On July 28, St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov signed a decree banning taxi companies and car-sharing services from employing foreign nationals who work under labor patents. The restriction will remain in effect until the end of 2025, the city government’s press service announced.
The decision is based on Article 18.1, Paragraph 6 of the Federal Law “On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation.” It prohibits hiring such workers in activities listed under code 49.32 of the Russian National Classifier of Economic Activities (OKVED)—that is, “operation of passenger taxis and rental vehicles with a driver.” The official rationale is to improve the quality and safety of taxi services and to create more employment opportunities for Russian citizens.
Companies and entrepreneurs are granted a three-month transition period to terminate existing employment contracts with patent-holding foreign workers and replace them with new hires.
The ban will take effect ten days after publication and remain in force until December 31, 2025. Authorities plan to assess the social and economic impacts of the measure before deciding whether to extend it.
Earlier, there were discussions about extending similar restrictions to foreign couriers in delivery services starting July 1, 2025. However, industry representatives warned that such actions could lead to rising service costs and labor shortages, negatively affecting the market.
✅ According to the St. Petersburg Interior Ministry, 102,900 labor patents were issued in the city during the first half of 2025. Of those, 3,800 (3.6%) were for the profession “automobile driver,” according to the city’s labor committee. Citizens of Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) countries are exempt from the patent requirement and may work in the taxi sector freely.
In 2024, the total number of foreign nationals (both visa and visa-free, including EAEU citizens) working as drivers of cars, taxis, and vans was estimated at 13,000. By contrast, the overall number of drivers in the city in this category was about 33,400.
“These figures suggest two possible conclusions: either the majority of foreign drivers are EAEU citizens, or foreigners from visa-free countries are working as drivers under patents issued for different professions. Which is the case will become clear in the near future,” the committee said.
A labor patent is a document that allows foreign citizens from visa-free countries to work temporarily in a specific region of Russia. It is required for citizens of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, and Moldova. Citizens of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan are exempt due to their countries’ membership in the EAEU alongside Russia, Belarus, and Armenia. Nationals of visa-regime countries such as Turkmenistan must obtain a work permit instead of a patent.
