Relocode: reviews & investigation
Relocode says it has 10+ years in startup relocation and visa consulting. Their UK companies were registered in January 2021. No OISC immigration license is on file. And their CEO goes by at least three different names, depending on which registry you check. Sounds fine on paper. Let's look closer.
Who is Relocode and what do they actually do
Main services: Startup visas (Spain, Portugal, France), talent visas (UK Global Talent, US O-1, EB-1A), entrepreneur and investor residence permits, business plan preparation, accelerator placement, post-relocation tax support
Pricing: EUR 6,400 to EUR 19,500 depending on visa type; prices not published on the main website
Founded (claimed): 2015 per website copyright; UK legal entities first registered January 2021
YouTube reach: 51,700+ subscribers across main channel, with 2,600+ videos published
Business address: 65 London Wall, London EC2M 5TU (serviced office)
Registered address: 20 Wenlock Road, London N1 7GU (virtual office, mass-registration address)
Phone: +44 7496 949122 (mobile, not a dedicated office line)
Email: [email protected]
Website: relocode.eu
Key fact: Two UK legal entities confirmed active in Companies House (Nos. 13141834 and 13524258), but no OISC immigration license was found for either entity or any listed director.
Trust Score
Based on 2.71/5 from verified data points across registries, review platforms, and insider accounts
Who's behind Relocode: checking the paperwork
Registered legal entities (UK)
Two companies appear in UK Companies House:
RELOCODE EUROPE LTD, Company No. 13141834, incorporated on January 18, 2021. Status: Active. Registered at 20 Wenlock Road, London N1 7GU.
RELOCODE LTD, Company No. 13524258, incorporated on July 22, 2021. Status: Active. Same registered address at 20 Wenlock Road.
20 Wenlock Road, N1 7GU is a well-known virtual office address used by hundreds of companies. It's not a physical office. The same Companies House data shows this address for thousands of unrelated firms. If you ever need to serve legal documents, this matters.
The name problem
The person leading Relocode appears under three distinct names across public sources. In Forbes interviews and YouTube presentations, the founder is identified as Mikhail Mizhinskiy (also spelled Mezhinskiy). Companies House filings for RELOCODE LTD list Mikhail Zhilin as director (appointed January 18, 2021) and Alexander Galtsev as co-director (same date). A third name, Mikhail Shchelkonogov, appears in other source documents. No public explanation for these discrepancies has been offered (which, honestly, raises questions worth putting in writing before you sign a contract).
Related entities
At least two additional UK companies appear connected: MARKETIKA LTD (No. 11744331) and TALENT CRUNCH LTD (No. 15136988). The related domain relogate.com was registered September 11, 2020 via GoDaddy, predating the UK company registrations.
OISC license status
UK law (Immigration and Asylum Act 1999) requires anyone providing immigration advice to hold OISC authorization or be a regulated solicitor. A search of the OISC register found no registration for Relocode, Relocode Europe Ltd, Relocode Ltd, or any of the named directors. The company's website makes no mention of OISC authorization or a regulated solicitor overseeing immigration work. This is the single biggest legal concern with this firm.
Domain
The main site runs on relocode.eu. European .eu domains require a registrant within the EU or UK. No further WHOIS ownership data was publicly available due to GDPR-based registration privacy. The Web Archive shows the site has been active but earliest captured snapshots do not confirm the claimed 2015 founding date for the current entity.
