HQS Card

What is an HQS card?

This is a work permit for a highly qualified specialist (HQS) which authorizes him/her to work on the territory of the Russian Federation.

The front and back side of an HQS card

What are the advantages of having an HQS card?

Duration	Taxation	Migration registration
An HQS card and consequently an HQS work visa are issued for the entire duration of your employment contract, but no longer than for three years. The card and the visa can be renewed multiple times for up to three years each time, depending on the duration of your employment contract.	One of the benefits of having an HQS status in Russia is that the tax rate applied to your salary is reduced to 13% irrespective of your tax resident status. This reduction shall be effective from the starting date of your HQS card, rather than the starting date of your employment contract. For more information on taxes see the section Taxation.	No registration is required for staying in Russia for up to 90 days.

Who is eligible for an HQS card?

Research and teaching staff who are invited to work at HSE can obtain an HQS card if:

they are foreign nationals
their salary is no less than 83 500.00 Russian roubles per month
their passport is valid for at least 18 months from the projected starting date of their Russian visa

What are the key steps to getting an HQS card?

HSE submits the required documents to apply for an HQS card and a visa invitation to MVD (the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs).
Once the visa invitation is ready, HSE sends it to the faculty member at his/her address outside of Russia.
The faculty member applies for a Russian visa (if applicable), obtains it and enters Russia.
The faculty member is accompanied by his/her coordinator to MVD to get his/her HQS card in person.

NB: A highly qualified specialist is not authorized to work in Russia without an HQS card (even if he/she has signed an employment contract).