🚼 Applying for Maternity Leave: A Guide for Those Working in Russia and Living in Serbia

General Conditions and Required Documents

Women living in Serbia and officially employed in Russia can apply for maternity leave without traveling to the Russian Federation. This does not require personal presence or pregnancy confirmation from Russian doctors. The entire process can be completed through a proxy.

The key documents for remotely applying for maternity leave are:

• A notarized power of attorney for a representative in Russia.
• A certificate from a Serbian gynecologist confirming a pregnancy of 30 or more weeks, which must be translated into Russian and legalized.

In Moscow and St. Petersburg, this procedure generally does not cause difficulties. However, in regional medical institutions, the process may be unfamiliar, and the proxy may need to make an effort to explain the situation and protect your rights.

Step 1: Preparing and Legalizing the Gynecologist's Certificate

You should start preparing the documents well in advance. Around the 25th week of pregnancy, it is recommended to contact the women's health clinic (Zhenskaya Konsultatsiya - ZhK) in Russia where you plan to apply for maternity leave. It is best to choose a clinic at your registered address, as not every clinic has the necessary medical commission. You can find out which clinic you are registered with through the Gosuslugi portal.

Send an email to the clinic with the results of your first screening (12-13 weeks) and an informal translation. In the email, inform them of your intention to submit documents through a representative and request the exact requirements for the content of the certificate to be issued at 30 weeks.

At 30 weeks and 1-2 days, you need to get a certificate from a gynecologist in Serbia. The main requirement for the document is a phrase confirming the gestational age, for example: 'Pregnancy 30 weeks X days.' After receiving the certificate, it must be translated into Russian by a court-certified translator and the translation must be certified at the Consulate of the Russian Federation in Serbia.

The certification process at the consulate takes about two hours. You need to provide the original certificate and the translation, pay the fee at a bank, and return to pick up the finished document.

Step 2: Issuing a Power of Attorney for a Representative

You should arrange for the power of attorney as early as possible, preferably at the beginning of your pregnancy. The later the documents reach the Russian women's health clinic after the 30-week mark, the higher the risk of losing part of your maternity benefits, as not all clinics agree to issue a sick leave certificate retroactively. There are two main ways to issue a power of attorney.

Option 1: Through the Russian Federation Consulate. This method is cheaper, especially when issuing it to a close relative. You need to book an appointment at the consulate, upload the text of the power of attorney into a special system in advance, and come with the originals of your Russian national and international passports, as well as a copy of the proxy's passport.

Option 2: Without visiting the Consulate. This path is more expensive but significantly faster—it can be done within 3 working days. The procedure is as follows:

1. Drafting the power of attorney text. You can use a template from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, adding the authority to apply for maternity leave.
2. Translating the power of attorney into Serbian by a court-certified translator.
3. Notarization by a Serbian notary. Some notaries may require knowledge of Serbian or the presence of a translator.
4. Getting an apostille at the court. Although an apostille is not mandatory between Serbia and the Russian Federation under international agreements, having one will significantly simplify the process in Russian regions where officials may not be aware of these regulations.

Step 3: Actions of the Proxy in Russia

After preparing and legalizing the certificate and power of attorney, you need to send them to your representative in Russia. Upon receiving the documents, the proxy must go to the women's health clinic to open a sick leave certificate (listok netrudosposobnosti).

For successful interaction with the clinic, it is recommended that the representative:

• Find out the head of the clinic's office hours in advance, as such matters are often resolved only at her level.
• If possible, book an appointment with a gynecologist through Gosuslugi several weeks in advance, so the clinic has no formal reason to refuse.
• Communicate directly with the head of the clinic. Ideally, after accepting the documents, they will immediately issue a confirmation that the sick leave has been opened.

If the documents must be left at the reception or secretariat, to mitigate risks, it is advisable to prepare a written application in two copies. One copy, with an acknowledgment of receipt (incoming number, date, signature), should be kept by the representative. This encourages staff to be diligent and serves as proof of timely submission.

Important Points and Potential Difficulties with Payments

The entire process requires precise time planning. Every day of delay after the 30-week mark can result in a loss of money. The key time-consuming stages are the visit to the gynecologist, document translation, and the visit to the consulate.

Usually, the women's health clinic issues the sick leave certificate retroactively, i.e., from the date the pregnancy reached exactly 30 weeks. Information about the opening of the sick leave certificate will appear on your Gosuslugi account and will be sent to your employer.

Next, the employer sends an application to the Social Fund of Russia (SFR) to calculate the benefits. Difficulties may arise at this stage. The SFR, especially in the regions, may initiate an additional review or require the employer to change the sick leave dates, setting the start date as the actual day the documents were submitted to the clinic. This can lead to a loss of benefits for 10-14 days. In such a situation, you face a choice: accept the loss of some funds or challenge the SFR's decision, which may require legal action.