StartUp Package

Start your business in Russia!

Starting a new business in any country is a serious decision. In Russia, where profits are high and the risks can seem even higher, it can be truly daunting. But at StartUpRussia, we know that there are great business opportunities for foreigner investors in Russia. Since 1997 our firm has helped hundreds of foreign companies and individuals successfully launch and grow their businesses on the Russian market.

After many years of providing wide range of legal, tax, accounting services, we are offering you full service startup package tailored to meet the needs during initial set up period. The startup package includes all legal, tax, accounting, and administrative support services a company needs to enter the Russian market.

Let the specialists at StartUpRussia help you get off to the right start in Russia – fast, professionally, and conveniently.

Select suitable Start-Up Package for you with StartUpRussia

Frequently Asked Questions

Apart from your fees what additional expenses are there for the LLC registration?

There are additional costs and expenses to the company registration fee such as:

• Translation services
• Notary fees
• State duty for the registration of the LLC
• Normally such expenses shouldn’t exceed 200 euro
• Legal address for 11 months – approximately 500 euro

Moreover you need not to forget about the minimum charter capital that has to be paid within 4 months after the company is registered. The amount is 150 euro.

Can I or my company be a 100% owner of the Russian company? Do I need a Russian individual or entity to be a shareholder in the company?

You do not need to have a Russian partner or shareholder to register a company. You or your company can be a 100% owner of the Russian company with one exception. A Russian company can’t be owned by a company which is owned by one individual. So if you are a sole owner of your company such company can’t be a 100% owner of the Russian company. No “matreshka” structures.

Do I need a registered office (legal address) when registering the company? Can I use a residential address?

We strongly recommend that you find an actual office space and use it as your company location when registering the company in Russia. Using legal address is possible but not advisable as Russian authorities (tax, immigration, banks, etc) do need to be sure that your company is locatable and registered addresses sometimes create difficulty during audit by the relevant authority. In case you used a registered office for the start-up phase we would recommend officially changing it to the actual office once it is found. Making such a change is a separate procedure. You can use a residential address to register the company only if you are an owner of the company, general director of the company and you own the apartment in Russia where you want to register your LLC.

Should I use a Russian or International bank to have the bank account?

It is absolutely up to you. International banks working in Russia do provide an excellent service but in most of the times are not very willing to work with startups and sometimes it takes longer to open an account with an international bank rather than a reliable Russian bank.

Do I need to be physically present to register the company in Russia at any stage?

It is required that an application for the LLC registration is signed in the presence of the notary. It can be done in Russia or a Russian Consular in your home country can attest your LLC registration application and legalize it. The application to the state authorities once signed will be filed by our lawyers.

You would be required to physically visit the bank or meet with the bank officers at your office in order to open the bank account. This normally happens after 2 weeks from the date of filing for the company registration.

Therefore you do need to be visit Russia once or twice during the registration process.

What tax system to chose? Is there a VAT registration?

You can choose between a general and simplified tax system.

Under general tax system a general corporate tax rate is 20% and you are automatically subject to VAT regulations

Under simplified tax system you can chose either to pay 15% corporate tax on net profit or 6% corporate tax on gross turnover. Under this system your company is not subject to VAT regulations. For more information on taxes please see our Start-Up Guide

If I do not plan to conduct any business activity from the start do I need to file statutory accounting reports? Can I outsource accounting to your firm or I need a full time accountant?

Filing of statutory accounting reports is a requirement even if the company doesn’t conduct any business activity or sales.

You can outsource accounting and payroll to our firm. For more information please see our Accounting and Payroll services

If I outsource the accounting and payroll service to your firm will you handle all the payments as well?

Under an outsource accounting model we will prepare all the necessary payment order to pay staff or suppliers in on-line banking system provided by the bank and you would need to approve the payments with your master access key. We won’t be able to make the payment ourselves as our key is limited only to prepare the payment orders but not execute them.

Do I need a Russian national to be the general director of the newly established company or can a foreign national be the general director?

When registering a company a general director has to be appointed before submitting application for registration of the company. You do not need a Russian national to be a general director you can appoint a foreign national as such. But once the company is registered you would need to right away apply for a work permit for a foreign national to work as a general director of the Russian company. To learn more about work permits and visas please see our Start-Up Guide

If I am the shareholder and the general director of the Russian company do I need to permanently reside in Russia?

If you are a shareholder you do not need to reside in Russia at all. If you are a general director you should not be out of Russia longer than 6 months in a row.

If I plan to bring my family to live in Russia as well what type of visas should they get?

You family members would obtain dependant family member visas which would allow them to reside with you in Russia.

Are there any annual renewal costs?

No, there are no annual renewal costs with regards to the LLC. You do need to renew the work permit and visa once it expires though