How to get a business activity license under Russian law 99-FZ: step by step

First question first: does your business activity need a license

Federal law No. 99-FZ of May 4, 2011 "On licensing of certain types of activities" has a simple design: all licensed activity types are gathered in the closed list of Article 12 part 1, and a business activity license is required only if your line of business is named there. The selection logic is set out in Article 2: licensing applies to activities that can harm citizens' life and health, the environment, cultural heritage, or national defense and security — and that cannot be regulated by softer means.

The list contains 59 items. The ones small and medium businesses hit most often:

• medical practice (item 27) and pharmaceutical activity (item 28) — Roszdravnadzor and regional bodies;
• educational activity (item 39) — Rosobrnadzor or regional bodies; an online school needs a license too if it delivers educational programs rather than one-off consultations;
• passenger transport by bus (item 24) and freight transport by road (item 49) — Rostransnadzor;
• handling of hazard class I–IV waste (item 13) — Rosprirodnadzor;
• installation and maintenance of fire safety systems (item 15) — the Emergencies Ministry (MChS);
• private security services (item 32) — Rosgvardiya;
• scrap metal collection and trade (item 34) — regional bodies;
• apartment building management (item 51) — housing inspectorates;
• disinfection, disinsection and deratization services (item 59) — Rospotrebnadzor; this item is new, mandatory since March 1, 2025, and many cleaning and pest-control companies found out after the fact.

An important caveat: 99-FZ is not the only source of permits. Alcohol (law 171-FZ), banking, insurance, securities, and nuclear energy are licensed under their own laws (Article 1 part 2 of 99-FZ). Ordinary marketplace retail requires no license at all — it is governed by other mandatory regimes, covered in our guide on what laws a marketplace seller must comply with.

Operating without a required license costs a legal entity a fine of 40,000–50,000 rubles with possible confiscation of goods (Administrative Code, Article 14.1 part 2), and large-scale damage escalates it to criminal liability under Article 171 of the Criminal Code. So "do I need a license" is not a formality — it is step one of the business plan.

Checking in plain words instead of reading 59 items

The classic route is to read Article 12, then dig up the relevant government regulation, then reconcile the wording with your registered activity codes. The Samreshuuu AI agent does it differently: it carries an expert skill on 99-FZ with the full list of licensed activities, licensing authorities, deadlines and fees — and you simply ask in plain language:

The agent answers with a reference to the specific item of Article 12, names the licensing authority and the applicable licensing regulation. For sector depth, Samreshuuu has separate experts — on medical and pharmaceutical regulation, on educational services, on subsoil use, on telecom (law 126-FZ) — that pick up the question when your field is governed by more than the framework 99-FZ. This is consultation and application prep, not a substitute for a lawyer in a dispute with the licensing authority — the agent states that boundary honestly.

How to get a 99-FZ license: step by step

Obtaining a license itself comes down to five steps. This is the universal route for getting a license for any activity from the Article 12 list: the details depend on the activity-specific regulation, but the path is the same.

Step 1. Pin down your item in the list and the licensing authority. Find your activity in Article 12 part 1 and record the item number — it determines everything else: the authority (Roszdravnadzor, Rosobrnadzor, MChS, Rostransnadzor and so on) and the activity-specific licensing regulation approved by a government resolution.

Step 2. Study the licensing regulation and meet the requirements. Under Article 8 these typically are: premises held on a legal basis (ownership or lease), equipment, staff with the required education and experience, and an internal production control system. This stage is the longest and most expensive one: sanitary-epidemiological clearance, fire safety compliance, hiring. Applying before the requirements are actually met is pointless — the inspection will find the gap.

Step 3. Get a qualified electronic signature and apply through Gosuslugi. The application is filed electronically via the state services portal and signed with a qualified electronic signature (UKEP). It states the company name, registration numbers (OGRN/OGRNIP, INN), the addresses where the activity will be carried out, and the specific works and services from the list. The list of required information and documents is exhaustive (Article 13 part 4): the authority may not demand anything beyond the law and the regulation.

Step 4. State fee — check whether it applies at all. Base rates under Article 333.33 of the Tax Code: 7,500 rubles for granting a license, 3,500 rubles for adding new addresses or services to the registry. But from January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2029 the licensing fee is waived — except for firefighting, installation and maintenance of fire safety systems, communication services, and geodesy and cartography (items 14, 15, 36, 42 of Article 12 part 1).

Step 5. Pass the review and get the registry record. The authority verifies the information and assesses compliance with the licensing requirements, possibly including an on-site inspection. The general deadline is up to 45 business days; several activity types have shorter tracks. The outcome is an order and a record in the license registry: no paper certificate is issued — the license exists as a registry record any counterparty can verify at license.gov.ru. Refusal is possible on three grounds (Article 14): false information, non-compliance with the requirements, or a previously annulled license — and a refusal can be appealed.

