Information technology specialist and their family members

Residence permit for an information technology specialist and their family members

Certain categories of foreign citizens are entitled to apply for a residence permit (hereinafter referred to as a residence permit) in the Russian Federation and submit the required documents without first obtaining a temporary residence permit. These include foreign citizens who are information technology specialists and have entered into an employment contract or civil-law contract for the performance of work (provision of services) with an organization operating in the field of information technology and having received a state accreditation document in accordance with the procedure established by the Government of the Russian Federation (except for organizations that are residents of a technology and innovation special economic zone). This right also applies to the family members of such a specialist.

For the purposes of Federal Law No. 115-FZ of 25.07.2002 “On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation,” the family members of an information technology specialist are recognized as their spouse, children (including adopted children), children’s spouses, parents (including foster parents), parents’ spouses, grandparents, and grandchildren.

To submit an application and the complete set of documents for a Russian residence permit, a foreign citizen who is an information technology specialist, as well as their family members, must apply to the territorial office of the Main Directorate for Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (GUVM MVD) in the constituent entity of the Russian Federation where they are actually staying and working.

The application review period for a residence permit on this basis is 3 months from the date all documents are submitted to the 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 to be submitted for a residence permit by a foreign citizen who is an information technology specialist and has entered into an employment contract or civil-law contract for the performance of work (provision of services) with an organization operating in the field of information technology and having received, in accordance with the procedure established by the Government of the Russian Federation, a state accreditation document for an organization operating in the field of information technology (except for organizations with the status of a resident of a technology and innovation special economic zone), and by their family members (spouse, children (including adopted children), children’s spouses, parents (including foster parents), parents’ spouses, grandparents, grandchildren)

1. Application in 2 copies (printed double-sided).
The application must be completed electronically or by hand in legible block letters in black, blue, or purple ink, without corrections, blots, or unofficial abbreviations. All fields that are required to be completed must be filled in. 
If there is insufficient space in the application, additional information may be provided on a separate sheet attached to the application, following the format of the relevant application field and specifying the applicant’s first name, surname, and patronymic (if any). 
If the application is submitted on paper directly to a migration affairs unit of the Russian Federation, the applicant must sign it in the presence of the official receiving applicants.

2. Identity document of the applicant.
(The document must be valid for at least the application review period on the date the application is submitted.) 
3. Migration card and detachable portion of the notification form for the arrival of a foreign citizen or stateless person at their place of stay — migration registration.

4. Documents confirming changes to personal data (full name).
(marriage certificate, divorce certificate, certificate from the civil registry office in the event of multiple surname changes, or certificate of name change).

5. A document confirming the absence of a criminal record or, if one exists, containing information about the crime for which the applicant was convicted. 
Must be submitted by a foreign citizen who has reached the age of fourteen; the certificate is 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 visa-free procedure.
(If applying for a residence permit after a temporary residence permit, this certificate does not need to be submitted again.)

6. Documents confirming family relationship.
(documents confirming registration of a birth, marriage or divorce, or name change (where civil status acts were registered by a competent authority of a foreign state), issued by the competent authority of a foreign state, 
- passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation serving as an identity document of a Russian citizen within the Russian Federation, bearing a mark of registration at a place of residence in the Russian Federation,\
- residence permit of a foreign citizen in the Russian Federation,
- documents provided for by the legislation of the Russian Federation confirming that a child has Russian citizenship — where an application for a residence permit is submitted by a foreign citizen with a disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV infection) who has family members (spouse, children (including adopted children), parents (including foster parents)) who are Russian citizens or foreign citizens permanently residing in the Russian Federation.

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 a disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV infection).

8. One of the documents confirming that the foreign citizen has command of the Russian language and knowledge of Russian history and the fundamentals of the legislation of the Russian Federation: *
- certificate confirming command of the Russian language and knowledge of Russian history and the fundamentals of the legislation of the Russian Federation at a level corresponding to the purpose of obtaining a temporary residence permit or residence permit;
- state-standard education document (at a level no lower than basic general education) issued by an educational institution in the territory of a state that was part of the USSR before 1 September 1991;
- education and/or qualification document issued to persons who successfully passed the state final examination in the territory of the Russian Federation from 1 September 1991;
- decision recognizing the person as a native Russian speaker, adopted before 26 October 2023 by a commission of the federal executive authority in charge of internal affairs or its territorial body responsible for recognizing a foreign citizen or stateless person as a native Russian speaker.

