HEADS Consulting: reviews & investigation
HEADS Consulting pitches itself as a Moscow law firm with three decades of experience. The official registry says the current entity was registered in 2018. And since late 2022, a growing number of clients report paying thousands of euros for EU residency help, then getting nothing back.
We checked state business registries, web archives, client complaints, and employee reviews. What we found is worth reading before you sign anything.
Who is HEADS Consulting and what do they actually do
Legal entity: OOO "KHEDZ" (Russian: ООО «ХЕДЗ»)
Services: Corporate law, tax consulting, real estate, arbitration, bankruptcy, migration services (EU residency and citizenship)
Location: Moscow, Novovagankovskiy lane 9, bldg 2, office 17, 2nd floor (Presnensky district)
Founded (claimed): 1995. Legal entity registered: April 16, 2018
Staff (per registry, 2025): 6 employees. Marketing claims: 100+
Phone: +7 (495) 988-97-98
Email: [email protected]
Website: headslegal.ru
INN / OGRN: 7703448871 / 1187746406264
Authorized capital: 125,000 rubles (minimum allowed for a Russian LLC)
Key fact: The registry lists 6 employees in 2025. The company's own marketing describes a team of over 100 specialists. That is a gap worth asking about before you hand over any money.
Trust Score: HEADS Consulting
Score 1.55 out of 5 based on verified data points across registry records, client complaints, and employee reviews
Who is behind HEADS Consulting: checking the paperwork
The current legal entity
The company operates as OOO "KHEDZ" (Russian: ООО «ХЕДЗ»), registered on April 16, 2018 under OGRN 1187746406264 and INN 7703448871. Director: Diana Abramovna Fedina. Alexander Ivanovich Bazykin holds 80% of the company; Fedina holds the remaining 20%. The authorized capital is 125,000 rubles.
Public-facing leadership includes Nikita Alexandrovich Kulikov (executive director and the firm's main media personality, listed as an expert with the Russian State Duma) and Alexander Bazykin (managing partner). Kulikov appears regularly on Moscow-24 and Channel 5 as a legal commentator.
The company confirmed three arbitration cases in which it was named as defendant, with total claims of approximately 897,000 rubles. No criminal proceedings against the legal entity were found in public databases as of February 2026.
The founding year problem
HEADS Consulting markets itself as having operated since 1995. But the web archive's earliest snapshot of headslegal.ru is dated June 19, 2011. The EGRUL registry shows two predecessor entities:
- OOO "KHEDS-CONSULTING" (INN 7703211440) registered in 1999, liquidated in 2011.
- OOO "KHEDZ CONSULTING" (INN 7703751111) registered in 2011.
So there is a plausible chain going back to 1999. Not 1995 as advertised. That six-year discrepancy may seem minor. But for a firm that sells legal credibility, accuracy about its own founding date matters (which, honestly, raises questions about what else is stretched).
Trademarks: all expired
The company registered three trademarks: "HEADS LEGAL SERVICES" (March 19, 2013), "HEADS CONSULTING" (November 17, 2016), and "HEADS JURIDICHESKIE USLUGI" (June 5, 2012). All three have expired as of 2024 and have not been renewed. A firm of the claimed size and reputation typically keeps its core brand registrations current.
Verification links
EGRUL registry (search INN 7703448871) OpenCorporates search WHOIS headslegal.ru Web Archive first snapshot BBB search
HEADS Consulting risk analysis: 5 things to know
| Area | Risk | What we found | What to expect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | high | Migration services reportedly range from 700 to 50,000 EUR per client complaint. Standard legal work (company registration from 10,000 RUB) is clearer. No public price list exists online. | Ask for a written, itemized quote before any discussion of payment. Prices for migration services are set case by case. |
| Contract | high | Multiple clients report that agreements were presented as legal service contracts but actually signed as "information and consulting service" agreements, which carry no obligation to produce a result. | Read every line of what you sign. If the subject of the contract is "information services" rather than a specific legal outcome, that is a warning sign. |
| Timelines | high | Clients pursuing EU residency report that after payment, work simply did not happen. Deadlines were missed, then managers stopped responding entirely. | Do not pay a large advance without clear written milestones, each tied to a specific deliverable and date. |
| Risks | high | Documented cases of document retention: the firm held original personal documents (birth certificates, marriage certificates) and then demanded payment around 200 EUR before returning them. | Never hand over original documents. Provide certified copies only. If asked for originals, that is a direct red flag. |
| Refunds | high | No confirmed refund cases found in public records. Clients who paid 700 to 50,000 EUR and received nothing report being blocked and ignored after demanding money back. | Assume refunds are not available in practice for migration services. Stage your payments against verified milestones. |
HEADS Consulting: red flags and green lights
| ✅ | Real physical office in Moscow. The address at Novovagankovskiy lane 9, bldg 2 is a real business center near the city center. Not a virtual mailbox. |
| ✅ | Transparent ownership. Both the director (Diana Fedina) and the 80% shareholder (Alexander Bazykin) are named in the public EGRUL registry. Nothing is hidden about who runs the company legally. |
| ✅ | ISO 9001:2015 quality certificate and professional liability insurance. The firm claims coverage of 450 million rubles. Both are verifiable through the company and suggest a degree of institutional structure. |