Relocode risk analysis: 5 things to know before paying
| Area | Risk | What we found | What to expect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | medium | Prices are not listed on the website. Promotional materials suggest startup visa packages from EUR 7,900 and US EB-1A via Relogate from EUR 17,000 to EUR 19,500. A paid attorney consultation runs USD 350. | Get a full itemized quote in writing before signing. Ask whether government fees, translation costs, and attorney fees are included or billed separately. |
| Contract | high | Payment is split into stages: 40% on signing, 30% during document preparation, 30% after approval. This means 70% of the total fee is gone before any immigration authority rules on your case. | Read the contract for what triggers each payment installment. Ask specifically what happens if processing stalls before the 30% milestone and who bears that cost. |
| Timelines | high | Marketing materials claim green cards in 3 months and 95-99% approval rates. Real EB-1/EB-2 wait times vary from months to many years depending on USCIS backlogs and country of birth. Current priority dates are public at travel.state.gov. | Ask them to put a realistic timeline in writing referencing the current USCIS visa bulletin. If they refuse, that tells you something. |
| Licensing | high | No OISC registration found for the company or its directors. An insider account on VC.ru describes US visa work (EB-1, O-1) handled by paralegals rather than licensed US attorneys. No attorney bar numbers appear on the website. | For UK visa work, ask for their OISC number and verify at gov.uk. For US visa work, ask for the full name and bar number of the attorney who will sign your USCIS petition. |
| Refunds | high | No cash refund is offered on visa denial. The stated remedy is a free re-application to a different country or visa program. Legal threats have been documented against clients who posted negative reviews. | "Free re-application" is not the same as getting your money back. Get the exact refund terms in the written contract, not in a chat message, before paying anything. |
Relocode: green lights, yellow flags, and red flags
| ✅ | Active UK legal entities confirmed: RELOCODE EUROPE LTD (No. 13141834, January 2021) and RELOCODE LTD (No. 13524258, July 2021) are both listed as active in Companies House. The business is real and registered. |
| ✅ | Public leadership: The founders do not hide. They appear in Forbes, give interviews, run a YouTube channel with 51,700+ subscribers, and comment publicly. That's harder to fake at scale than anonymity. |
| ✅ | Verified client testimonials on video: Several identifiable clients, including public figure Slava Komissarenko, have published video reviews describing successful residence permit outcomes in Spain, Portugal, and the US. |
| ✅ | No court judgments or regulatory warnings found: Searches of UK public court records, the FCA register, and the OISC disciplinary list found no sanctions, county court judgments, or enforcement actions against either entity as of February 2026. |
| ⚠️ | Both addresses are virtual or serviced offices: 65 London Wall (business address) is a shared serviced space. 20 Wenlock Road (legal address) is a virtual office used by hundreds of unrelated companies. Neither is a dedicated company premises. |
| ⚠️ | CEO name discrepancy across registries and media: The founder appears as Mikhail Mizhinskiy in Forbes and YouTube, as Mikhail Zhilin in Companies House filings, and as Mikhail Shchelkonogov in other sources. No explanation has been published for this. |
| ⚠️ | Website claims 10+ years of history; UK companies are from 2021: The copyright footer on relocode.eu reads "2015-2025." Both UK registered companies date from January-July 2021. That is a four to six year gap worth asking about directly. |
| ⚠️ | 70% of fees collected before any visa decision: The payment structure (40% on signing + 30% on document prep) means you commit the bulk of the cost well before immigration authorities weigh in. The remaining 30% is withheld only until approval, not until you actually receive your permit. |
| ❌ | No OISC license found: The OISC register shows no authorization for Relocode, Relocode Europe Ltd, Relocode Ltd, or any director names associated with these entities. Providing immigration advice in the UK without OISC authorization is illegal under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. |
| ❌ | Marketing claims contradict published government data: Advertised timelines of "3-month green cards" and "99% EU approval rates" do not match USCIS processing times or publicly available EU visa statistics. These figures are not supported by any cited government source. |
| ❌ | Documented legal threats against reviewers: At least one case is on record where Relocode sent a pre-litigation demand to the author of a negative post on VC.ru, requesting removal of the review and monetary compensation for reputational harm. That post described alleged unlicensed practice. |
| ❌ | Insider report: no licensed US attorneys handling EB-1/O-1 cases: A detailed account published on VC.ru by a former intern states that US visa petitions (EB-1A, O-1) were handled by paralegals, not licensed American attorneys, and that success rate data was not disclosed to clients or staff. |
What the reviews actually say about Relocode
Positive feedback
On Google Reviews, clients highlight smooth document handling for UK Global Talent Visa applications and consistent communication throughout the process. On irecommend.ru, several users thank the team for help securing a French Talent Passport and describe what they call a "boutique" level of attention compared to larger agencies. The YouTube channel carries video testimonials from named individuals describing successful EB-1A outcomes in the US and residence permits in Spain and Portugal.
