On November 12, 2012, Vladimir Putin, the President of the Russian Federation, approved Federal Law  185-FZ on "Amendments to Article 13.1 of the Federal Law on the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation and Article 27.2 of the Law on Education".
 
The amendements include provisions requiring foreigners applying for a work permit in the field of housing and communal services, as well as in retail and consumer services to present a state examination certificate proving knowledge of Russian language.
 
In particular, the amendment requires one of the following documents as a proof of knowledge of the Russian language:
- a certificate of a passed state test of Russian as a foreign language;
- a certificate of education (on level not lower than the General Education Diploma) issued by a foreign state and recognised by the Russian Federation;
- a state-recognised certificate of education (on level no lower than the General Education Diploma) issued by an educational institution, operating until September 1, 1991 on the territory of the former Soviet Union;
- a state-recognised certificate of education (on level no lower than the General Education Diploma) issued by an educational institution, operating after September 1, 1991 on the territory of the Russian Federation.
 
The amendements enter into force on December 1, 2012.