Apostille Russia 🇷🇺

Apostille Stamp Russian Federation

Apostille in Russia is a special stamp 12.5 cm by 12.5 cm. Where it is indicated: country, full name of the official who signed the document , submitted for affixing an apostille, the body where the apostille is signed, place (city), apostille number.

Russia joined the Hague Convention in 1992.

What is an apostille?

An apostille is a special stamp that confirms the official’s signature on the document provided.

The Hague Convention of 1961, its full name is the Convention Abolishing the Requirements for Legalization of Foreign Public Documents. The Hague Convention established a procedure for confirming documents of official participants in the convention.

The Hague Convention states that official documents, which are understood as such in the convention, are documents that come from government bodies or officials. Which are located on the territory of a state that has signed the Hague Convention. 

And also administrative documents, acts of civil status: marriage certificate (certificate of marriage or marriage), birth certificate (birth certificate or birth certificate), divorce certificate, death certificate, certificate of civil status (married, single, married, unmarried) not to be confused with a certificate of composition family, certificate of change of surname.

In order to find out whether you need an apostille or legalization, you should check the latest list of countries that have signed the Apostille (Apostille Convention). 

Where can I place an Apostille in Russia?

– Bodies Registration Office Russia(apostille for documents on civil status: birth certificate, marriage certificate, divorce certificate, certificate of civil status (status or unmarried), certificate of change of surname),

– Ministry of Justice of Russia(apostille on notarial documents or acts: powers of attorney and declarations, copies, translated documents and other notarial acts), 

– Ministry of Education of Russia (apostille for higher education diplomas, school certificates, grade certificates, analytical programs),

– information centers of the GUMVD or Regional Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (apostille for a certificate of good conduct, no fines or administrative penalties),

Archives of the Russian Federation (apostille for archival extracts and documents),

– Prosecutor General’s Office of Russia (apostille for documents issued by the prosecutor’s office),

– Ministry of Defense of Russia (military ID, information certificates and certificates of military service).

What does a Russian apostille look like?

Photo of Russian apostille:

 

Text of the Russian apostille

Russian language

(Convention de La Haye du 5 October 1961)

1. Russian Federation

This official document

2. Signed: ___________________________

3. Acting as: ________________

4. Seal/stamp ________________

Certified

5. In the city: __________________

6. Date: __________________

7. By: ________________

8. No. ____________________

9. Print location

10. Signature

Why do you need an apostille if documents from Russia already have the seal and signature of an official?

After all, in the Russian Federation there are many officials working in ministries, departments, government bodies, archives and registry offices.

Officials change periodically, and, accordingly, their signatures change. To verify the authenticity and reliability of the document, as well as to prevent possible forgeries, it is necessary to check whether the official’s signature matches the samples of his signature and whether he really signed this document.

However, in the case of such a large number of documents and officials, this is very difficult to do. This is especially difficult for foreign officials who accept your documents abroad.

In this regard, a system of confirming all signatures and seals by several persons was introduced to make the work of foreign officials easier. Such a system also reduces the processing time abroad and the waiting time for applicants. This system makes it easier for local officials responsible for apostilles to verify signatures, seals and the documents themselves, including their forms and contents.

Also, employees who have access to the internal database of signatures, seals and samples up to documents are included in a special register with their signatures. However, this register is limited to a small number of signatures, samples of which are shared with other partner countries or can be easily verified by other means.

There are two procedures for confirming documents. The first procedure, the most reliable, is the legalization of documents. After the documents are signed by the issuing official, they are certified by an official from the ministry, usually the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The final signature is then verified and certified by the consulate of the country where the documents must be submitted. Verification is carried out based on the current signature database along a chain of three departments.

The second procedure is based on greater trust and bypasses one department, as a rule, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In this case we are talking about an apostille. An apostille is a special stamp of an established form, which greatly simplifies the procedure for recognizing documents of one state on the territory of another.

Refusal to affix an apostille in Russia. Reasons, description

Refusal to process documents required to perform a government function occurs in the following situations:

1. An official document is intended for submission to government agencies of a country that is not part of the Convention;
2. An official document issued by an authority, official, notary or legal entity of a foreign state;
3. The official document was issued by an authority entitled to apostille;
4. The official document does not contain the signature of the person who issued it and (or) the seal/stamp of a government body, a notary, an official authorized to perform notarial acts in accordance with the legislation of Russia, a local government body and other bodies and persons who issued the official document;
5. Corrections to the text of the official document have not been approved by the signatory;
6. Signatures of persons and (or) seals/stamps on an official document are unclear and cannot be compared with samples available at the Ministry of Justice of Russia or its regional structures;
7. The pages of the official document are not stitched and (or) not numbered and (or) not certified by the seal/stamp of the body or person issuing the official document.

Refusal to provide public services occurs for the following reasons:

1. The official document does not provide for export outside Russia in accordance with USSR Law No. 2261-1 of June 24, 1991 “On the procedure for export, forwarding and requesting personal documents of Soviet and foreign citizens and stateless persons from the USSR abroad”;
2. An official document is intended for use in a country with which Russia has entered into a treaty (agreement) that abolishes the requirement for any type of legalization of documents;
3. The person who signs the official document does not have the authority to sign it;
4. The signature of the person who signed the official document and (or) the seal/stamp imprint on the official document do not correspond to the samples stored in the Ministry of Justice of Russia or its regional division;
5. The signature of the person who signed the official document and (or) the imprint of the seal/stamp on the official document cannot be confirmed by the Ministry of Justice of Russia or its regional division due to the lack of samples of the signature of such a person and (or) the imprint of such a seal/stamp and the absence these samples from the authority that issued the official document, as well as their failure to confirm the fact of the execution of the official document;
6. The official document was issued by diplomatic missions and consular offices;
7. An official document related to a commercial or customs transaction;
8. Receipt by the Ministry of Justice of Russia (its regional division) of documented information on the entry into force of a court decision, which canceled a completed notarial act or invalidated an official document submitted by th for the provision of public services.

The provision of public services is regulated by the Administrative Regulations for the provision by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation of public services for affixing an apostille on Russian official documents intended for export outside Russia, approved by Order of the Ministry of Justice of Russia dated May 4, 2017 No. 75.