According to the Russian Government Order, dated 18th May 2021, the list of foreign citizens, who may enter Russia, has been expanded (the 'Order'). The text of the Order is available in Russian here.

From 19th May 2021, the following persons are allowed to enter Russia:

• owners or heads of companies operating in Russia;
• foreign citizens entering to participate in negotiations on investment projects’ implementation.
• Business visa invitations for the indicated persons will be issued only if the Russian Ministry of Economic Development preliminarily approves such foreign citizens’ entry.

According to the Order, foreign citizens participating in the preparation and holding of the UEFA Euro 2020 and those having a FAN ID are also allowed to enter Russia. However, these rules will apply temporarily. For instance, foreign citizens with a FAN ID are entitled to multiple visa-free entry and exit only from 29th May to 2nd July 2021.

Currently, there is also a trend to lifting, or at least relaxing, other restrictions and additional requirements, introduced as part of Covid-19 prevention. Thus, starting from 24th May 2021, some territorial migration authorities no longer require a ministry’s approval for the entry of highly-qualified foreign specialists from 'open' countries. It is worth reminding that now Germany, Japan and some others are included in the list of such countries (the full list is available in Russian here).

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Practice: Labour and Employment

Note: Please be aware that all information provided in this letter was taken from open sources. Neither ALRUD Law Firm, nor the author of this letter bear any liability for consequences of any decisions made in reliance upon this information.