Number of Uzbek citizens entering Russia for work revealed

In the first half of 2026, more than 1.1 million citizens of Uzbekistan entered Russia for work purposes. Uzbekistan ranked first among other countries in this indicator. This was reported on October 26 by TASS, citing data from the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs.

According to the publication, 1 million 178 thousand 609 Uzbek citizens entered Russia for work purposes between January and June. However, this figure reflects the number of entries where work was stated as the purpose, rather than the number of individual persons.

Tajikistan took second place in the ranking. Citizens of this country entered Russia for work purposes 494 thousand 518 times. Kyrgyzstan took third place with 289 thousand 61 entries.

Additionally, citizens of Kazakhstan entered Russia for work purposes 122 thousand 654 times, China 89 thousand 656 times, Armenia 88 thousand 629 times, Azerbaijan 62 thousand 440 times, India 27 thousand 419 times, Turkmenistan 13 thousand 428 times, and Turkey 8 thousand 360 times.

According to the data, the procedure for working in Russia varies depending on citizenship. Citizens of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Azerbaijan must obtain a patent to work. Citizens of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Armenia are exempt from obtaining a patent within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union. Citizens of China, India, Turkmenistan, and Turkey are generally required to obtain a work visa and a work permit.

At the same time, the number of entries by Uzbek citizens into Russia for work purposes decreased by 13.2 percent compared to the first half of 2025. Despite this, Uzbekistan has maintained its lead in this indicator.