Russian certificates and documents via consulate – assistance abroad

Criminal record certificate from abroad: how to get one

There are three ways. Through the consulate: you submit an application (in many consulates it is filled in on sos.kdmid.ru), the consulate requests the information from the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) and issues the certificate. The official time limit is up to 30 days; in practice it usually takes about a month or longer: the main delay is getting an appointment, and in some countries the whole process takes several months. No apostille is placed on such a certificate.

Through a representative in Russia: acting under a power of attorney, they order the certificate from the MVD or on Gosuslugi, with an apostille straight away if needed, and collect it in person. This is the only way if the receiving country requires an apostille.

On your own through Gosuslugi: the electronic certificate arrives in your personal account, but it cannot be apostilled, and a paper certificate still has to be collected by a representative.

We prepare the application for the consulate or the power of attorney for your representative; we do not request certificates from Russia ourselves and do not apostille them.

Apostille on a criminal record certificate: can a consulate add it?

No. An apostille is placed in the country where the document was issued. On a Russian criminal record certificate it is placed by the MVD: the MVD information centre of the region where the certificate was issued, or the Main Information and Analytical Centre of the Russian MVD (GIAC).

You can order the certificate with an apostille straight away on Gosuslugi: in the service "Obtaining a certificate of criminal record (or no criminal record)", choose the option "with apostille". The state duty for the apostille is 2,500 ₽; it takes up to 30 days for the certificate and up to 5 business days for the apostille.

This certificate is issued only on paper and must be collected in person at the MVD or a multifunctional public service centre (MFC). If you are abroad, your representative acting under a power of attorney will collect the apostilled certificate — we will prepare that power of attorney. The electronic certificate from Gosuslugi cannot be apostilled.

If the destination country is not a party to the Hague Convention, consular legalization is required instead of an apostille.

Marital status certificate for marriage abroad

To marry a foreign national, you are often asked for a document confirming that you are not married. Russia has no ready-made certificate of this kind: the information is requested from the civil registry office (ZAGS) — through the consulate (usually 2–6 months) or through a representative acting under a power of attorney. On that basis, the consulate issues the required document. The second option is to have a statement of marital status (a marriage eligibility statement) certified at the consulate: on your own responsibility you list your previous marriages and minor children and confirm that there are no obstacles to marriage. Such a statement is not accepted in every country — check with the receiving authority.

Certificates: processing times and cost

We prepare the application within 2 business days of payment. How long it takes to get the certificate itself depends on the type of certificate and on the issuing authority: requesting documents from Russia can take up to 6 months. Our service costs from 88 $; the consular fee is separate.