By Kontur | 2025-08-15

Getting a pizza -- or life-saving medicine -- in Russia's second-largest city, Saint Petersburg, will soon take longer.

On August 11, Governor Alexander Beglov banned foreign workers employed under Russia's patent system, a work permit scheme for citizens of certain former Soviet states, from courier jobs. The move could slow everything from hot meals to urgent documents.

The decision, which follows an earlier prohibition in the taxi sector, has startled the delivery industry and experts.

Safety or shortages

Smolny, the city administration, framed the official explanation for the move as a matter of order and safety.

"The delivery sphere is actively developing, creating a significant volume of uncontrolled and informal employment," city authorities said in a statement.

"The decision is aimed at combating shadow employment, improving the quality and safety of services in the courier sector and creating new jobs for Russian citizens, primarily for young people and students."

The ban targets four categories of delivery work, including food delivery, and will remain in place until at least the end of 2025. Officials say foreign workers make up a small share of the delivery labor force, so the impact will be minimal. Industry insiders disagree.

Alexander Mityukov, president of the Association of Transport, Logistics and Postal Courier Companies of Russia, warned of serious fallout.

"Unfortunately, business was not heard and our arguments about possible risks in the event of a ban on migrants working in delivery were not taken into account," he told Kommersant this month.

"By November, the high season, when demand for delivery increases, we will definitely face a shortage of couriers and a rise in the cost of delivery in St. Petersburg."

According to expert estimates, Mityukov noted, delivery costs may increase by 1.5 to 2 times and courier wages -- by 20% or more.

Push for local labor

The timing -- three months before the ban takes effect -- coincides with Russia's push for greater labor "localization," a policy pro-Kremlin commentators often present as protecting jobs for Russians.

In practice, the measures have repeatedly led to labor shortages in sectors heavily reliant on migrant workers from Central Asia and the South Caucasus.

Even major players like Yandex, whose services include delivery, warn that the rules will strain the city's delivery capacity.

"In Saint Petersburg, there is already a shortage of taxi drivers and couriers to meet growing demand. After the ban on work under patents takes effect, the shortage of workers in these two industries will increase to 40,000 people," a company representative told Kommersant, warning that the changes could drive taxi prices up by 10–15% and more than double delivery costs.

The potential disruption is considerable. Industry estimates suggest there are about 12,000 migrant couriers, or roughly one-fifth of the workforce. For many, the job is a lifeline, one of the few legal options available to citizens of countries with visa-free access to Russia, including Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Moldova.

Experts see parallels with the taxi ban introduced earlier this summer, which has already caused service delays and price hikes. Anna Sinyavskaya, partner at M.A. Research, predicted similar turbulence.

"Most migrants worked precisely under the patent system. Obtaining citizenship or a residence permit is not so simple and quick; it is unlikely they will begin doing this en masse. They will simply move to other professions or leave… the consumers will be the ones to suffer," she told Delovoy Peterburg.

Delays for vital goods

While the official line focuses on legality and safety, the operational reality in Saint Petersburg's delivery industry is more fragile.

Entrepreneurs describe an overburdened system still adjusting to earlier restrictions -- from speed limits for bikes and scooters to banned zones in all 18 city districts. The three-month "adaptation period" is seen as unrealistic for finding and training thousands of new local couriers before peak season.

The Association of Transport, Logistics and Postal Courier Companies has warned that shortages could delay not just restaurant meals, but vital goods like medicine for elderly and disabled residents.

"A courier is also a socially significant profession… for people with limited mobility, disabled people, pensioners, people in quarantine and large families,” the association said.

What remains unclear is whether the Kremlin might push such restrictions nationwide, as it has in other sectors. Around 40 Russian regions already have some form of migrant labor ban in delivery or transport. The effect has not been improved service, but rather higher costs, more informal labor and additional pressure on small businesses.