Business licenses and permits in Russia

To start a business in Russia as such, a foreign national doesn't need any license - all they should do is collect all required documents, duly complete the application, pay a state fee, and submit it all to the Tax Service. But in the future, in order to conduct business, the company must obtain some papers, some of which may be difficult to maintain. What types of activities are we talking about, and what kind of papers are these?

There are 4 types of authorizations: permit, license, accreditation, and certificate. Technically, there are more of them, but the rest are rather exotic.

PERMITS

To get this document, you need to notify a corresponding authority. It comes in different forms - from Occupational Safety and Health Permits for to permits from the Sanitary and Epidemiological Station. It is required in more than 400 cases, including for various types of production (food production, furniture, fabrics, leather, etc.) and trade, (wholesale and retail, incl. cafes and restaurants). Road, rail and water transportation is also included in this group. Without various permits, the entrepreneur's activities will be considered illegal and a fine may be imposed.

LICENSES

It's required not by everyone, but only by those individual entrepreneurs and companies whose products or services in the wrong hands can harm a person, the state or the environment. For example, without a license, you cannot engage in:
- medical activities,
- pharmaceuticals,
- alcohol sales,
- private security activities,
- commercial transportation of passengers and baggage (taxi),
- management of apartment buildings.
In total, the document will be required in more than 50 cases.

Permits and licenses should not be confused. Even if your restaurant has received a license to sell alcohol, this does not mean that you do not need, for instance, a permit from the sanitary and epidemiological station, a permit for a sign, and many other things.

Licenses are more difficult to manage. There are usually more requirements for licenses than for permits. Moreover, although they give the right to legally conduct business, but do not exempt from further control. Be prepared for scheduled and unscheduled inspections.

If you disregard the law and work without a license, you can also get a fine. In addition, your activities will be suspended, and in some cases, the unlucky entrepreneur can be held criminally liable (when this activity has caused major damage or generated major profits). If your license has been previously revoked, it is not possible to obtain it again.

ACCREDITATION

The document confirms that the company's activities meet the requirements and standards established in the country. It is issued to educational institutions, medical institutions, IT companies, certification bodies and testing laboratories.

Accreditation does not eliminate the need to obtain a license. Let's say a license for a university gives the right to teach students. The document confirms that the building meets sanitary, technical and fire safety standards, it has the necessary equipment, furniture and inventory, and the teachers have diplomas, medical records and certificates of no criminal record. And accreditation shows that the quality of education meets state standards. After receiving it, the university has the right to issue state diplomas. That is, without a license, you are not allowed to engage in a certain type of activity, and the lack of accreditation does not always lead to the suspension of activity, although it may be fundamentally important.

CERTIFICATES

A certificate confirms that the product produced by the business complies with technical regulations. For example, to sell cheese, a farmer needs to send a sample with characteristics to the laboratory. The cheese will be checked for its recipe, composition, and other important indicators. If everything is OK, the farmer will receive a certificate of conformity.

There are two certification procedures in Russia: mandatory and voluntary. The second option can help promote your business or be an advantage when participating in government tenders. The list of goods that MUST be certified is established by a special resolution. For example, the document is needed by manufacturers of building materials, because the quality of the goods determines whether new houses will be reliable. Also subject to certification are production equipment, different types of fuel, equipment for heating and air conditioning, and some types of sports equipment. This is the manufacturer of the goods who must have this document. So, if you own a building materials store, then you do not need to get a certificate for cement - the plant or supplier is obliged to provide it to you.


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