Procurement of documents in Russia

The company Schmidt and Schmidt provides services for the retrieval of civil status documents, as well as obtaining duplicates, lost or damaged documents in Russia with their subsequent legalization and translation.

It often happens that civil status documents are lost or damaged, or it is necessary to obtain current copies of documents. In this case, it is necessary to request duplicates of documents. Often, those who have left Russia face difficulties in this procedure. Our service allows you to request documents in Russia remotely, and we can carry out courier delivery of the document to any point in the world.

Validity of civil status documents in Russia

Civil status documents issued in Russia generally have an unlimited validity period.

An exception to this rule are certificates of no criminal record; they are valid for no more than 3 months, after which they must be replaced with new ones containing up-to-date information.

In addition, the receiving party may make requirements regarding deadlines, so this must be clarified at the place where the documents are requested.

Requesting documents is a procedure that allows you to obtain a duplicate of a document that was previously issued to a person by the relevant organization (the Civil Registry Office, the Main Information and Analytical Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, or the Ministry of Education). This duplicate is issued according to the established protocol and has the same legal force as the original.

What documents can be requested in Russia

You can request civil status documents, certificates of no criminal record, educational documents, such as:

• Birth certificate
• Marriage certificate
• Certificate of change of surname
• Divorce certificate
• Death certificate
• Certificates of good conduct
• Educational documents
• Other civil status documents

Required document for certified copies of Russian documents

• A valid passport of the applicant (i.e. the person who submits the documents to the Consulate)
• An original document and its copy
• A money-order for “Consulate General of Russia”. The Consulate does not accept cash, credit cards

Fees are 7 CAD for citizens of Russia, 16 CAD for citizens of other countries per page.

Birth certificate

A birth certificate is an official document provided by the Registrar or acting Registrar of the relevant Civil or Consular Register. It verifies details of an individual's birth, including the date, sex, and, if applicable, the time of birth and family relationships.

Additionally, digital birth certificates are available, authenticated with a digital stamp from the Department of Registers and Notaries, using information stored in the Civil Registers' central database.

Birth certificates can be obtained from the local Multifunctional Public Services Centre or at the district office of the Vital Statistics Registration Office (“ZAGS”) for the area where the parents are registered or at their place of residence.

Required documents

• The passport of one of the parents with a notarized translation in Russian;
• The marriage certificate of the parents, certified as per set procedures, with a notarized translation in Russian
• A document issued by the medical institution regarding the child's birth

If the parents of the child are not married they must present a filled out application form as well as a request to established paternity and pay the respective state duty.

All of these documents mentioned above together with the parents passports need to be notarized with translations.

Marriage certificate

The marriage certificate is a document to officially prove that the marriage is legally recognized. It is required for procedures like changing a last name, applying for spousal benefits or visa or immigration application. It can be obtained through an online application process or in person at the relevant offices which are either Provincial or Territorial Vital Offices.

Marriage records in Russia are maintained by government offices, such as the ZAGS (Civil Registry Office), and serve critical functions in verifying legal marital status, facilitating various legal rights and obligations, and supporting genealogical research.

Upon successfully registering their marriage, couples receive a marriage certificate (Свидетельство о браке).

Required documents

• Names of the bride and groom
• Names of their parents
• Marriage date
• Location where marriage took place

Certificate of absence of marriage

A certificate of absence of marriage is a written statement under oath that a person is not officially married in the territory of the Russian Federation.
The official name of the document is a certificate of absence of state registration of marriage.

The need to obtain a certificate arises when registering a marriage in a foreign country. Local civil registry offices must ensure that the spouse is "free" at the time of marriage registration.

The Civil Registry Office certificate of marital status, form 15, contains the following information:

• Full name of the person being checked
• date/place of birth of the person being checked
• period for which the check was made

Who can obtain this certificate?

Persons who have never been married can obtain a certificate for the period from the age of 18 to the current date.

Persons who are currently married can obtain a certificate for the period from the age of 18 until the date of marriage.

Persons who were in a marriage that has now been dissolved may receive a certificate(s) from 18 years of age until marriage and from the date of divorce to the current date.

Required documents

• Notarized power of attorney
• Copy of the passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation
• Marriage/divorce certificate (if there was a marriage)

Police clearance certificate

The Police Clearance Certificate of Russia is issued from the Consulate General of the Russian Federation. This certificate is the verification of an individual's current criminal record status. It is usually required for employment, volunteering, immigration or visa application and adoption processes. It can be obtained via an application process by submitting a request at your local police station in your municipality or region for the certificate which may involve providing fingerprints.

