Significance. Foreign labor migrants are an economically active group, but maintaining their high level of productivity is often hampered by inadequate care for their health, which declines with time spent in the host country. Their strategies for seeking medical care differ from those of the local population. Purpose. To assess the association between the presence of sociolinguocultural adaptation and preference for strategies for obtaining medical (including preventive) care among foreign labor migrants living in the Moscow region, as well as factors influencing the decision to visit a doctor in the country of departure. Material and methods. A cross-sectional survey was conducted between February and April 2024. A total of 387 questionnaires were returned, of which 229 participants had sufficient Russian language proficiency for communicating on medical topics, and 119 had insufficient. Results. Foreign citizens in the Russian Federation were more likely to seek emergency medical care than those in their country of origin. Adequate Russian language proficiency had a positive impact on the frequency of seeking routine medical care, the use of health insurance, and self-assessed health. Cultural and linguistic identity, as well as sufficient resources (time and financial) in the country of origin, contributed to the preference for receiving medical care in the country of origin. Discussion. International studies provide varying data on the prevalence of emergency medical care among foreign citizens compared to the local population; however, their strategies for obtaining medical care in all countries have distinctive characteristics. A cultural and linguistic barrier reduces the likelihood of foreign citizens participating in preventive measures in the host country, which confirms the importance of cultural and linguistic identity when choosing to receive medical services in the country of origin. Conclusion. Cultural and linguistic adaptation is necessary when providing medical care to foreign labor migrants.