Many countries granty resident status in exchange for financial investments in the country's economy. This can be direct investment, buying stocks or bonds, or purchasing real estate. And if for most European countries this is a common procedure, then in Russia obtaining a residence permit for indirect or direct investment is still not available. Nevertheless, such a law will most likely be adopted in the near future, and already now the migration authorities are more loyal to foreign investors when processing migration documents.
According to the current legislation, a foreign citizen has the right to obtain a residence permit in the Russian Federation only after 1 year of residence in Russia. To obtain a residence permit, you must go through the general registration procedure. In November 2020, it was proposed to simplify obtaining a residence permit in Russia for those foreign citizens who have invested in the Russian economy.
At the moment, the specific investments amount has not been determined, this task is entrusted to the Government of the Russian Federation. Work on the bill is actively underway, it is expected that it will be adopted this fall, and will come into force in the summer of 2022 (this information was confirmed by the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation). In the basic scenario, we are talking about direct investments in business from 10 million rubles, or about investments in shares or federal loan bonds in the amount of 20 million rubles or more, or in real estate from 30 million rubles.
It is assumed that
the investment will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
Criteria related to the establishment of a legal entity or participation in it
In this group, the main focus is on the participation of a foreign citizen in a company registered or located in the Russian Federation (as a founder, co-founder or participant). There are three criteria in this group:
- A foreign citizen should own a Russian company, and investments in the capital of which must be at least 15 million rubles.
-
A foreign citizen who owns a foreign company operating in the Russian Federation should invest at least 50 million rubles in this company.
-
Any of the above companies must exist on the territory of the Russian Federation for at least three years
Criteria related to investments
- The company must exist on the territory of the Russian Federation for at least 3 years;
-
The company must pay at least 6 million rubles in taxes;
-
The company must employ at least 25 Russian citizens under labor contracts.
It is also proposed to establish that a foreign citizen can obtain a residence permit for investment if he registers as an individual entrepreneur in the Russian Federation, invests at least 10 million rubles in the business and employs 10 Russian citizens
Criteria related to investments in Russian securities or real estate
It is assumed that a foreign citizen invests either in Russian securities or in real estate located on the territory of the Russian Federation. For these procedures, there're the following requirements:
- A foreign citizen must invest in and hold Russian bonds for at least 3 years
-
A foreign citizen needs to invest at least 30 million rubles in real estate located in the Russian Federation
In general, when developing the law, the Russian authorities are guided by international experience in issuing residence permits for investments. Obtaining a residence permit for investment boils down to the fact that a foreign citizen will need to invest funds determined by the Government of the Russian Federation in the Russian economy directly or indirectly.
If you have questions or need advice on investing in the Russian Federation, you can leave a request in the feedback form or contact our specialists at the contacts below:
Maxim Kuznetsov - vice-president of the RAUIE
investment@raspp.ru
WeChat: maximkuznetsov