These are real accounts from identifiable people. That's a signal worth noting. At the same time, a YouTube channel with 2,600 videos is also a serious content marketing operation, and the line between organic testimonials and produced promotional content is not always clear.
Negative feedback
The VC.ru insider post (available at vc.ru/life/2179466) describes several specific problems: no licensed US attorneys working on EB-1 and O-1 files, work done by paralegals and interns without proper oversight, non-payment of a promised internship stipend, and suppressed data on visa denial rates. The company responded to this post with a legal demand rather than a factual rebuttal.
On irecommend.ru, a separate review advises against working with Relocode. Former employee reviews on job review platforms raise concerns about internal working conditions.
Trustpilot shows no verified reviews for relocode.eu. That absence is worth noting for a firm claiming 400+ successfully relocated startups.
Relocode vs. alternatives: which gives you more for the money
The highlighted column is the company under review. Legend: best = best value in this row, worst = highest cost or risk, mixed = depends on case.
| Parameter | Relocode ★ | Licensed UK Solicitor | Fragomen (Global Firm) | DIY (self-filing) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price range | EUR 6,400-19,500 mixed | EUR 2,500-8,000 lower | USD 8,000-30,000 expensive | State fees only cheapest |
| OISC / Bar license | None found risk | Required by law verified | Yes, all jurisdictions verified | N/A |
| Timeline claims | 3-month green card misleading | Realistic per case | Published ranges | Depends on you |
| Office presence | Virtual/serviced mixed | Varies, often real | 60+ countries | N/A |
| Refund on denial | Re-apply elsewhere only no cash back | Varies by contract | Varies by contract | Keep all money best |
| Public pricing | Not published opaque | Varies | Not published | USCIS fees public transparent |
| Trustpilot reviews | None found absent | Varies | Listed and rated | N/A |
What to verify before paying Relocode anything
- OISC License: Go to gov.uk/find-an-immigration-adviser and search for Relocode by name and company number. If they don't appear, they cannot legally give immigration advice in the UK. Ask them in writing how they address this before signing.
- Attorney credentials (US visas): If your case involves an O-1, EB-1A, or any US petition, ask for the full name and bar number of the licensed US attorney who will sign your USCIS filing. An American Bar Association member number is publicly verifiable at americanbar.org.
- Contract terms: Get the full service agreement before paying the first installment. Read it for what triggers each payment, what counts as a "denial," and what the company's obligations are if your application stalls for reasons outside your control.
- Refund clause: "Free re-application in another country" is not a refund. Ask them to define in writing what you receive financially if your visa is denied after you've paid 70% of the fee. Get that answer in the signed contract, not in a WhatsApp message.
- Realistic timelines: Ask for the current USCIS visa bulletin priority date relevant to your category and country of birth. If they say "3 months for a green card" without referencing the official bulletin, that's a red flag. Real timelines for most nationalities are longer, sometimes by years.
- Client references: Any firm claiming 400+ successfully relocated startups can introduce you to two or three past clients in your specific visa category. Request direct contact, not just a testimonial video on their own channel.
- Company registration details: Ask them to state in writing which legal entity you are contracting with: RELOCODE EUROPE LTD (No. 13141834) or RELOCODE LTD (No. 13524258) or another entity. This matters if you ever need to enforce contract terms.
Frequently asked questions about Relocode
Is Relocode a legitimate company or a scam?
It's not a simple yes or no. Relocode has two active UK-registered legal entities confirmed in Companies House and real testimonials from identifiable clients. But it lacks an OISC license for UK immigration work, its CEO appears under multiple names across registries, and one detailed insider account describes unlicensed US visa practice. It's a real business with serious compliance problems, which puts it in a category that requires significant caution rather than outright avoidance or blind trust.
