Migrants in Russia will be required to undergo annual medical examinations from September 1

Starting from September 1, migrants in Russia will be required to undergo a mandatory annual medical examination. Kommersant reported this.

According to the new legal changes, foreign citizens planning to stay in Russia for more than 90 days must undergo a medical examination for HIV (AIDS), drug addiction and other dangerous diseases (including tuberculosis and syphilis). This rule applies to all persons arriving for work, study or other purposes. They must obtain a special certificate within a month of entering the country, and then this process is repeated annually. Those who do not comply with this requirement will be fined from 25 thousand to 50 thousand rubles and deported from the country.

According to the new law, medical organizations must place the issued certificates in the database of the Ministry of Health within 24 hours. The preparation, sale or purchase of a fake certificate is punishable by up to 8 years in prison.

These amendments were made to the Law “On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in Russia”, the Code of Administrative Offenses and the Criminal Code. The document was submitted to the State Duma by a group of deputies from all factions and was adopted by the lower house of parliament in May 2026.

Previously, foreigners submitted such certificates only when applying for a work permit, temporary residence permit, patent or residence permit. The deadlines were also lighter (from 30 to 90 days). The Russian Code of Administrative Offenses did not provide for a fine for evading the submission of a certificate. However, migrants working illegally could be fined 5 thousand rubles.

A separate section was allocated in the law for institutions conducting medical examinations. Now certificates issued to foreigners will be issued only in digital form. Medical organizations will confirm them with an electronic signature and enter them into the register of the Ministry of Health within 24 hours.

If the examination reveals dangerous infectious diseases or drug addiction, medical institutions are obliged to notify the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Rospotrebnadzor. These two agencies will have the right to deport the foreigner from Russia based on the information received.

The new law prohibits medical organizations from granting the right to conduct examinations to third parties. Violators will be fined up to 1 million rubles. The authors of the amendments aim to solve the problem of fake certificates in this way.

A new article has also been added to the Criminal Code of Russia on the forgery, sale and purchase of fake certificates of absence of dangerous and infectious diseases. Their sale or purchase by a group of persons via the Internet is punishable by 3 to 6 years in prison and a fine of up to 2 million rubles.

If this leads to a mass infection, the penalty is 4 to 8 years in prison and a fine of up to 3 million rubles. Previously, selling a fake ID card was punishable by up to two years in prison under Article 327 of the Criminal Code.

Earlier, it was reported that people without an arm or leg in Russia were allowed to drive buses. The change came at a time when discussions were underway about providing employment to participants in Russia's war in Ukraine.