How do you hire a Russian employee in 2026?
Russia caps standard probation at 3 months with just 3 days notice on either side. That short window closes fast. Senior roles allow up to 6 months. Getting the written employment contract and migration registration right before day one is what keeps the hire clean.
· Russia guide
Illustration · Moscow, Russia
The Russia hire process has five steps: offer letter, work-authorisation check, written employment contract, onboarding registration, first payday.
The written employment contract must be signed before the employee starts work. Russia has no separate right-to-work check system. Non-citizen employees need migration registration and a valid work permit before starting.
Standard probation lasts up to 3 months. Either side ends the contract during probation with just 3 days notice. Employees must give 14 days notice when resigning after probation.
What does the end-to-end Russia hire process look like?
Five steps from accepted offer to first payslip: offer letter, work-authorisation check, written employment contract, onboarding registration, first payday.
The written contract must be in place before work begins. For non-citizen hires, the work permit and migration registration must also be confirmed before the start date.
| Step | What happens | Owner | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Offer letter | Written offer with role, salary, start date, probation period, and key terms | Client / Teamed drafts | Same day after verbal accept |
| 2. Work-authorisation check | Confirm Russian citizenship or valid work permit and migration registration for non-citizens | Teamed | Before the employee starts |
| 3. Written employment contract | Employment contract under the Russian Labor Code, signed by both parties | Teamed (legal employer) | On or before day one |
| 4. Onboarding registration | Register with the Federal Tax Service (FNS), enrol in social insurance, collect bank details, issue the personal employment order (prikaz) | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| 5. First payday | First payslip issued, NDFL withheld and remitted, unified social contribution paid | Teamed | End of first pay period (salary paid at least twice per month) |
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Issue the offer letter
Send a written offer the same day as verbal acceptance. Include role, salary, start date, probation of up to 3 months, probation notice of 3 days for either side, and any conditions such as work-permit status or reference checks.
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Complete the work-authorisation check
Confirm Russian citizenship by passport, or verify a valid work permit and migration registration for non-citizen employees, before the start date. Non-citizen hires require MVD notification within three working days.
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Issue the written employment contract
The employment contract under the Russian Labor Code must be signed by both parties before work begins. Teamed's standard Russian contract covers all required terms. Clients choose commercial elements. Teamed signs as the legal employer.
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Complete onboarding registration
Issue the personal employment order, update the electronic work record on day one, register with the Social Fund of Russia, collect the employee's INN, and gather bank details. This runs across days one to seven.
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Issue the first payslip and remit NDFL
Run the first payroll within the first pay period. Russian law requires salary to be paid at least twice per month. Withhold NDFL and remit it to the Federal Tax Service by the deadline. The employee receives their payslip and is on the payroll record.
What must a Russian offer letter include?
An offer letter is not the binding contract in Russia. It is the document the candidate accepts before the formal contract is signed.
Include role title, reporting line, start date, gross monthly salary, working hours, location, probation period of up to 3 months, notice during probation of 3 days, and any conditions such as work-permit status.
Three traps to avoid in Russian offer letters:
- Quoting net salary. Russian employees focus on take-home pay, but committing to a net figure creates problems when NDFL rates change. Quote gross salary only in all documentation.
- Inconsistent probation terms. If the offer letter sets a 3 months probation and the employment contract contradicts it, the contract governs under the Russian Labor Code. Align both documents before the start date.
- Not accounting for sector-level agreements. Some industries in Russia have collective agreements that set minimum pay or conditions above the federal floor. If your employee works in a sector covered by one, the offer letter must not undercut those terms. Teamed checks sector coverage before drafting.
Teamed's standard Russian offer letter covers all required ground. Clients choose commercial elements. Teamed holds the legal-employer position and issues all documents in both Russian and English where requested.
Russia work-authorisation checks
Russia does not have a UK-style right-to-work check system. Russian citizens need no permit to work.
Non-citizen employees must have a valid work permit or patent before starting. The employer must also notify the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) of hiring a foreign national.
Russian citizens
Citizens of the Russian Federation have an unconditional right to work in Russia. The employer checks the employee's Russian passport and records the document details. No online portal or government system is required for this check.
CIS nationals and visa-free nationals
Citizens of several CIS countries, including Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan, may work in Russia without a separate work permit due to the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) agreements. The employer checks the passport and confirms EAEU membership. The employee must register their migration status.
Non-CIS nationals
Third-country nationals working in Russia on a general basis need a work permit (razreshenie na rabotu). The employer applies for quota approval, then the employee applies for the permit before entering Russia. Highly qualified specialists (HQS) may qualify for a simplified permit if they meet the salary threshold set by the migration authorities. The employer must notify the MVD within three working days of hiring a foreign national and must also notify when the employment ends.
Employers in Russia must notify the Migration Authority of the Ministry of Internal Affairs when they hire or dismiss a foreign national employee. The notification window is three working days. Failure to notify is an administrative offence under the Russian Code of Administrative Offences.
Ongoing checks
Work permits and patents have expiry dates. Teamed tracks each expiry date for non-citizen employees and triggers a renewal reminder well before the deadline. Working beyond permit expiry is an administrative offence for both the employer and the employee.
The Russian written contract: what must it contain?
The Russian Labor Code requires a written employment contract before the employee starts work. Both parties sign it.
The contract is the legally binding document. The offer letter is not. An employee who starts work without a signed contract is treated as employed under the Labor Code anyway, and the contract must be formalised within three working days.
