Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on the mandatory switchover of payments to public sector workers and pensioners to Mir payment cards. The corresponding document is published on the official Internet Portal of Legal Information.
According to it, “credit organisations are obliged, not later than 1 July 2017, to ensure the receipt of national payment instruments in all their technical facilities”. Payments to new cards will be received by public civil servants and municipal employees, as well as students.
As specified in the Presidential decree, payments for public sector workers will be transferred to the “Mir” cards by 1 July 2018, and for pensioners, by 1 July 2020. Since that date, banks, according to the new rules, are to effect payments to employees of State-run enterprises and individuals receiving social benefits from the federal budget or state extra-budgetary funds, only using this national payment system.
However, these rules, as noted in the document, will not apply to employees of diplomatic missions, consular establishments, and permanent representative offices of Russia to international organisations. Also, the decree will not affect the public sector workers who permanently reside outside of Russia.