or if an amount is transferred at the previous rate. These issues require verification under the current procedure for the relevant application, rather than assumptions based on a brief notice.
What to check
- Determine whether the company requires a permit to hire a foreign worker: the specified fee is 15,000 rubles per person.
- Take into account the payment for a work permit — 5,000 rubles.
- If an invitation is issued for entry, budget 8,000 rubles.
- If a multiple-entry visa is required, provide for 6,000 rubles.
- Before submitting documents, check the type of application and the amount published by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
- Do not budget payment deadlines or the consequences of an error without clarification: they are not disclosed in the Ministry of Internal Affairs notice.