A work patent for a foreign citizen is valid for up to 12 months if it is paid on time. After this period, the document must be reissued in order to continue working in Russia.
Reissuing the patent allows you to extend your right to work for another 12 months. For this, it is not necessary to leave the country—you only need to submit documents to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. A note about the reissuance is placed on the new document.
It is important to remember: you cannot work with an expired patent. If during an inspection it turns out that the document is invalid, the foreign citizen may face a fine and deportation from Russia.
The employer may also face a large fine for hiring a foreign worker without a valid permit document.
To reissue a patent, several conditions must be met:
1. The patent must have been paid on time and without delays;
2. The migration card must indicate the purpose of entry as “work.”;
3. There must be at least 10 working days left before the patent expires.
4. The foreign citizen must have a valid employment or civil-law contract.
5. The employer must have submitted a notification of employment.
It is better to start preparing for the reissuance 1–2 months before the patent expires. Some documents take time to obtain—for example, a medical certificate or proof of knowledge of the Russian language. The review of documents by the Ministry of Internal Affairs usually takes about 10 working days.
In addition to the standard package of documents, a petition from the employer is required for reissuance. This document confirms that the company is interested in continuing to employ the worker.
It is important to understand: if you do not have an official contract with your employer, it will not be possible to reissue the patent. In this case, to continue working you will have to leave Russia and apply for a new patent again.