9. Education and/or qualification document confirming education and/or qualifications in the field of information technology, issued in 1992 - 1995 by organizations conducting educational activities in the territory of the Russian Federation, or issued by a military vocational educational organization or military higher education organization, or issued in a foreign state, or a certificate recognizing foreign education and/or foreign qualifications (if an application for a residence permit is submitted by a foreign IT specialist or a family member of a foreign IT specialist).

10. An employment contract or civil-law contract for the performance of work (provision of services), executed in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation and concluded with a foreign IT specialist by an organization operating in the field of information technology and having received, in accordance with the procedure established by the Government of the Russian Federation, a state accreditation document for an organization operating in the field of information technology (except for organizations with the status of a resident of a technology and innovation special economic zone).
In this case, the IT specialist confirms that they have been assigned functions requiring professional knowledge and skills in the field of information technology by means of a job description or a civil-law contract for the performance of work (provision of services) specifying those functions.

11. Personal photographs, 35х45мм – 4 pcs. (matte, black-and-white or color).
Stateless persons must submit two photographs.

12. Receipt for payment of the state fee.

13. A document confirming that the foreign citizen has residential premises on grounds provided for by the legislation of the Russian Federation, where the rights to those premises are not registered in the Unified State Register of Real Estate, 
- if the application for a residence permit is submitted by a foreign citizen more than three years after entering the Russian Federation.

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

Copies made from original documents must be of good quality, easily legible, and contain all the information provided in the original document. Copies must be made on standard A4 sheets and must not be cut with scissors to match the format of the original.

The period for providing the state service is 3 months. 
 
When documents for a residence permit are accepted, a certificate confirming acceptance of the application for consideration is issued.
If an application for a residence permit is not accepted, a certificate stating the reason is issued. 

   • If documents (passport, birth certificate, etc.) contain different spellings of geographical names, documentary confirmation of the renaming 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 are subject to legalization, translation, and notarization.
    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 territory of the Russian Federation.
 
      For countries that are not parties to the Hague Convention:
   • Documents are subject to consular legalization through 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 chosen by the applicant must be submitted. The accuracy of the translation or the authenticity of the translator’s signature must be notarized in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of the Russian Federation on notaries. 
 
* The following are exempt from confirming command of the Russian language and knowledge of Russian history and the fundamentals of the legislation of the Russian Federation when submitting an application:
   • foreign citizens who are legally incapacitated or have limited legal capacity; 
   • foreign citizens under the age of eighteen;
   • foreign male citizens aged sixty-five or older; 
   • foreign female citizens aged sixty or older; 
   • foreign citizens granted participant status in the State Program to Assist the Voluntary Resettlement to the Russian Federation of Compatriots Living Abroad, or family member status of a participant in that State Program; 
   • foreign citizens who are highly qualified specialists and their family members applying for the residence permit specified in paragraph 27 of Article 13.2 of this Federal Law; 
   • foreign citizens who are citizens of the Union State formed by the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus;
   • foreign citizens applying for a residence permit who have a parent (adoptive parent, guardian, or custodian), son, or daughter who is a Russian citizen and permanently resides in the Russian Federation; 
   • foreign citizens who are citizens of Ukraine; 
   • foreign citizens specified in subparagraph 8 of paragraph 3 of Article 6 of Federal Law No. 115 (who have entered military service) and subparagraph 20 of paragraph 2 of Article 8 of Federal Law No. 115 (foreign citizens who, during the special military operation, entered into a one-year contract for military service in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation or military formations (hereinafter referred to as a servicemember), and their family members, including in the event of the servicemember’s death. A servicemember’s family members are their spouse, children (including adopted children), and parents (including foster parents). 
   • Foreign citizens who are highly qualified specialists working in accordance with Article 13.2 of this Federal Law, and foreign journalists working for organizations established specifically to produce and publish mass media in foreign languages, are exempt from confirming command of the Russian language and knowledge of Russian history and the fundamentals of the legislation of the Russian Federation when applying for a work permit.

On the basis of Article 8, paragraph 2, subparagraph 16 of Federal Law No. 115-FZ “On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation