How much does the first consultation cost?

The consultation is free when an engagement is signed: if you entrust the matter to us, the first meeting costs nothing. At it we go through the situation and tell you whether the matter has prospects in court, what scenarios are available and roughly what running the case will cost. This information does not constitute a public offer (art. 437(1) of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation).

Do you guarantee the outcome of a case?

No, and nobody can: the outcome of litigation is decided by the court. We are answerable for the quality of our work, for the pace and for making sure you always know what stage the matter is at. You receive our assessment of the prospects before the engagement is signed.

Who will handle my matter?

Every matter has a responsible partner. He assembles the team for the task — a litigator, a tax specialist, a valuer — and remains your point of contact until the end. Where the task requires the status of an advocate, advocates of the Kovalev, Malyutov, Tsypkalo & Partners Moscow Bar Association are brought in under a cooperation agreement.

Do you work with the regions?

Yes. We have two offices — in Moscow and Mariupol — and we run matters throughout Russia. The engagement can be signed remotely, documents are accepted electronically, and we stay in touch by telephone, messenger and e-mail.

How do the firm's lawyers and the advocates work together?

Legal review, transaction support, insolvency and representation in commercial and civil proceedings are carried out by the lawyers of Kovalev & Partners LLC under an engagement with the company. Tasks that require the status of an advocate — criminal defence, attendance at searches and interviews, an advocate's formal request — are carried out by advocates of the Kovalev, Malyutov, Tsypkalo & Partners Moscow Bar Association: the company has a cooperation agreement with the Bar Association, while the agreement on the provision of legal assistance is made by the client directly with the advocate (art. 25(1) of Federal Law No. 63-FZ of 31 May 2002 “On Advocacy and the Bar in the Russian Federation”). For you this is a single point of entry: we assemble the team.

What happens after I send an enquiry?

We read your description of the situation and come back within one working day: we ask clarifying questions and tell you what we can realistically do. We do not pass your documents or your description of the situation to anyone.

LATIN AMERICA / 17

Which country in the region, and which legal form, for your company

Companies often pick a country because of their first order, only to find out later that it has no tax treaty with Russia or that the chosen form requires a locally resident manager. Before anything is registered, we compare countries and forms against your business model: trading, services, IT, manufacturing or public procurement. A specialist in each country confirms the local law; we combine their answers with the Russian side into a single decision.

Call: +7 (499) 460-63-47

What is happening

A supplier of medical consumables is choosing between Mexico and Colombia. There is demand in both, but it needs to know where foreign capital is easier to work with and how profits paid out to Russia will be taxed.

A software developer wants to keep a team in Argentina while signing client contracts from Russia. It is unclear whether a local company is needed at all or whether contractor agreements will do.

A trading company plans to work with Cuba and Venezuela. The owners want to understand how entry there differs from Brazil or Chile and what limits they will face on payments.

What the law says

Company forms are governed by local law: in Brazil, the Sociedade Limitada (Ltda) under the Brazilian Civil Code (Lei nº 10.406/2002) and the Sociedade Anônima under Lei nº 6.404/1976; in Mexico, the S.A. de C.V. and the S. de R.L. de C.V. under the General Law on Commercial Companies (Ley General de Sociedades Mercantiles); in Argentina, the S.A. and S.R.L. under Law No. 19,550 and the S.A.S. under Law No. 27,349; in Colombia, the S.A.S. under Law 1258 of 2008; in Peru, the S.A.C., S.A. and S.R.L. under Law No. 26887; in Chile, the SpA and Ltda are common.
In Brazil, a branch of a foreign company may only be opened with federal government authorisation (Article 1,134 of the Brazilian Civil Code), which is why foreign businesses usually operate through a subsidiary Ltda.
In Mexico, certain activities are closed or restricted to foreign capital (Articles 5 to 8 of the Mexican Foreign Investment Law, Ley de Inversión Extranjera); in Brazil, similar restrictions are set by sector-specific laws.
In Cuba, a foreign investor operates through a joint venture, an international economic association contract or a wholly foreign-owned company, all created by decision of state authorities (Cuban Foreign Investment Law No. 118 of 2014). Entry is permit-based rather than registration-based, and the same applies in Venezuela.
Whether a double tax treaty exists affects the tax on income paid to Russia. According to the Russian Ministry of Finance as of 14 July 2026, treaties are in force with Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico, Chile and Ecuador, while there are none with Colombia, Peru, Nicaragua or Bolivia.
The agreement between Russia and Argentina on the promotion and reciprocal protection of investments was signed on 25 June 1998. For any other shortlisted country, we check against official sources at the time of the decision whether such an agreement exists.

What we do

We analyse the business model: what you sell, to whom and in which currency, and whether you need a warehouse, staff or access to public procurement.
We compare two or three countries by company forms, tax treaty with Russia, sector restrictions, and banking and sanctions risks.
We assess whether a local company is needed at the outset or whether a distributor, an agent or direct contracts from Russia will do the job.
We put questions to local specialists on management and representative requirements, capital, timing and registration costs, get the answers in writing and bring them together in one table.
We factor in the Russian side: the Bank of Russia limit on paying for a stake, notifications to the tax authority, and controlled foreign company (CFC) rules.
We prepare a written decision map: the recommended country and form, a list of documents, the roles of each party and the open questions.

What we will need from you

A description of your product or service and target customers in the region.
The countries you are considering and why.
The ownership structure of the Russian company and plans for distributing profits.
Details of existing partners and banks, if any.

HOW THE WORK IS BUILT

How the work is built

Defining the task

A meeting on the product, the market, constraints and the role you need in the country.

depends on the task

Shortlist

Countries screened by tax treaties, restrictions on foreigners, banking and sanctions risks.

depends on the task

Questions to local specialists

Form, management, capital, timing and costs; answers in writing.

depends on the country

Decision map

A comparison table and a recommendation with the document list for registration.

once answers are in

NEARBY

Other services in this practice

All services in this practice

QUESTIONS

Frequent questions

Which country in the region is best for a Russian company?

There is no universal answer. For distribution, customs and banks matter most; for IT, the tax treaty and hiring rules; for manufacturing, sector restrictions and local partners. We compare countries against your model and show what each conclusion rests on.

Can we start without a local company?

Often, yes. At first, sales can go through a distributor, an agent or direct contracts from Russia. A local company becomes necessary once you have staff, a warehouse, after-sales service or customer requirements to meet. We make that call with you based on the project figures.

Why don't you quote capital and registration timelines straight away?

They depend on the country, the form and the type of business, and they change. We obtain them in writing from a local specialist at the time of the decision rather than quoting from memory.

How are Cuba and Venezuela different?

There, a foreign investor's entry depends on a decision by state authorities, not just on registration. Separate US sanctions programmes also apply to these countries, which complicates payments in US dollars and euros.

Do you work in Spanish and Portuguese?

We can work in Spanish, with an interpreter where needed. Documents in Portuguese for Brazil are translated with the help of a translator.

NEXT STEP

Let us discuss your situation

The consultation is free of charge when an engagement agreement is signed: on it we say what has to be done and by when.

Call: +7 (499) 460-63-47