On 11 April, the Moscow Mayor and the Governor of the Moscow Region introduced a digital passes regime.
When are digital passes required?
Digital passes can be obtained starting from 13 April and become obligatory on 15 April 2020.
Passes are necessary for travelling in Moscow and the Moscow Region by either public or private transport. Private transport includes cars, bicycles, electric kick scooters, motorbikes, etc.
Taxi drivers will also check a rider’s pass before starting a trip. Earlier, car-sharing services were suspended in Moscow and the Moscow Region.
Who is exempt from the obligation to apply for a digital pass?
Digital passes are not required for:
• children under 14 years;
• moving in the city without using transport – leaving the house and walking in the district is allowed for limited purposes such as going to the nearest shop, walking a pet (within 100 m of the individual’s home), throwing out rubbish and seeking emergency medical help. Social distancing of not less than 1.5 m must be maintained; or
• people holding official IDs such as military, state and municipal officers, judges, advocates, notaries and their assistants, journalists and private security. People without official IDs travelling along with people holding official IDs must have digital passes.
What types of digital passes are there?
Three types of digital passes have been introduced: for work, for medical help, for other purposes (such as going to a shop by car, going to a country house or dacha, etc.).
Travel for work
Digital passes will be issued until 30 April 2020 without limitations on the number of trips and routes. When applying for a work pass, a person must submit his name, passport details, phone number, email address, licence plate number of private vehicle (if it is used for travel), transport card number, and the name and tax ID of the employer.
Travel for medical help
A digital pass will be issued for one day. Passes can be obtained without limitation during a calendar week. The same information mentioned above must be submitted, but instead of employer information, the name of the medical organisation and route (residential address and address of the medical organisation) must be specified.
Other travel
A digital pass will be issued for one day. A pass can be issued not more than twice a calendar week. The same details must be submitted, but instead of information about organisations, the purpose of travel and the route (residential address and destination address) should be listed.
How to apply for a digital pass?
Digital passes can be obtained as follows:
• on websites: for Moscow – nedoma.mos.ru*, for the Moscow Region – www.uslugi.mosreg.ru* and mobile app “STOP COVID-19”*;
• by phone: for Moscow – 8-495-777-77-77, for the Moscow Region – 8-800-550-50-30; or
• by SMS: for Moscow – 7377, for the Moscow Region – 0250.
Passes will be issued in the form of a XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX code and will include letters and numbers. A pass can be shown on paper or in electronic form (e.g. on a mobile phone) and must be shown along with a passport or other ID.
Passes will be checked with the use of a special application.
To whom should one apply for a digital pass when travelling to other regions?
Residents of Moscow travelling to the Moscow Region must obtain a pass from the Moscow authorities. No separate pass from the Moscow Region authorities is needed. Similarly, residents of the Moscow Region travelling to Moscow must obtain a pass from the Moscow Region authorities.
For travelling from Moscow and the Moscow Region to other regions, residents must obtain passes for Moscow or the Moscow Region (depending where the route starts) and passes for the other regions under the procedures established by the relevant regions.
Residents of other regions travelling to Moscow or the Moscow Region must obtain passes from the Moscow or the Moscow Region authorities.
Must expatriates residing in Moscow or the Moscow Region follow any other special procedures?
The regime of digital passes applies to all people residing in Moscow or the Moscow Region, no exceptions or special requirements are imposed for expatriates.
The same procedure as described above must be followed for obtaining a digital pass. And if someone is not registered on the official portals mos.ru or uslugi.mosreg.ru or does not have other accounts allowing to login on these portals (e.g. social networks), other means can be used, such as calling the hotline or sending an SMS.
When will a digital pass be terminated?
A pass will be terminated if:
• it is established that false information was provided;
• use of the pass violates the Executive Order of the Moscow Mayor and the Decree of the Governor of the Moscow Region on digital passes; or
• there has been a breach of requirements on the high-alert regime.
What are the sanctions for breach of the digital pass regime?
Besides administrative and criminal liability described in our previous eAlert, violating the regime for digital passes may lead as well to the administrative liability under Moscow and Moscow Region laws – a fine of RUB 5,000 (EUR 62) for violating the high-alert regime with the use of transport, and the possible retention of the transport means, which will be placed in special parking.
By Christophe Huet, Partner, and Irina Shurmina, Senior Associate, CMS Russia
