Apostille, legalisation and recognition of Russian diplomas

Diplomas, certificates, school-leaving certificates and other Russian educational documents have official legal validity in Russia (albeit subject to certain reservations). However, in order for them to be recognised and subsequently used in most other countries, they must first be legalised.

If you intend to use a Russian diploma in a country that is a signatory to the 1961 Hague Convention, you can legalise it for university admission through a simplified procedure known as apostillisation.

Why and when is an apostille required?

An apostille is a special stamp certifying the authenticity of an official document. It can be affixed to documents issued by government institutions, local authorities, educational institutions and organisations to which the state has granted special powers.

Commercial documents cannot be apostilled. Therefore, if you have received a certificate for completing an educational course provided by a private company that does not hold an educational licence, it cannot be certified with an apostille. The apostillisation procedure is available only for documents issued by accredited educational institutions holding an official state licence.

It should be noted, however, that apostillisation confirms that the document has been issued and that the signature of the authorised official is authentic. It does not, however, automatically grant the right to work in regulated professions (such as medicine, law, etc.), nor does it replace the recognition of higher education qualifications (nostrification), which in Russia is carried out by the Federal State Budgetary Institution “GlavExpertCentre” and is required for admission to Russian universities or employment in the relevant professional field.

An apostille can only be affixed in the country in which the document was issued. It is not possible to obtain one through diplomatic missions or consular offices.

When is an apostille not required?

Most commercial organisations will not require employees applying for positions that do not involve special access to information to have their diplomas or other educational documents legalised by means of apostillisation. In addition, a diploma does not need to be apostilled if a special arrangement for the mutual recognition of diplomas and academic degrees is in force between Russia and the other country, affecting the possibility of university admission or employment in the relevant professional field.

For example, Russia is a party to the 1993 Minsk Convention and the 2002 Chisinau Convention. Therefore, diplomas obtained in Russia generally do not need to be apostilled for use in most CIS countries. A notarised translation of the diploma into the official language of the country where you intend to use it is sufficient.

However, Ukraine withdrew from the Minsk Convention in December 2022, and Russia took a similar decision in 2026. Therefore, Russian diplomas and school-leaving certificates must be apostilled for use in either country.

Before using a Russian educational document abroad, it is advisable to check with the receiving country whether apostillisation is required.

Russian educational documents

Educational documents in Russia are issued upon completion of higher education institutions, vocational and technical colleges, schools, courses and other educational programmes.
The main types of educational documents in Russia include:

• Certificate of Basic General Education;
• Certificate of Secondary General Education;
• Diploma of Secondary Vocational Education;
• Bachelor's Degree Diploma;
• Specialist Diploma;
• Master's Degree Diploma.

Diplomas awarded with distinction are usually printed in red, while standard diplomas are blue or green (the latter being used by accredited universities, such as Lomonosov Moscow State University).

In addition, Russia has officially approved the formats of certificates confirming postgraduate medical training, the conferment of academic titles and the award of academic degrees.

In certain cases, students are also issued statements or certificates.

In addition, Russia has officially approved the formats of certificates confirming postgraduate medical training, the conferment of academic titles and the award of academic degrees.

In certain cases, students are also issued statements or certificates.

The appearance of educational documents in Russia changed in 2007, 2010 and 2012–2014.

Procedure for apostilling diplomas and certificates in Russia

Responsibility for apostilling educational documents in Russia lies with the state authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, which exercise the powers delegated to them by the Russian Federation to certify documents confirming education and/or qualifications, as well as documents relating to academic degrees and academic titles.

In practice, these are the authorities responsible for supervising educational institutions in the respective regions. Recently, in a number of constituent entities of the Russian Federation, Multifunctional Centres for the Provision of State and Municipal Services (MFCs) have also been authorised, within the scope of their delegated powers, to accept documents for apostillisation and certify them..p>

Applications for this service must be submitted through the Gosuslugi public services portal. Documents may be submitted online, by post or in person.

The apostillisation of educational documents in Russia is governed by Federal Law No. 330-FZ of 28 November 2015 “On the Apostillisation of Russian Official Documents to Be Used Outside the Territory of the Russian Federation”, Federal Law No. 273-FZ of 29 December 2012 (as amended on 25 April 2026) “On Education in the Russian Federation”, as well as relevant departmental regulations and other subordinate legal acts.

As Russia is a party to the Minsk Convention, educational documents issued in Russia generally do not need to be apostilled for use in most CIS countries. However, some organisations, including those in the post-Soviet region, still require any foreign document to bear an apostille. Therefore, before submitting a diploma or school-leaving certificate, it is advisable to check whether additional legalisation is required.

Consular legalisation of Russian diplomas and school-leaving certificates

If the country in which you intend to use a Russian educational document is not a party to the 1961 Hague Convention, such as the UAE, the document must undergo the more expensive and complex procedure of consular legalisation.

Consular legalisation is a multi-stage procedure for verifying the authenticity of a document, used for countries that are not parties to the 1961 Hague Convention.

To have a Russian diploma or school-leaving certificate legalised through the consular procedure, you must follow these steps:

1. Obtain a certificate;
2. Have a notarised copy of the certificate made;
3. Have the document certified by the Ministry of Justice of Russia;
4. Have the document legalised by the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation or by the representative offices of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation;
5. Have the document translated and the translation notarised;
6. Have the document legalised by the consulate or consular section of the embassy of the destination country.

Due to the large number of steps involved, this procedure is time-consuming and quite expensive. Some countries do not have consulates in Russia, so the final stage of legalisation may have to be completed in another country where the relevant consulate is located.

Translation of educational documents

When using a Russian educational document in a foreign country, it must be accompanied by an official translation (notarised, sworn, court-certified or certified), in accordance with the legal requirements of that country.

The translation of the document must undergo a mandatory verification process. This involves sending the completed translation to the graduate for review to ensure that their first and last names, the subjects studied and the titles of academic papers have been transcribed correctly, as inaccuracies may arise during translation.

Depending on the requirements of national legislation, the official translation may be attached to the notarised copy bearing the apostille.

Translation of foreign educational documents for use in the CIS

To use a Russian educational document in a CIS country, an official notarised translation must be prepared after legalisation, in accordance with local laws. If Russian is an official language in the country concerned, the diploma or school-leaving certificate may be accepted without translation. However, it is advisable to clarify this directly with the relevant authority in advance.

Sending documents from Russia

Despite the challenging international situation, it is still possible to send documents from Russia. However, for certain destinations, delivery can only be arranged in several stages.

What happens next?

Once you have obtained a legalised diploma and a copy with a notarised translation attached, the documents can be considered officially ready for use abroad.

Most CIS countries recognise educational documents issued in the Russian Federation without any additional verification. However, some may require diplomas issued after 1992 but before the signing of the agreement on mutual recognition of documents to undergo nostrification. It is advisable to clarify this requirement on a case-by-case basis.

As for countries with which Russia has no agreements on legal assistance and the recognition of foreign documents, the diploma must undergo nostrification before it can be used there, following apostillisation or consular legalisation and the preparation of an official translation.

How can we help?

If you are outside Russia, we will be happy to assist you with the apostillisation and legalisation of documents for use abroad.

You can always contact Schmidt & Schmidt. We have extensive experience in legalising a wide range of documents and provide all the necessary services in this area, including obtaining notarised copies, translation, preparing the required powers of attorney, legalising documents with government authorities and foreign consulates, and delivering completed documents to most countries worldwide.

For more information about the legalisation and apostillisation procedures, please visit our website.