Russia Sets New Regulations for Foreign Labor Migrants Entering the Country

Starting from December 29, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs will issue documents to labor migrants and foreigners entering Russia for more than 90 days, including plastic cards with electronic data carriers, mandatory fingerprinting and photography, as reported by TASS. The relevant order has been signed by the agency's head, Vladimir Kolokoltsev.

"To establish the form of the document confirming the mandatory state registration of fingerprinting and photography, which certifies the entry of a foreign citizen or a stateless person arriving with purposes not related to work into the Russian Federation for a period exceeding 90 calendar days, in the form of a card with an electronic data carrier," the order states.

This order also confirms the form of the document for mandatory fingerprinting and photography without an electronic data carrier, providing their descriptions and registration procedures. "This order comes into effect on December 29, 2021," the approved document states.

Thus, the document with the electronic data carrier has the dimensions of a plastic card: 85.6 x 53.98 mm, with front and back sides. The front side features a colored or black-and-white photograph of the foreign citizen measuring 30 x 40 mm. Additionally, the card will include the document's identification number, as well as the person's surname, first name, patronymic, date of birth, and gender.

The back side will contain information about the foreign citizen's nationality and identification document. This information will also be included in the electronic data carrier, in the form of a contactless interfaced microchip, which will contain data about the foreign citizen to whom this document has been issued. Furthermore, the chip will hold an electronic image of the fingerprint patterns of the index fingers, and if scanning is not possible, the patterns of the other fingers.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs' order, the documents confirming the mandatory fingerprinting and photography for foreigners, including those with electronic data carriers, will be recorded in the register of document blank issuances after their registration. The official must enter the series and number of the issued document blank, its type (either on paper or in the form of an electronic data carrier), and leave their signature.