Most business insurance is voluntary, but there are policies and contributions without which a company cannot operate legally. The set depends on whether you have employees, vehicles, hazardous facilities, passengers or a regulated profession. Let us go through them in order.
Summary table
| Type | Who must have it | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance against industrial accidents and occupational diseases | All employers | Federal Law No. 125-FZ |
| OSAGO | Vehicle owners, including companies | Federal Law No. 40-FZ |
| OSOPO | Owners of hazardous facilities | Federal Law No. 225-FZ |
| OSGOP | Passenger carriers | Federal Law No. 67-FZ |
| Professional liability insurance | Appraisers, insolvency practitioners, notaries, cadastral engineers and others | Sector-specific laws |
| Financial security for a tour operator's liability | Tour operators | Federal Law No. 132-FZ |
Employees: insurance under Law 125-FZ
Every employer — an organisation or a sole proprietor with staff — pays contributions for compulsory social insurance against industrial accidents and occupational diseases to the Social Fund of Russia. This is not a contract with an insurance company but a state system: if an employee is injured at work, benefits and payments are made by the Social Fund.
The rate depends on the occupational risk class of the main type of activity — from 0.2% to 8.5% of payments to employees. The rates for 2026 were set by Federal Law No. 434-FZ of 28 November 2025. The class must be confirmed annually.
Voluntary accident insurance for employees complements this system: its payouts are made on top of the benefits and help retain staff.
Vehicles: fleet OSAGO
Every company vehicle must be covered by OSAGO (compulsory motor third-party liability insurance). Specifics for legal entities under Bank of Russia Directive No. 7204-U:
- the base rate corridor for organisations' cars is RUB 724–6,580;
- a policy with no restriction on drivers has a KO coefficient of 1.97;
- if drivers are named, the KVS coefficient for a legal entity's car is multiplied by 1.8;
- an organisation's KBM is calculated as an average across all its vehicles; a new company gets class 3.
For a fleet it is convenient to manage policies centrally and insure vehicles under KASKO on uniform terms as part of a fleet insurance programme.
Hazardous facilities: OSOPO
Federal Law No. 225-FZ requires owners of hazardous facilities to insure their liability for harm to the life, health and property of third parties in the event of an accident (OSOPO). This applies to:
- hazardous production facilities entered in the state register;
- hydraulic structures;
- filling stations for liquid motor fuel;
- lifts, lifting platforms for disabled people, escalators (except in the metro) and passenger conveyors.
The sum insured depends on the type of facility and the maximum possible number of victims. The law prohibits operating a hazardous facility without an OSOPO contract. More in the overview "OSOPO: Law 225-FZ" and on the "Hazardous facility insurance" page.
Passengers: OSGOP
Passenger carriers — bus, rail, water, air and others — must insure their liability to passengers under Federal Law No. 67-FZ (OSGOP). Passengers may not be carried without an OSGOP contract. The law sets minimum sums insured: for harm to life — at least RUB 2,025,000 per passenger, for harm to health — at least RUB 2,000,000. More on the "Carrier liability insurance" page.
Professions: mandatory liability
For a number of professions, liability insurance towards clients and third parties is expressly required by law:
- appraisers — Federal Law No. 135-FZ "On Valuation Activity";
- insolvency practitioners — Federal Law No. 127-FZ "On Insolvency (Bankruptcy)";
- notaries — the Fundamentals of the Legislation of the Russian Federation on Notaries;
- cadastral engineers — Federal Law No. 221-FZ "On Cadastral Activity";
- customs representatives — Federal Law No. 289-FZ "On Customs Regulation".
Appraisers, insolvency practitioners and cadastral engineers work within the system of self-regulatory organisations (SROs), and having a policy is a condition of membership and of practising. In construction and design, the law bases liability on SRO compensation funds, and SROs may set insurance requirements in their internal documents — check your organisation's standards.
Tour operators must have financial security for their liability — an insurance contract or a bank guarantee.
Voluntary professional liability insurance is in demand among lawyers, medical professionals, IT contractors and consultants, even where the law does not require it.
Public procurement and contracts with large customers
The procurement laws — No. 44-FZ and No. 223-FZ — do not introduce a separate type of compulsory insurance. Security for performance of a contract under 44-FZ is provided by an independent guarantee or cash. However, the customer may include an insurance condition in the draft contract: for construction and installation risks, liability to third parties, cargo in transit or property. For the contractor such a condition becomes binding, and breaching it is a breach of contract. Most often this concerns construction, where customers require a construction and installation risks policy.
Similar requirements appear in loan agreements: a bank requires the collateral to be insured, and a leasing company the leased asset.
Checklist for managers
- Confirm your occupational risk class with the Social Fund and check the contribution rate.
- Match your list of vehicles against valid OSAGO policies and their expiry dates.
- Check whether you have facilities on the 225-FZ list — including lifts and escalators in your own buildings.
- If you carry passengers, make sure your OSGOP contract covers all routes and vehicles.
- Check the requirements of the law and the SRO for your profession.
- Review contracts and loan agreements for insurance obligations.
The full range of products for companies is in the "Business insurance" section. Polis Re specialists will help you audit your policies and choose insurers — send us a request.