Levine Bridge Law Firm

• Adjustments made in labor legislation at the end of 2011 • Which legislative initiatives are to be implemented in 2012? - At the end of 2011 we witnessed the introduction of several new legislative amendments: several of these amendments to federal law were in the area of labor relations and social insurance.

The basic laws governing taxation are covered by the Tax Code of the Russian Federation (TC RF). The Tax Code consists of two parts. The first part of the Tax Code came into effect on January 1, 1999. It contains the basic rules that are applicable to tax legislation in Russia, including the concepts used in the tax law, the principles of taxation, the system of taxation, the status of taxpayers and government bodies involved in taxation...

One of the most common legal forms of legal entities in Russia is a limited liability company. This is due to the fact that the procedure for registration of a limited liability company is rather simple, it requires no introduction in the share capital of significant financial resources and has the maximum a list with permitted by law activities.

1. Introduction - On the 1st of July, 2012 there will be a new legal form of business organization in the Russian Federation referred to as an “economic partnership”. The status of economic partnership will be regulated by a specific federal law 03.12.2011 N 380-FZ “On Economic Partnerships”.

Certification of employment conditions in the workplace is regulated by the Procedures to carry out certification of employment conditions in the workplace approved by Order of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation from 26.04.2011 № 342n.

According to Russian Civil and Housing Legislation, renting in Russia is made by agreement; the first party (landlord) agrees to provide to the second party (lessee) housing for rent. Under article 2 of the civil code (CC RF) and article 4 of the housing code of Russia (HC RF) foreign citizens are obligated to follow established rules governing civil and housing legislation, except as otherwise provided by federal law.

Recently there have been more frequent violations of labor rights committed by employers of not only Russian workers, but of foreign citizens working in Russia as well. In this article we want to address the issue and the manner by which Russian legislation provides foreign citizens with some measure of protection from an employer violating his or her labor rights.

Some employers who invite foreign employees to work as the heads of representative offices of foreign legal entities, as well as for other positions, mistakenly believe that they are not required to obtain work permits.

If you are planning on visiting any country, it is always helpful to be familiar with the rules governing the import and export of currency and other securities. In Russia these issues are regulated by Federal Law from 10.12.2003 No.173-FZ “On Currency Regulation and Currency Control” and Customs Legislation.

The period of stay for foreign citizens in Russia is, as a general rule, limited. Citizens of countries from within the CIS and who are visiting Russia via a visa-free regime are permitted to remain in Russia for personal reasons for a period of up to 90 days, but are required to exit the country before the expiration of this 90-day period. The number of times they are permitted entry into Russia over the course of a year is not limited.

On Jan. 1, 2010, a single social tax was replaced with insurance premiums paid into the Pension Fund of Russia, the Social Insurance Fund of Russia and Funds for Mandatory Medical Insurance. At its very core, the new premiums do not differ much from the previous system of taxation and represents a tax on wages that the employer pays so the state can provide for the material interests of employees upon retirement, disability, pregnancy, parenthood, as well as the need for medical care.

1. Categories of foreign citizens permitted to visit Russia without a visa. - In accordance with migration legislation of the Russian Federation, entry into the territory of Russia by a foreign citizen requires a valid visa. However this rule does not apply to all foreign citizens. Foreigners who are permitted to enter the country without a visa can be divided into the following categories:

Foreigners are known to cross the Russian border with a valid visa. However, this rule is not applied to all foreign citizens. There are instances where a foreigner may enter Russia without a visa. Citizens of countries within the CIS have the right to enter and remain on the territory of the Russian Federation for personal reasons for a period of up to 90 days.

Over the past several months the procedures for the registration of foreign citizens in the Russian Federation by place of residence have seen significant changes.

The issue of duration of employment contracts entered into with foreign citizens in relation to Russian labor law often arises in the course of recruiting foreigner employees in Russia.

The author has prepared a further review of changes in immigration legislation which have been introduced in the period from January 2010 to October 2010.

Competent legal registration of incentive payments at a local level and within the limits of the labor contract with a concrete employee does by their effective and reliable means of stimulation of workers to behavior of which is expected from them by the employer.

In summary it is necessary to note, that experts carry change of the labor contract under the initiative of the employer to questions of the labor right of the raised complexity. In this connection we recommend employers to pay special attention to legal maintenance of the given actions.