| ✅ | Listed in Russia's personal data processing registry. Roskomnadzor registration number 77-13-001187. This requires a formal application and at least some compliance activity. |
| ✅ | Strong local ratings for traditional legal work. Yandex Maps shows 4.9 stars from 91 reviews; 2GIS shows 4.9 from 9 reviews. Positive comments focus on real estate, land law, and accounting services. |
| ⚠ | Sharp pivot to migration services since late 2022. This is when fraud complaints began appearing. The firm's core competency is Russian corporate and tax law, not EU immigration. |
| ⚠ | Phone number shared with a detective agency. The number +7 (495) 988-97-98 is also listed for a detective agency called "Dve Zhizni" (Two Lives). This is unexplained. |
| ⚠ | Network of satellite sites. The firm operates multiple domains: heads.ru, heads-consulting.ru, heads-legal.ru, heads-group.ru. This kind of setup is common for aggressive lead collection. |
| ⚠ | All three registered trademarks expired in 2021-2024 and were not renewed. For a company claiming 30 years of brand history, this is odd. |
| ❌ | Age mismatch in marketing. The company claims to have operated since 1995. The oldest traceable predecessor was registered in 1999. The current legal entity was registered in 2018. The "30 years of experience" claim does not hold up. |
| ❌ | Advance-and-block pattern for migration services. Multiple named clients (DeNdik44, Kristina Pavlenkova, Ev Genij) report paying between 700 and 50,000 EUR, receiving no service, and then being blocked by the firm after requesting refunds. |
| ❌ | Document retention as leverage. Clients report that HEADS Consulting held original personal documents and demanded approximately 200 EUR before agreeing to return them. Holding someone's documents to extract payment is not a legitimate business practice. |
| ❌ | Contract substitution. Clients who thought they were buying legal services with guaranteed results were given "information and consulting" contracts. That type of agreement lets the firm claim it delivered "information" even if nothing actually happened. |
| ❌ | Employee complaints about envelope pay and illegal employment. Multiple former staff on Pravda Sotrudnikov describe informal employment, salaries paid off the books, and dismissals without legal severance payments. |
The migration services problem: what clients are saying
Before 2022, the complaints about HEADS Consulting were mostly mild. People grumbled about slow service or felt prices were high. Normal stuff for a mid-sized Moscow firm.
Then the firm added EU residency and citizenship programs to its offering. The complaint picture shifted quickly. Clients at heads-consulting.com and on OSINTer.Net describe a consistent pattern. You pay a large advance, sometimes many thousands of euros. A manager stays in touch for a few weeks. Then the messages slow down. Then stop. When you push for updates or a refund, the account gets blocked.
One client reported paying for EU residency paperwork and then being charged an additional 200 EUR just to get their own original documents returned. That is not a billing dispute. That is using someone's personal documents as collateral.
It is worth noting: on Yandex Maps the firm scores 4.9 from 91 reviews. But those reviews almost entirely cover traditional legal work: real estate transactions, land registry issues, accounting. The migration complaints do not show up there. That tells you something about where the problem actually lives inside this company.
Former employees at Pravda Sotrudnikov add another layer. Multiple accounts describe salaries paid in envelopes, unofficial employment arrangements, and entire departments let go without legal severance. That internal culture matters when you are trusting a firm with a large payment and your immigration documents.
HEADS Consulting vs alternatives: how does it compare
The highlighted column is HEADS Consulting. best worst mixed mark standout values.
| Parameter | HEADS Consulting ★ | Pepeliaev Group (Moscow) | DIY / Self-service |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate registration cost | from 10,000 RUB mid | from 50,000+ RUB expensive | ~4,000 RUB (gov fee only) cheapest |
| Migration service cost | 700 to 50,000 EUR unclear | N/A (not offered) | Gov fees only lowest |
| Public price list | No opaque | Partial mixed | Full (official gov portals) transparent |
| Verified independent reviews | Fraud complaints on multiple boards concerning | Positive on Chambers, Legal 500 verified | No applicable reviews |
| Office and physical presence | Real Moscow office confirmed | Multiple offices, listed HQ confirmed | N/A |
| Legal track record (public) | 3 arbitration cases as defendant mixed | Strong public win record documented | Depends on you |
What to check before paying HEADS Consulting anything
- Contract type: Ask specifically whether your agreement is a legal services contract or an "information and consulting" contract. These are legally different. Only the first creates an obligation to deliver a result. If it says "informational," push back or walk away.
- Payment structure: Do not pay the full amount upfront. Tie each payment to a confirmed deliverable, such as a submitted application, a received document, or a signed approval. A firm that refuses milestone billing has something to hide.
- Documents: Never hand over original personal documents (passport, birth certificate, marriage certificate). Provide certified notarized copies only. Get written confirmation that originals will be returned within a specific timeframe if ever collected.
- Migration credentials: Ask the firm to show you its specific license or accreditation for EU immigration services. Russia-based corporate lawyers are not automatically qualified to handle European immigration law. If they can not show a license, that tells you enough.
