Dear CERBA Members and Partners,
According to the information kindly provided by CERBA Corporate Member – Intermark Relocation, please be informed that in accordance with the information published on the website of the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor), highly qualified specialists and their family members who previously entered the Russian Federation are given the opportunity to travel outside the Russian Federation for Christmas and New Year holidays and return back until January 10, 2021.
Please see the original message here: link in Russian.
According to the message, the restrictions provided for by paragraph 1 of the order of the Government of the Russian Federation dated March 16, 2020 No. 635-r will not apply to the above categories of foreigners.
What is the message about?
- Permits for exit and subsequent entry apply only to HQS and their family members who are already on the territory of the Russian Federation based on their multiple work visas.
- It is necessary to return to the territory of the Russian Federation before January 10, 2021. At the same time, the text of the message does not indicate whether the opportunity applies to January 10 inclusive or not.
- Return is possible exclusively by air.
- It is mandatory to have a medical document (in Russian or English) confirming a negative test result for COVID-19 by PCR, obtained no earlier than 3 days before the date of return to the Russian Federation.
Intermark comments
To include HQS employees employed in the field of sports and their family members in the approved lists the employer needs to submit a request to the Ministry of Sports.
Currently the information presented in the message on the Rospotrebnadzor website has not been confirmed by any published document or decree. At the same time, we have no information that the corresponding decree is being prepared for publication. In practice, government orders may be issued later than the actual date of their signing, which in the current situation significantly increases the uncertainty in terms of the practical application of the possibilities described in the message.
Additionally, questions arise due to an error in the text of the message (January 10, 2020 instead of 2021), the possibility of ambiguous interpretation (entry before January 10 inclusive or not?), and also due to the lack of details regarding the procedure for entry of citizens (except the presence of a PCR test).
In the event that HQS workers decide to leave the Russian Federation in order to return later, relying on this message from Rospotrebnadzor, we recommend that they, upon their return, have a document confirming their status – an HQS work permit.
We would also like to draw your attention to the fact that the rule on the need for 14 days of self-isolation after entry is still in force for foreigners entering the Russian Federation with the “work” purpose. Thus, workers returning from New Year's holidays will have to comply with quarantine upon their return.
Intermark will be closely monitoring the development of events around this message from Rospotrebnadzor. We will inform you in case of additional details or clarifications.
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You can read an original version here.