Procedure for obtaining the resident status

The resident status can be applied for by individual entrepreneurs and commercial organizations, except for unitary enterprises, registered in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation on the territory of the municipality where the SEZ is located (Dzerzhinsk, Bor), and planning to implement industrial production, logistics or technical and innovative activities (according to Articles 9, 10 of the Federal law of July 22, 2005 No.116-FZ "On special economic zones in the Russian Federation").

The minimum basic investment volume, including capital investments (excluding VAT), declared for implementation by a SEZ resident must be at least 150 million rubles for industrial and production activities and at least 1 million rubles for technical and implementation activities. At the same time, the SEZ resident must implement 100% of the minimum basic investment volume during the first 3 years from the start of the investment project. The period for the implementation of the total volume of declared investments must not exceed 10 years. For priority projects aimed at ensuring technological sovereignty and structural adaptation of the Russian economy the requirement for the minimum basic investment volume is reduced to 50 million rubles (the list of priority areas is established the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of April 15, 2023 No. 306).

The procedure for obtaining resident status includes the following stages (according to Articles 9, 12, 13, 14 of the Federal Law of July 22, 2005 No. 116-FZ "On Special Economic Zones in the Russian Federation"):

Determination of a site for the implementation of the project jointly with the Management Company.
Registration of a legal entity on the territory of Dzerzhinsk or Bor.
Submission of an application for an agreement on the implementation of activities in the territory of the SEZ with the following documents attached:
copies of constituent documents, a copy of the decision to establish a company (for legal entities) or a copy of the main document certifying the identity of a citizen of the Russian Federation (for individual entrepreneurs)
passport and financial model of the investment project in the form established by the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia;
copy of a document confirming the fact of making an entry in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities or the Unified State Register of Individual Entrepreneurs;
copy of a certificate of registration with the tax authority;
certificate of fulfillment of the obligation to pay taxes, fees, insurance premiums, penalties, fines, interest payable in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation on taxes and fees.
Passing the SEZ expert council "Kulibin".
Conclusion of a tripartite agreement on the implementation of activities on the territory of the SEZ between the Applicant, the Management Company and the Ministry of Economic Development and Investments of the Nizhny Novgorod Region.
Inclusion of the enterprise in the register of SEZ residents (a commercial organization or individual entrepreneur is recognized as a SEZ resident from the date of making the corresponding entry in the register).
How long does it take to obtain the resident status?

On average, the process of obtaining the resident status takes from 2 to 3 months. The duration of the procedure directly depends on whether the Applicant has all the necessary documents and the complexity of the project.

On average, the process takes from 2 to 3 months. The duration of the procedure depends on whether the applicant has all the necessary documents and how complex the project is.

Obtaining the status of a SEZ resident excludes the possibility of opening branches and representative offices of a resident company outside the special economic zone (according to Part 4 of Article 10 of the Federal Law of July 22, 2005 No. 116-FZ "On Special Economic Zones in the Russian Federation").

The following types of activities are permitted on the territory of the "Kulibin" SEZ (according to Article 10 of the Federal Law of July 22, 2005 No. 116-FZ "On Special Economic Zones in the Russian Federation"):

• industrial and production activities;
• logistics activities;
• technology implementation activities.

The following activities are not permitted on the territory of the "Kulibin" SEZ:

• development of mineral deposits (except for the development of deposits of mineral waters and other natural healing resources);
• production and processing of excisable goods (except for the production of cars, motorcycles, production and processing of ethane, liquefied hydrocarbon gases and liquid steel).

Termination of the SEZ resident status occurs in the following cases (according to Article 19 of the Federal Law of July 22, 2005 No. 116-FZ "On Special Economic Zones in the Russian Federation"):

• liquidation or termination of the activities of a legal entity or an individual as an individual entrepreneur;
• early termination of the special economic zone;
• termination of the agreement on the implementation of activities in the SEZ;
• deprivation of the SEZ resident status of a person.

A set of federal and regional support measures is provided for residents of the "Kulibin" SEZ. Thus, the reduced rate of income tax for residents of the "Kulibin" SEZ is set for the entire period of its validity – until 2069.
Income tax (general value for regional and federal rates):

• 2% in the first 5 years (from the tax period in which taxable income was first received);
• 5% in the next 5 years (from the 6th to the 10th year);
• 14.5% subsequently (from the 11th year to 2069).

In addition, a 0% rate is set on the territory of the SEZ:

• for property tax in the first 10 years from the month following the month registration of the specified property (in accordance with Article 381 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation);
• for land tax in the first 5 years from the date of obtaining the right of ownership of the land plot (the rate is established by municipal legislation);
• for transport tax in the first 10 years from the month of recognition as a resident of the SEZ (the rate is established by regional legislation).

Companies that received resident status after April 1, 2026, after 3 years, will apply tax benefits in full only if they comply with the requirements established by the Tax Code of the Russian Federation.