- Staff verification: Ask who specifically will handle your case. Get the name, the qualification, and the direct contact. A company that routes you only through a general sales manager with no named lawyer assigned is not giving you legal service.
- Refund clause: Read the termination and refund section of the contract carefully before signing. If there is no clear refund mechanism for non-performance, add one or find another firm.
- References: Ask for two or three verifiable client references for the specific service you need. A legitimate firm can provide them. A firm that only offers to show you testimonials on its own website cannot.
Frequently asked questions about HEADS Consulting
Is HEADS Consulting a scam?
The answer depends on which service you are looking at. For traditional Russian legal work (corporate registration, tax disputes, real estate transactions), the firm has real positive reviews on Yandex Maps (4.9 from 91 ratings) and 2GIS. For migration services (EU residency, citizenship), the pattern is different. Multiple clients report paying large sums, receiving nothing, and then being blocked when they asked for refunds. The migration side carries serious documented risk.
Who legally owns HEADS Consulting?
The operating entity is OOO "KHEDZ" (ООО «ХЕДЗ»), registered April 16, 2018. Alexander Ivanovich Bazykin holds 80% of shares. Diana Abramovna Fedina (also General Director) holds 20%. Both names are publicly searchable in Russia's EGRUL registry under INN 7703448871. There is also a named executive director, Nikita Kulikov, who serves as the firm's primary media spokesperson.
When was HEADS Consulting actually founded?
The firm's marketing says 1995. The web archive shows headslegal.ru first appeared on June 19, 2011. A predecessor company was registered in the EGRUL in 1999 and liquidated in 2011. The current legal entity was registered in 2018. The "30 years of experience" claim doesn't match any of these public dates.
How much do HEADS Consulting services cost?
Standard company registration starts around 10,000 rubles, and KRT (urban redevelopment) advisory is listed at 5,000 rubles per month. Migration services (EU residency, citizenship) reportedly range from 700 to 50,000 EUR based on client complaint accounts. No public price list is available online. Contact their team directly for a formal quote, and get it in writing.
Is it safe to hand over original documents to HEADS Consulting?
Based on verified client accounts, no. Multiple complainants report that the firm retained their original personal documents and then demanded approximately 200 EUR before agreeing to return them. This is leverage, not standard legal practice. Always provide certified notarized copies. If the firm insists on originals, that is a reason to stop the engagement immediately.
Does HEADS Consulting have a license for EU immigration services?
No licensing documentation for EU immigration services was found in public records. Russian corporate lawyers are not automatically authorized to practice immigration law in EU member states. Before paying for any EU residency or citizenship service, ask the firm to produce the specific accreditation or license that covers that work.
Where can I leave a review about HEADS Consulting?
You can read client accounts and post your own at proverj.com/heads-consulting/. This investigation page at migration.us.com also accepts tips and corrections via the contact form. If you experienced something similar to the documented complaints, sharing it publicly helps protect others from the same outcome.
Expert verdict: Yury Mosha on HEADS Consulting
I've been working in the immigration business since 2011, first in Russia, then in the US. I know how firms like this operate. The corporate law side of HEADS Consulting looks real. They have a genuine office, named leadership, and actual clients who speak well of their real estate and tax work. That part is not the problem.
The problem is the migration services pivot that started in late 2022. What concerns me here is the pattern, not one or two unhappy clients, but a documented structure: large upfront payment, minimal service delivery, client blocking, and document retention as leverage. I've seen this exact playbook in the post-Soviet immigration consulting space many times. It is not a firm that went wrong. It looks like a deliberate setup layered on top of a legitimate business to give it credibility.
The "30 years of experience" claim is also a tell. Any firm that inflates its founding date to manufacture authority has decided that marketing matters more than accuracy. For a legal firm, that trade-off should give you pause.
On the positive side: the company's ownership is not hidden. The director and shareholders are publicly registered. The office exists. If you need standard Russian corporate or tax legal work and are in Moscow, the risk profile is different from the migration services. But I would still stage payments and confirm the specific lawyer assigned to your case before signing anything.
For EU residency or citizenship services? My honest advice: do not use this firm. The complaints are too specific, too consistent, and too serious. Find a firm that is licensed in the relevant EU jurisdiction and carries verifiable references for the exact service you need. The savings won't be worth it if you end up blocked and out tens of thousands of euros.
Sources used in this investigation
- Russia EGRUL federal business registry (nalog.ru) - company registration, ownership
- Web Archive, first snapshot June 19, 2011
- Yandex Maps profile: 4.9 from 91 reviews
- 2GIS profile: 4.9 from 9 reviews
- Dream Job employee reviews
- Client complaint board: heads-consulting.com
- OSINTer.Net investigation report
- Pravda Sotrudnikov: employee complaints
- Proverj.com: client review aggregator
- WHOIS headslegal.ru
Don't get burned
Marketing promises about decades of experience and guaranteed results don't always match what clients actually go through. Read what real people say before you hand over any money or documents.
Read real reviews about HEADS Consulting