Does Relocode hold an OISC license for UK immigration advice?
No OISC registration was found for Relocode, Relocode Europe Ltd, Relocode Ltd, or the named directors. Under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, anyone advising on UK visa applications without OISC authorization or solicitor status is acting illegally. You can check any firm yourself in seconds at gov.uk/find-an-immigration-adviser.
What does Relocode actually charge, and what is the payment structure?
Relocode does not publish prices on its website. Based on promotional materials, startup visa packages start around EUR 7,900, entrepreneur residence permits from EUR 6,400, and investor permit packages from EUR 10,500. US EB-1A services through the related Relogate platform are listed at EUR 17,000 to EUR 19,500. The payment splits into three parts: 40% on signing the contract, 30% when documents are submitted, and 30% after a positive decision. That means 70% is committed before you know the outcome.
What happens if my visa application is denied after I pay Relocode?
Relocode's stated policy is to offer a free re-application to a different country or visa program. There is no cash refund clause in their publicly described terms. You will have already paid 70% of the total by the time any decision arrives. Before signing, ask them to put the exact denial scenario and your financial entitlements in the contract itself.
Can Relocode really get a US green card in 3 months?
No. The "3-month" claim does not match USCIS processing realities for EB-1 or EB-2 categories. Processing times depend on USCIS workload, the current visa bulletin priority date for your country of birth, and which service center handles your case. For applicants born in high-demand countries, waits measured in years are common. Check travel.state.gov for current priority dates before accepting any firm's timeline.
Who is the CEO or founder of Relocode?
The founder presents publicly as Mikhail Mizhinskiy (or Mezhinskiy) in Forbes interviews and on YouTube. UK Companies House records list Mikhail Zhilin and Alexander Galtsev as directors of RELOCODE LTD from January 2021. A third name, Mikhail Shchelkonogov, appears in other documentation. The company has not publicly explained these discrepancies. When reviewing a firm handling immigration documents under your name, knowing exactly who is legally responsible matters.
Where can I leave a review about Relocode?
You can read existing client reviews and submit your own experience at proverj.com/relocode/, which is the main review hub for this company. Google Reviews, VC.ru, and irecommend.ru also carry user-submitted feedback. If you've worked with Relocode, sharing your experience helps other potential clients make better-informed decisions.
Expert verdict on Relocode
I've been operating in the US immigration business since 2011 and have seen dozens of consulting firms come and go. What I see in Relocode is a company that has built real distribution, a sizable YouTube audience, and genuine client wins. Those things matter. They're not nothing.
What concerns me here is the structural problem, not the brand. No OISC license for UK immigration work isn't a technicality. It's a legal prohibition. If Relocode is advising clients on UK visas without that authorization, every client's case is built on a legal foundation that could be challenged. I've seen cases where unlicensed advice invalidated supporting documentation, and those clients had no recourse against the firm.
The CEO name discrepancy also stands out. When you're handling someone's passport, visa history, and financial documents, you need to know exactly who you're contracting with and who is legally liable. Three names in different registries suggests either sloppy corporate hygiene or deliberate ambiguity. Neither is acceptable in this field.
On the positive side, the public founders, the video testimonials from real people, and the absence of regulatory enforcement actions are genuinely reassuring relative to outright fraudulent operations. Relocode appears to complete work for many of its clients. The question is whether they're doing it legally and with qualified people on complex cases.
My recommendation: if you're considering Relocode for a US visa (EB-1A, O-1), demand the bar number of the attorney who will sign your USCIS petition and verify it directly with the state bar. For UK visa work, ask them to explain in writing how they provide immigration advice without OISC registration. Their answer will tell you everything you need to know.
Don't get burned on a startup relocation
Marketing videos and promises about "99% approval rates" are easy to make. Reading what real clients say after the contract is signed costs you nothing. Do that first.
Read real reviews about Relocode