Recent Developments In Licensing Regulations Establish A More User-Friendly/Transparent Regime*

Russian Legal Update - Third Quarter 2011

New licensing regulations are intended to make the licensing regime more systematized and transparent, significantly reducing the number of licensable activities and clearly outlining the process of acquiring a license and licensing control.

Licensing regulations have undergone major changes. New Federal Law No.99-FZ "On the Licensing of Certain Activities" was adopted on May 4, 2011 ("New Licensing Law").

Certain provisions of the New Licensing Law entered into force on May 6, 2011 (i.e., the definition of licensing requirements and the cancellation of a license as grounds for refusal to grant a new license). Licensing control provisions came into effect on July 1, 2011, but the majority of the provisions of the New Licensing Law will come into force on November 3, 2011.