On the prohibition of remote work from abroad

The Parliament plans to limit the possibility of remote work outside of Russia, about which a corresponding bill was introduced. These amendments should limit remote work schemes and regulate taxation issues. It will be prohibited for tax non-residents to work remotely under employment contracts. The list of professions will be determined by the Government, and the Labor Code will be amended.

At the moment, the bill will be discussed, including in the Commission for the regulation of social and labor relations. There will be changes in the Labor Code in the part regulating remote work.

Many large banks and state corporations motivate the prohibition of remote work due to the protection of personal data and confidential information. There are many questions about how the bill will be implemented in practice. For example, how the movements and status of a tax resident of a remote employee will be controlled.

The list of professions that will be banned from remote work also raises questions. The Ministry of Digital Development notes that a complete ban may negatively affect the operation of digital platforms. Because the developers have a task to attract the best personnel, including those who are abroad. An exception can only be made for working with government contracts.

The Ministry of Labor previously indicated in their letters their position that remote work abroad is impossible, since Russian labor legislation will not apply in such a situation. It was proposed to formalize civil law agreements with such employees. Employees of the banking, state, and defense sectors have long been unable to work from abroad, because they are connected with the work of critical infrastructure. This is a security issue and the risk of data loss.