A work patent is one of the most frequently checked documents for labor migrants. Scammers take advantage of this: they don’t just sell “services,” they deliberately mislead people.
Below are schemes that are rarely talked about, and signs that help distinguish a genuine patent from a fake one.
1. “The patent is already ready — just come and pick it up.” Scammers show a photo of the document and assure you that it is already registered in the system. In reality, it is someone else’s form or a fake. During a check, it quickly turns out that the document is not listed in the database.
2. “We’ve paid everything for you.” They offer to pay for the patent through “their own people.” Money is taken in cash, and no receipts are provided. As a result, the payment does not go through, and the patent is canceled due to non-payment.
3. The patent is issued for a different region or profession. The document may look fine on the outside, but from a legal standpoint this is a violation, and it will be canceled.
4. They promise a “patent without medical exams or tests.” Such data never enters official government databases, and at the first inspection the document is declared invalid.
5. Intimidation with “errors in the patent.” They call and say there is a mistake in your patent and that it urgently needs to be “fixed” for a fee. This is pressure and fraud. Errors in a patent can only be corrected through official authorities.
Important: a patent cannot be issued without your personal participation!
By law, there are procedures that a foreign citizen must complete personally: a medical examination, fingerprinting, and an exam. No one can do this for you.
If someone promises to arrange documents without visiting a migration center and without completing mandatory procedures, this is a clear sign of fraud.
Most often, such “helpers”:
- claim they will handle everything without your involvement;
- try to gain your trust quickly;
- refer to “connections” but show no official documents;
- look for clients themselves in hostels, construction sites, markets, or online;
- work without contracts or receipts;
- apply psychological pressure or promise “full guarantees.”
How to Understand That There Is a Problem with Your Patent
Even if a document looks “normal,” it doesn’t always mean it is valid. Most problems are discovered not by appearance, but during data checks.
You should be cautious if:
- the details do not match your passport (name, date of birth);
- the patent lists a different region from where you actually work;
- a different profession or type of activity is specified than the work you perform;
- there is no confirmation that the payment was processed;
- the employer did not submit a notification of employment;
- no one can explain where and how to officially verify the patent.
It’s important to remember: the authenticity of a patent is determined not by its appearance, but by the data in official government systems. If information about the document is missing from the database or does not match, it is considered invalid—even if you physically have the patent.
To avoid risks, it’s better to check the status of your documents yourself rather than trust intermediaries. Verification helps you spot errors in time and understand what to do next before the situation leads to fines or cancellation.