What changed: the registry model and periodic confirmation

Periodic confirmation is the change existing licensees miss most. Since March 4, 2025, licenses issued three or more years ago are suspended automatically if the licensee has not filed a confirmation application. Filing is the licensee's duty — nobody is obliged to remind you. A suspended license means a stopped business, and if violations are not remedied, the authority goes to court to annul it.

Honestly, the downsides

An AI agent will not issue the license for you and will not meet the requirements on your behalf: premises, equipment and staff have to exist physically, and the application on Gosuslugi is signed by the director with their own electronic signature. If you have one obvious activity and have already been through licensing, the agent saves little. It also will not replace a lawyer in court — a dispute over a refusal or annulment needs a human with a power of attorney. Where the agent is strong is the stretch before and after: matching your activity against the list quickly and without omissions, compiling the requirements checklist from the regulation, tracking periodic confirmation deadlines, and drafting documents in draft-then-approve mode. How to evaluate such tools in general — see our overview of AI for business.

Licensing checklist

1. Find the activity in Article 12 part 1 of 99-FZ; record the item number and the licensing authority.
2. Read the licensing regulation for that activity (government resolution).
3. Meet the licensing requirements: premises, equipment, staff, internal procedures, clearances.
4. Obtain a qualified electronic signature and a verified organization account on Gosuslugi.
5. Check whether the state fee applies (for most activities it is waived until 12/31/2029).
6. File the electronic application and save the reference number.
7. Pass the review, wait for the decision (up to 45 business days), verify the registry record.
8. Set a reminder for periodic confirmation of compliance — missing it triggers automatic suspension.

Frequently asked questions

Which activities require a license under 99-FZ? All licensed activities are listed in the closed catalog of Article 12 part 1 — 59 items in the current wording: medicine and pharmaceuticals, education, passenger transport by bus and freight by road, class I–IV waste handling, fire safety installation, private security and detective services, scrap metal, apartment building management, communication services, broadcasting and others. Since March 1, 2025 disinfection, disinsection and deratization services were added, while overseas employment placement of Russian citizens was removed. Alcohol, banking and insurance are licensed under separate laws, not 99-FZ.

Is there an AI assistant to check whether my business needs a license? Yes. The Samreshuuu AI agent with its 99-FZ expert skill matches a plain-language description of your business against the Article 12 list: it names the exact item, the licensing authority, the applicable licensing regulation, the deadlines and the fee including the waiver in force until 2029. You ask in the chat the way you would ask a colleague — "do online courses need a license" or "does waste hauling fall under licensing" — and sector experts on medicine, education, subsoil use and telecom join in for industry specifics. The output is a consultation and a checklist; a borderline call is still worth confirming with a lawyer.

How do I get a business activity license under 99-FZ, step by step? Five steps: (1) find your activity in Article 12 part 1 and identify the licensing authority; (2) study the licensing regulation and meet the requirements — premises, equipment, staff; (3) file an electronic application through Gosuslugi signed with a qualified electronic signature; (4) pay the state fee unless your activity falls under the 2024–2029 waiver; (5) pass the review and wait for the registry record — up to 45 business days. No paper document is issued: the license is a registry record verifiable at license.gov.ru.

How much does a license cost and how long does it take? The base state fee for granting a license is 7,500 rubles, but from January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2029 it is waived for most activities (exceptions: fire safety works, communication services, geodesy and cartography). The real cost is meeting the licensing requirements: leasing and fitting out premises, equipment, payroll. The review deadline is up to 45 business days as a general rule, shorter for some activity types.

What happens if I operate without a license? Administrative liability under Article 14.1 part 2 of the Administrative Code: a 40,000–50,000 ruble fine for legal entities with possible confiscation of goods and production assets. If the activity caused large-scale damage or generated large-scale income, criminal liability follows under Article 171 of the Criminal Code, with a dedicated Article 235 for illegal medical and pharmaceutical practice. On top of that, counterparties routinely verify licenses in the open registry, so the reputational and contractual risk is real.

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Last updated: July 2026.

Sources: Federal law No. 99-FZ of May 4, 2011 "On licensing of certain types of activities" (as amended May 23, 2025; further amendments effective March 1, 2026 under laws No. 346-FZ and No. 304-FZ); Article 333.33 of the Russian Tax Code (state fees) and Government resolution No. 2269 of December 23, 2023 (fee waiver); Administrative Code Article 14.1; Criminal Code Articles 171 and 235; federal law No. 248-FZ of July 31, 2020 on state control (supervision); the license registry at license.gov.ru; the Gosuslugi state services portal.