Support for investment projects, including when receiving grants, federal and regional subsidies, preferential loan financing, as well as in the process of obtaining land for the implementation of investment projects
Design and construction services, including comprehensive support for an investment project as a technical customer
Marketing services (organization of industry events, marketing research, business analytics)
Auditor services (construction, personnel, marketing, legal audit)
HR management services (analysis of human resources potential, development of corporate culture, conducting training events)
Financial services (development of a financial model for an investment project, support in terms of attracting financing)
Services SEZ Management Company, including operation and maintenance of engineering infrastructure facilities, comprehensive maintenance of the SEZ territory

One of the advantages of the "Kulibin SEZ" is its favorable geographic location:

• The Nizhny Novgorod Region is located at the intersection of the country's main highways and railways, running from north to south and from west to east.
• Taking into account the surrounding areas, the consumer market of the Nizhny Novgorod Region is one of the largest in Russia. The population within a radius of 500 km is 43 million people (more than 30% of the population of Russia), which exceeds similarfigures for Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Logistics of the "Kulibin" SEZ in Dzerzhinsk:

• The distance of the SEZ from Nizhny Novgorod is less than 25 km, from the center of Dzerzhinsk – 7.5 km.
• In close proximity to the SEZ (2 km) runs the federal highway M7 "Volga", which connects Moscow with Ufa.
• Also nearby is the freight yard of Russian Railways – a transport and logistics hub that connects the western part of Russia with the eastern. The nearest railway station is Igumnovo (4 km).
• Nizhny Novgorod International Airport named after V.P.Chkalov (25 km) provides access to almost all countries of the world thanks not only to a convenient system of connections with the international air hub in Moscow, but also to the availability of direct flights on a number of routes. The flight to Moscow takes only 1 hour. The international airport is also approved for receiving large cargo ships, making it one of the major logistics centers.
• Thanks to the river port located in Dzerzhinsk (11 km), it is possible to transport goods by water.

Logistics of the "Kulibin" SEZ in Bor:

• The distance of the SEZ from Nizhny Novgorod is about 10 km, from the center of Bor – less than 5 km.
• The site has its own port infrastructure (berth, crane installations), and is located on the shore of the Volga. Subsequently, a multimodal river cargo port is planned to be created within the SEZ territory, enabling the transportation of containerized, bulk, and other types of cargo.

In order to obtain rights to a land plot it is necessary to select suitable site for a future production. In order to do this, the investor can apply to "Nizhny Novgorod Region Development Corporation", JSC, which will provide the investor with placement options that fully meet his needs.

The total SEZ "Kulibin" area is 842.4 hectares. There are greenfields and brownfields available for investors. The conclusion of the contract will be accompanied by "Nizhny Novgorod Region Development Corporation" JSC.

The main sources of labor force for the SEZ resident will be cities of Nizhny Novgorod, Dzerzhinsk and Bor, as there is a high human potential and experience in training specialists for industrial production of various specializations and levels.

Universities and professional educational institutions of the Nizhny Novgorod Region are educating specialists for various industries in accordance with contemporary requirements.

Dzerzhinsk is the second city in the Nizhny Novgorod Region (after the regional center) in terms of number of inhabitants and industrial importance.

Higher educational institutions of Dzerzhinsk are represented by 1 institute and 2 branches of nonresident universities. Secondary education process beingimplemented in 2 institutions of secondary education.

There is a range of organizations in Dzerzhinsk educating stuff for chemical complex, namely: the Dzerzhinsk branch of NNSTU named after R. E. Alekseeva (DPI NNSTU), Dzerzhinsk Chemical Technical School named after the Red Army, Dzerzhinsk Technical College. All educational programs meet the employers’ requirements.

A number of special basic departments has been set up by the Dzerzhinsk Polytechnic Institute at the chemical enterprises ("GosNII, JSC "Kristall", "NIPOM", JSC). This allows to use the modern material base of enterprises in the educational process, attracting specialists as teachers.

Bor, a satellite town of Nizhny Novgorod, is located in close proximity to the regional capital and has its own training facilities for specialists in various industries.

The town is home to a secondary vocational education institution, the Bor Provincial College, which trains workers and engineers in various technical spheres (electric equipment and automatics, motor transport, industrial production).

For the purpose of training specialists for the industrial sector, which is one of the key sectors of the region’s economy, a comprehensive personnel training system has been elaborated in the region. For example, in the Nizhny Novgorod Region, 33 centers, 88 workshops, and 16 educational and production clusters have been established to train specialists according to the immediate needs of regional enterprises. In total, thanks to the established system, approximately 16,000 workers are trained annually.

One of the educational and production clusters is located in the Dzerzhinsk Chemical College named after Red Army. It operates together with the Sverdlov factory and conducts training in "Technology of pyrotechnic compositions and products" and "Chemical technology of organic substances", aimed at provide staff for Dzerzhinsk manufactures. The volume of training and educational programs has been agreed with enterprises.

An innovative educational center for personnel support in high-tech production of energy and automated systems has been established at the Borsky Provincial College. The center includes specialized laboratories and workshops aimed at training technical specialists with various competencies.

Educational organizations are open to interact with manufactures, they are ready to implement targeted training of specialists based on investor’ needs.

Foreign citizens who arrived in Russia from visa-free countries carry out labor activities for legal entities, including those located in the SEZ, under a patent. Employers will not need to obtain a quota when hiring such foreign workers. This document must be issued only for foreign citizens arriving in the territory of the Russian Federation in a manner requiring a visa.

Applications for attracting foreign workers are accepted subject to mandatory registration of the employer and the formation of an application in the AIC "Migration Quotas" (according to the order of the Ministry of Labor of Russia dated January 23, 2014 No. 27n "On approval of the Rules for determining the need for attracting foreign workers by state authorities of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation"). Access to the information resource is provided through the official website (www.migrakvota.gov.ru).

Before submitting applications to the authorized body, it is necessary to resolve the issue of reporting to the federal tax service body for the Nizhny Novgorod region, the social insurance fund of the Russian Federation and provide the State Labor Inspectorate of the Nizhny Novgorod region with information on the special assessment of working conditions (or certification of workplaces).