A foreigner can open his own business in Russia if he meets certain criteria. The most important criterion is whether he has obtained a temporary residence permit. 

If a foreign citizen wants to get a certificate of state registration as an individual entrepreneur, he only needs to confirm that he has an official place of residence in the Russian Federation, that is, he has the legal right to be there.

Foreign citizens draw up a temporary residence permit in the form of a special mark in their identification document. A visa does not replace a residence permit stamp and does not allow a foreign citizen to open an individual enterprise there.

The list of documents for opening an individual enterprise:

- Application for registration of an individual as an individual entrepreneur in the form of Р21001;

- A copy of the identity document of the applicant;

- A photocopy of the birth certificate or other document that confirms the place and date of birth of the applicant ;

- A photocopy of a residence permit or stamp;

- A photocopy of the registration document in the Russian Federation.

How much does it cost to open an individual enterprise in Russia?

The receipt of payment of registration fee is in the amount of 800 rubles. However, if you pay the fee through the online portal, then it will cost you 560 rubles, as there is a 30% discount for those who pay the fee this way

Documents in a foreign language are required to be officially translated. An indispensable condition is the notarization of such a translation. When submitting the package of documents, the applicant submits not only photocopies, but also the originals - the inspector must first check the information and then immediately return them.

Can a foreigner open an individual enterprise online?

The methods for submitting documents to the registration authority for foreigners are as diverse as for Russians:

  • Personal submission;
  • Submission through an intermediary whose authority is confirmed by a notary;
  • Via mail service with a description of the attachment.


An employee of the registration authority will check the completeness of the documents and issue a receipt. It will indicate the date when you can come for the result.

Since 2016, individual enterprise registration must be completed within three business days from the date of submission of documents.

In the case of a decision of refusal, you will receive an answer with a specific rectification:

  • Lack of a document;
  • Incorrectly filled out application P21001;
  • Documents submitted to the wrong registration authority;
  • No notarization.


If all the documents are drawn up correctly, then after 5 working days, you will be able to pick up your certificate of state registration as an individual entrepreneur, with the assigned state registration number and an extract from the OGRIP. Usually, after the tax authority officially registers the individual enterprise, it is obliged to transfer all the necessary data on the new business entity to the Pension Fund and the Federal MHIF.

However, exceptions do occur. If, after 7 days from the date you received the registered documents, you did not receive a notification that you are registered with these authorities, then you will have to send all the documents yourself. If you do not do this, then you’ll have to face punishment by the law of the Russian Federation. 

If you decide to open your offshore business in Russia, our team is ready to help you with this. Feel free to contact us right away!