St. Petersburg Reveals Plans to Ban Foreign Couriers, Taxi Drivers
(MENAFN) St. Petersburg is preparing to bar foreign nationals from working as taxi drivers and couriers until the end of 2025, under a draft regulation posted Wednesday on the city government’s official website.
The proposed policy targets migrants employed under “labor patents”—a mandatory work permit for citizens from non-Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) countries, such as Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Nationals from EAEU member states including Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan would not be affected by the measure.
If enacted, the ban would apply to individuals working in taxi services, rental car driving, food delivery, and courier roles. The regulation is expected to take effect starting July, with a three-month compliance window for employers.
This initiative follows sweeping enforcement actions in April by the Russian Interior Ministry, which conducted raids resulting in the confiscation of 2,400 electric bikes and the detention of over 1,200 foreign nationals for unauthorized employment.
St. Petersburg’s Labor and Employment Committee is reportedly considering a recommendation to prolong these restrictions into 2026.
Under the proposed rules, delivery companies would be mandated to log every delivery, outfit couriers with GPS tracking, and ensure that all vehicle-based couriers adhere to a 15 km/h speed limit within designated operating zones. Couriers and their equipment would need to display a unique identification number and meet standardized appearance criteria set by the city’s transport authorities.
Concerns regarding the behavior of couriers were expressed earlier this year. In February, State Duma Deputy Mikhail Romanov stated that couriers have consistently breached traffic regulations on narrow sidewalks.
In light of these concerns, numerous lawmakers and business representatives were taken by surprise by the suggested ban. A news source reported Legislative Assembly member Alexey Tsivilev stating that a collaborative group of legislators and delivery companies had been convening frequently to formulate regulations regarding training, uniforms, and traffic behavior, yet the proposed ban had not been a topic of discussion.
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