Business Incorporation in Russia

Those going to start a business in Russia must remember that running a business without special permission (a license) is considered illegal practices and may lead to substantial fines.


The Unified State Register of Legal Entities (Unified State Register of Individual Entrepreneurs) and the Federal Tax Service database store general information about legal entities incorporation. The information is updated daily and uploaded on the portal nalog.ru. The management of a new firm is issued a Legal Entity Registration Certificate, also known as Primary State Registration Number (OGRN). This document confirms an entry of the organization creation in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities and its number matches the taxpayer number.

You need to incorporate your business with the help of the district inspectorates of the Federal Tax Service at the seat address of the new company. Where the necessary inspection is located, as well as what its details are, can be found on the official website of the Federal Tax Service by entering the office address (whether it be own or rented).

If you apply to the Tax Service by paper, the entity incorporation fee in 2022 will be 4,000 rubles. There is a free-of-charge service – when you file electronically, through a notary or the Multifunctional Center. In the latter case, you can save money by ordering a Turnkey Entity State Registration Service from a skilled lawyer who is professional at this issue.

One can apply to incorporate a business to the Tax Service in person, by mailing or emailing (if one still does not have a qualified e-signature), or by having their fiduciary come. Yet not only is an application required. You must also attach some documents, including coordination of the name of the as-yet-uncreated company with the executive. The name must be unique within Russia, and it takes a while to check it for uniqueness.

The current procedure for incorporating a legal entity also includes providing the public registrar with:

☑ The Company’s Articles of Association approved by the minutes of the founding meeting;
☑ Information about shareholders*;
☑ List of Members/Partners of the planned for-profit or non-profit organization;
☑ Other legally binding documents.



It may be rather difficult for a foreign national to duly draw up required documents and register a business with the applicable authorities. Reach our specialists to get legal help:
Tel: +7 909 961-19-09
Email: legalsolutions@inbox.ru
Visit us: Moscow, Zubovskiy bulvar, building 4/1, room 308


* Russian term “участник” much more often refers to members of a company in which ownership shares are not registered as securities (shares).