On behalf of the entire Forte Tax & Law team, I would like to wish you a happy New Year and a great start to the new business season! We hope that 2018 will be filled with success and achievements. To this end, we have put together a brief overview of the most important changes to be introduced to Russian laws so that you can be forewarned, and thereby forearmed, when they come into force in 2018.

The list of state inspections scheduled for 2018 has now been published. If your company happens to be in this list of labor inspections, you will be pleased to know that from July 01, 2018 onwards the State Labor Inspectorate will conduct scheduled inspections in a new way, i.e. by using checklists. Certain employers will be subject to this new procedure as early as January 01, 2018.

The Federal Labor and Employment Service of Russia (further “Rostrud”) repeatedly stated in 2006 – 2009 that employers are not permitted to set and pay salaries in foreign currency (Letters No.1688-6-1 dated 10.10.2006, No.1729-6-0 dated 28.07.2008, No.1145-ТЗ dated 11.03.2009 and No.1810-6-1 dated 24.06.2009).