You can apply for a police clearance certificate in person during a visit to the Consulate or authorize Schmidt & Schmidt to do this with a power of attorney. Citizens of the Russian Federation or foreigners over 14 years of age can obtain a certificate either in person.

Required documents

• A completed application form
• Valid Passport and its copy
• A copy of a document bearing the applicant's name in Russian (Russian visa, diploma, marriage certificate etc) or the translation of the passport into Russian.
• Power of attorney in case the applicant is requesting for another.

After completing the process of collecting all necessary documents required, filling out all forms and paying all fees, submit your application to the nearest Consulate of the Russian Federation Embassy for issuance of the Police clearance certificate.

Certificate of change of name

A certificate of name change is a certificate of state registration of the fact of a change of surname, first name or patronymic.

This document contains:

• Surname, first name, patronymic (before and after their change), date and place of birth, citizenship, nationality of the person who changed the name
• Date of preparation and number of the record of the act of change of name
• Place of state registration of name change
• Date and place of issue of the certificate of change of name

You can obtain a certificate either in person or for another person, with a power of attorney.

Required documents

• Notarized power of attorney (if the person is abroad, then legalization of the notarized power of attorney will be required)
• Copy of passport
• Certificate of divorce
• A certificate of divorce is a certificate of state registration of the fact of divorce.

This document contains:

• Surname (before and after divorce), first name, date and place of birth, citizenship, nationality of each of the persons who dissolved the marriage
• Information about the document that serves as the basis for state registration of divorce
• Date of termination of marriage
• Date of preparation and number of the record of the act of divorce
• Place of state registration of divorce
• Last name, first name, patronymic of the person to whom the divorce certificate is issued
• Date and place of issue of the certificate of divorce

The certificate can be obtained by either of the former spouses personally, or by another person if there is a notarized power of attorney from one of the spouses.

Required documents

• Notarized power of attorney (if the person is abroad, then legalization of the notarized power of attorney will be required)
• Copy of passport
• Adoption Certificate

An adoption certificate is a certificate of state registration of the fact of adoption of a child.

This document contains:

• Surname, name, patronymic, date and place of birth of the child
• Surname, name, patronymic, date of birth, citizenship, nationality of adoptive parents
• Date of preparation and number of the adoption act
• Place of state registration of adoption
• Date and place of issue of the adoption certificate

Only a parent may request the issuance of an adoption certificate and a paternity certificate. A duplicate of the certificate cannot be obtained by the adopted person or his/her representative by proxy. This certificate can only be obtained for minor children.

Required documents

• Valid ID

Certificate of establishment of paternity

An adoption certificate is a certificate of state registration of the fact of paternity establishment.

This document contains:

• Surname, first name, patronymic, date and place of birth, citizenship, nationality of the person recognized as the father of the child
• Surname, first name, patronymic (before and after establishing paternity), date and place of birth of the child
• Surname, name, patronymic, date and place of birth, citizenship, nationality of the child's mother
• Date of preparation and number of the record of the act of establishing paternity
• Place of state registration of paternity establishment
• Date and place of issue of the certificate of paternity

Only a parent may request the issuance of an adoption certificate and a paternity certificate. A duplicate of the certificate cannot be obtained by the adopted person or his/her representative by proxy.

Required documents

• Valid ID

Educational Documents

Foreign educational documents only carry the same legal value as Italian documents if they are exempt from legalization or have undergone the necessary legalization process. Documents from countries with bilateral agreements with Russia are fully exempt from legalization. Documents from countries that are part of the Hague Convention of 1961 undergo a simplified procedure called apostille. If neither countries are part of the convention or have bilateral agreements they undergo consular legalization

Apostille of duplicate documents in Russia

Russia joined the Hague Convention on the Simplified Legalization of Documents on the 31. May 1992.
Thus, documents issued in Russia are subject to legalization under a simplified procedure - apostille, after notarized translation into any language, such documents acquire full legal force in the territory of the wished destination.
You can order an apostille for copies and duplicates of documents from Russia from us.

When is an apostille needed

An apostille is a special stamp that confirms the authenticity of an official document. It can be used to certify documentation issued by government agencies, local government bodies, and structures that the state has granted special powers.

In our video we tell you what an apostille is, why it is needed, how and where it can be done, and also about the history of document apostilling.