St. Petersburg bans hiring workers with patents in trade and services
St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov has approved the expansion of the list of spheres where employers are prohibited from hiring foreigners with labor patents. The city administration reported this on October 15.
The restrictions affected the trade in food, beverages, and tobacco products in both specialized and non-specialized retail outlets. In addition, it is forbidden to attract specialists with labor patents to beauty salons, barbershops, massage parlors, sanatoriums, fitness centers, sports clubs, as well as for providing physical education and health services and certain types of medical care.
Companies and entrepreneurs must adjust their personnel by December 15, 2026. The decree comes into force ten days after its official publication, and the introduced restrictions are calculated until the end of 2026.
The ban does not apply to holders of residence permits, work permits (including highly qualified specialists), as well as citizens of the EAEU member states: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. The city administration linked the introduction of measures to counteracting shadow employment and expanding opportunities for employment for Russians. Earlier, in St. Petersburg, the hiring of workers with patents was limited in taxi services and courier delivery.
What it means
The decree comes into force 10 days after publication, and employers are required to bring their staff in line with the requirements by December 15, 2026. The restrictions apply to holders of labor patents (including citizens of Uzbekistan) and do not affect citizens of EAEU countries, holders of residence permits, and work permits.
Sources
- Podrobno.uz: В Петербурге мигрантам запретили работать в продуктовых магазинах, клиниках и салонах красоты media outlet
- Anhor.uz: Петербург ограничил наем по патентам для мигрантов media outlet
- Upl.uz: В Петербурге мигрантам запретят дотрагиваться до волос и лица россиян media outlet
- Nuz.uz: В Петербурге мигрантам запретили работать в магазинах, салонах красоты и фитнес-клубах media outlet
This article was prepared with the help of AI and translated from the Russian original. Spotted an error — let us know.
Published 16 October 2026, 14:03 · No updates · Russian original
Comments on this story live under its post in our Telegram channel. Comment on Telegram