What the Russian employment contract must include under the Labor Code:
- Names and addresses of both employer and employee
- Taxpayer Identification Number (INN) of the employer
- Start date of employment
- Place of work
- Job title or description of work duties
- Gross salary, allowances, and bonuses, and the pay-interval schedule (at least twice per month)
- Working hours and rest periods
- Annual paid leave entitlement (at least 28 days per year)
- Probation period, if agreed (up to 3 months for standard roles)
- Conditions applicable to harmful or dangerous working conditions, if relevant
- Social insurance terms
- Any applicable collective agreement or sectoral agreement
The employer must also issue a personal employment order (prikaz o prieme na rabotu) within three days of the start date. The employee signs the order as acknowledgment. The order is kept in the employee's personal file.
Russia also operates a mandatory electronic employment history system (elektronnyye trudovyye knizhki, or electronic work records). The employer must register the employee in this system and report the hire to the Social Fund of Russia (SFR, formerly PFR) on the first working day.
Key source: CXC Global: Russia Global Hiring Guide.
Onboarding admin in the first week
Days 1 to 7: employment contract signed, personal order issued, electronic work record updated, social insurance registered, tax ID collected, bank details collected.
Teamed handles the payroll and compliance side. The client handles the operational and cultural side.
| Onboarding task | Who does it | Day |
|---|---|---|
| Employment contract signed | Employee and Teamed | Day 0 or 1 |
| Work-authorisation check completed | Teamed | Day 0 (before start) |
| Personal employment order (prikaz) issued | Teamed | Day 1 to 3 |
| Electronic work record (ETK) updated with hire event | Teamed (reports to SFR) | Day 1 |
| Individual Taxpayer Number (INN) collected | Employee submits to Teamed | Day 1 |
| Social insurance registration (unified contribution, SFR) | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| MVD notification (for foreign national employees) | Teamed | Within 3 working days of start |
| Bank details (Russian account or card) collected | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| Benefits or voluntary health insurance enrolment | Teamed (admin) and Client (decision) | Days 1 to 7 |
| Equipment and system access | Client | Days 0 to 1 |
| Manager introduction and first-week plan | Client | Days 0 to 7 |
| 30-60-90 day plan documented | Client (manager) | Days 1 to 14 |
How does Teamed handle Russian employment for you?
Teamed becomes your legal employer of record in Russia for from $599 per employee per month, with zero FX mark-up in any currency.
Payroll, social insurance registration, the written employment contract, and the full Russian Labor Code stack run on one platform.
Real HR and legal experts handle your Russian hires, from the first offer letter through every NDFL remittance and electronic work record update. An actual person, not a chatbot or a pooled queue. There is no setup fee and no exit fee. Employer cost passes through at cost, itemised on every invoice.
EOR payroll, contractor onboarding, and entity setup all live on one platform. A Russian contractor who converts to full employment keeps their record. An EOR works well until it isn't the right structure. Run the Crossover Calculator to see the month your Russian hire is ready to graduate to your own entity. Start from the Russia hiring overview. Each guide takes one layer of Russian employment law.
Key sources: CXC Global: Russia Global Hiring Guide, Rus Outsourcing: Employment in Russia, and Global People Strategist: Labor Compliance in Russia.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to hire someone in Russia through Teamed?
Teamed can onboard a Russian citizen employee within a few business days once the offer is accepted. The written employment contract must be signed before work begins, and the electronic work record must be updated on day one. Non-citizen hires take longer because the work permit must be in place before the start date, and MVD notification must follow within three working days of the hire.
What is the probation period in Russia and how much notice applies during it?
Standard employees can be placed on probation for up to 3 months under Russian Labor Code Article 70. Senior managers, deputies, and chief accountants can have probation of up to 6 months. During probation, either the employer or the employee can end the contract with just 3 days written notice. After probation ends, the employee must give 14 days resignation notice.
Does Russia have a right-to-work check system like the UK?
No. Russia does not have a UK-style right-to-work check portal. Russian citizens show their passport and no further check is needed. Non-citizen employees must have a valid work permit or patent before starting. Employers must notify the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) within three working days of hiring a foreign national. Citizens of EAEU member states (Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan) can work without a separate permit but must maintain their migration registration.
What must a Russian employment contract include?
The Russian Labor Code requires the contract to include both parties' names and addresses, the employer's INN, start date, place of work, job title and duties, gross salary and pay schedule (at least twice per month), working hours, annual leave of at least 28 days, probation terms if agreed, and applicable collective agreements. The employer must also issue a personal employment order within three days and update the employee's electronic work record on day one.
How many hours per week can a Russian employee work?
The standard maximum working week in Russia is 40 hours under Russian Labor Code Article 91. Overtime is permitted but must be compensated at a higher rate. Certain categories of workers, including those under 18 and employees in harmful conditions, have shorter maximum working weeks.
The probation clock in Russia moves faster than most clients expect. Three months for a standard hire, six for a senior role, and either side can exit with just three days notice. That short window is useful when a hire is not working. It also means the employee can leave very quickly in the early months. Getting the contract right on day one is what gives you clarity for the whole probation period.
Russia gives you 3 months of probation for a standard hire. The exit window during that time is just 3 days.
The written contract must be in place before work begins. The electronic work record must be updated on day one.
Get those two dates right and the rest of the onboarding follows.
