Highly qualified specialist and family members

Residence permit for a highly qualified specialist and family members

Some categories of foreign nationals are entitled to apply for a residence permit (hereinafter referred to as the residence permit) in the Russian Federation and submit the required documents without first obtaining a temporary residence permit. These include highly qualified specialists and their family members.
For the purposes of Federal Law No. 115-FZ of 25.07.2002 “On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation,” a  highly qualified specialist is a foreign citizen with work experience, skills or achievements in a particular field of activity, provided that the terms of their employment in the Russian Federation stipulate that they receive a salary (remuneration) in accordance with the requirements listed in subparagraphs 1–3 of paragraph 1 of Article 13.2 of this Federal Law.
For the purposes of this Federal Law,  family members of a highly qualified specialist are their spouse, children (including adopted children), their children's spouses, parents (including adoptive parents), parents' spouses, grandparents and grandchildren.
A residence permit for a highly qualified specialist and their family members is issued for the term of validity of the work permit issued to that highly qualified specialist. However, a residence permit  is issued without a time limit to a highly qualified specialist who has worked in this capacity in the Russian Federation for at least two years, and to their family members, provided that the specialist and their family members reside in the Russian Federation under the residence permit they have been issued. During this two-year period, the employer or customer commissioning the work (services) must calculate, withhold and remit taxes to the budgetary system of the Russian Federation in respect of the highly qualified specialist, in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation on taxes and levies.
Foreign citizens who are highly qualified specialists and their family members and who apply for a residence permit  are exempt from having to prove their knowledge of the Russian language, Russian history and the fundamentals of the legislation of the Russian Federation.
The application for a residence permit on this basis is processed within 3 months from the date all documents are submitted to the authorized territorial office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.

Document package
The current list of required documents in .pdf format can be downloaded here

List of documents for a highly qualified specialist and their family members to apply for a residence permit pursuant to Article 13.2 of Federal Law No. 115

1. Application in 2 copies (printed double-sided).

The application must be completed electronically or by hand, legibly, in block letters, using black, blue or violet ink, without corrections, marks or unofficial abbreviations. All fields that are required to be completed must be filled in.

If the application does not have enough lines, additional information may be provided on a separate sheet attached to the application, formatted in the same way as the relevant application field and bearing the applicant's first name, surname and patronymic (if any).

If the application is submitted on paper in person to the migration office, the applicant must sign it in the presence of the official receiving applications.

2. A document proving the applicant's identity.

(At the time of application, the document must remain valid for at least the application processing period.) 

3. Migration card and detachable portion of the notification of arrival of a foreign citizen or stateless person at their place of stay—migration registration.

4. Birth certificate.

5. Documents confirming changes to the applicant's full name.

(Marriage certificate, divorce certificate or certificate from the civil registry office in the event of multiple surname changes, or a certificate of name change.)

6. A document confirming the absence of a criminal record or, if the applicant has one, containing information about the crime for which the applicant was convicted.

Must be submitted by foreign citizens aged fourteen or older. The certificate must be valid for 3 months on the date of application.

This document is not required from a foreign citizen who arrived in the Russian Federation under a procedure that does not require a visa.

(If applying for a residence permit after obtaining a temporary residence permit, this certificate does not need to be submitted again.)

7. Documents confirming that the foreign citizen does not have drug addiction or infectious diseases that pose a danger to others, as well as a certificate confirming that the applicant does not have human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

8. The following applicants are exempt from having to prove their knowledge of the Russian language, Russian history and the fundamentals of the legislation of the Russian Federation:

    • foreign citizens who are highly qualified specialists and their family members applying for the residence permit referred to in paragraph 27 of Article 13.2 of Federal Law No. 115.

    • when applying for a work permit: foreign citizens who are highly qualified specialists and work under the procedure established by Article 13.2 of this Federal Law, and foreign citizens who are journalists working for organizations established specifically to produce and publish mass media in foreign languages.

9. Employment contract or civil-law contract for the performance of work (provision of services) concluded with the highly qualified (qualified) specialist and drawn up in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.

    • Documents confirming the family relationship (birth certificate, marriage certificate, divorce certificate, adoption certificate, name-change certificate) must be submitted when family members of a highly qualified specialist apply for a residence permit.

10. Personal photographs, 35х45mm – 4 pcs. (matte, black and white or color).

Stateless persons must submit two photographs.

11. Receipt confirming payment of the state fee.

12. A document confirming that the foreign citizen has residential premises on grounds provided for by the legislation of the Russian Federation, where the right is not registered in the Unified State Register of Real Estate,

- if the foreign citizen applies for a residence permit more than three years after entering the Russian Federation.

All the documents listed must be submitted as photocopies together with the ORIGINALS.

Copies of original documents must be of good quality, easy to read and contain all the information shown in the original. Copies must be made on standard A4 sheets and must not be cut with scissors to match the format of the original.

The public service is provided within 3 months. 

When the documents for a residence permit are accepted, the applicant is issued a receipt confirming that the application has been accepted for consideration.

If the application for a residence permit is not accepted, the applicant is issued a certificate stating the reason.

    • If documents (passport, birth certificate, etc.) show different spellings of geographical names, documentary confirmation of the name change may be required. This certificate can be obtained, including by proxy, from the Russian State Library.

All official documents issued by foreign authorities in a foreign language must be legalized, translated and notarized.

For countries party to the 1961 Hague Convention:

• The original document must be certified with an apostille in the country where it was issued.

• The document and the apostille affixed to it must be translated into Russian.

• The translation must be certified by a notarial endorsement by a notary in the Russian Federation.

  For countries that are not parties to the Hague Convention:

• Documents must undergo consular legalization through the consular offices of the Russian Federation abroad or the Consular Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Documents drawn up in a foreign language must be translated into Russian.

If a document is drawn up in several languages and none of them is Russian, a translation from one language selected by the applicant must be submitted. The accuracy of the translation or the authenticity of the translator's signature must be certified by a notary in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of the Russian Federation on notaries.

Pursuant to subparagraph 9 of paragraph 2 of Article 8 of Federal Law No. 115-FZ “On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation