The bill arrives in a St Petersburg restaurant with an extra line: "service — 10 %". Most visitors pay it without asking, assuming it is a local custom. Under Russian consumer law it is usually something you never agreed to buy, and you may simply have it removed.
A tip is a gift, not part of the price
Rospotrebnadzor, the federal consumer-protection service, describes tips as a voluntary bonus paid to the staff who served you, not as payment for the service itself. Crucially, a tip does not become part of the price even when it is printed in the bill as a separate line. Legally the transfer of money to a waiter matches the definition of a gift under Article 572(1) of the Civil Code, concluded orally. And because paying a tip is a right rather than an obligation, the agency states it cannot be treated as a business custom under Article 5(1) of the Civil Code — so "everyone here pays 10 %" is not a rule.
The service charge you can refuse
The Rules for Catering Services, approved by Government Decree No. 1515 of 21 September 2020, are unusually blunt. Clause 19 says the provider may not perform additional paid services without the consumer's consent, nor include in the order any other charges — payments, commissions, surcharges, tips and the like — that are not part of the menu price. The word "tips" appears in the decree itself. The same clause gives you the right to refuse payment and, if you have already paid, to demand the money back.
Article 16 of the Consumer Rights Protection Act backs this up: contract terms providing for extra paid services without consent are among the listed inadmissible terms, and inadmissible terms are void from the outset.
What changed on 1 September 2025
Federal Law No. 69-FZ of 7 April 2025 added clause 3.1 to Article 16, and it shifts the balance towards the guest. Additional goods and services may be sold only with the consumer's consent, which must be recorded in writing; the burden of proving consent lies with the business; pre-ticked boxes or any arrangement implying consent in advance are prohibited; and a refund demand must be met within three days.
Penalties are real. Including terms that infringe consumer rights costs a company 10,000–20,000 roubles under Article 14.8(2) of the Administrative Offences Code, while imposing unwanted paid extras under Article 14.8(2.1) costs 200,000–500,000 roubles. That is why most venues delete the line the moment a guest calmly asks.
