Legalization of Russian documents to be used abroad
Document intended for use abroad and executed by official bodies of the Russian Federation shall be legalized, if otherwise specified by provisions of international treaties revoking legalization procedure, performed between the Russia and the country where the document is used.
Legalization of Russian documents to be used abroad usually performed as follows:
- notarial certification of the document copy, notarial certification of its true translation into a foreign language;
- The Russian federation Ministry of Justice (Moscow, Bolshoy Karetny lane, 10) will certify true signature and seal of the notary public;
- Consular Department of Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (Moscow, 1st Neopalimovsky lane, 12, business hours from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 15:00 to 17:00), will certify true seal of Russian Ministry of Justice and signature of the functionary.
After legalization by Russian MIA Consular Department, the documentation shall be legalized in the consulate of the country of use. At this, foreign consul will confirm true signature and seal of the authorized officer of Russian MIA Consular Department on the basis of specimens he possesses.
As a rule, Russian documents are legalized in the form of notarized copies except educational certificates in the form specified for use abroad. The last shall be legalized in original copies by Russian MIA Consular Department.
Documents issued in the territory of former union republics until December 1991 shall be legalized in the form of true copies, too.
Employment histories, military IDs and ID cards shall not be exported and moved through the borderlines; that is why in accordance with the established procedure of legalization they shall be accepted nether in original, nor in copies. Documents executed by Russian legal entities shall be legalized provided that registered in accordance with the Russian Federation laws.
For example, joint Stock Company’s Articles of Association will be legalized in the form of notarized copy provided that it was registered with Russian federal body and bears any and all required marks and seals on registration. Certificate of Conformity may be legalized in the form of notarized copy if issued by authorized federal body, but not by the producer for his own products.
Federal duty and charges are collected against covering actual expenses for legalization with MIA Consulate Department of Russia.
Consideration of the documents provided for legalization takes five-seven business days.
Legalization of foreign documents to be used in the Russian Federation
Foreign documents, intended for use in the Russian Federation, will be legalized with Russian consulates abroad after they have been legalized with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or with any other duly authorized body of the country of origin in accordance with the procedure established by the laws of such country.
In the territory of the Russian Federation the documents performed and duly legalized with the consulates of foreign countries will be legalized with the MIA Consular Department of Russia.
Legalization annulment
Under the Hague Convention dated October 5, 1961 concealing required legalization of foreign documents, which Russia joined May 31, 1992, the documents intended for submission with official bodies of the states-participants of the Convention will be certified in accordance with a special conventional procedure. It excludes ordinary legalization “chain” ending with the embassies (consulates) of the states where the document is intended for use. Instead of this, authorized body of the country of the document execution will put a special stamp – Apostil.
Apostil certifies true signature, title of the functionary signed the document and true seal and stamp under such document. Signature, seal and stamp put to the Apostil not require additional certification. Each state-participant of the Hague Convention will determine and appoint the body authorized for putting the Apostil.
A number of bilateral agreements on legal support and legal relations in civil, family and criminal cases, executed by the Russian Federation, and the Convention on legal support and legal relations in civil, family and criminal cases, signed January 22, 1993 in the city of Minsk by the countries-CIS members determine procedure when the documents issued by official bodies of one agreed party shall be deemed as official and possessing evidential effect of official documents in the other agreed country without any additional certification, it means without legalization.
Example:
List of states executed bilateral agreements on legal support with the Russian Federation
| No. | Country | Execution date | Effective date |
| 1. | Azerbaijan | December 22, 1992 | not effective |
| 2. | Algeria | February 23, 1982 | March 29, 1984 |
| 3. | Bulgaria | February 19, 1975 | January 19, 1976 |
| 4. | Hungary | July 15, 1958 October 19, 1971 | January 4, 1959 June 23, 1972 |
| 5. | Vietnam | December 10, 1981 | October 11, 1982 |
| 6. | Greece | May 21, 1981 | September 1, 1982 |
| 7. | Iraqi | June 22, 1973 | April 22, 1974 |
| 8. | Italy | January 25, 1979 | August 8, 1986 |
| 9. | Cyprus | January 19, 1984 | March 27, 1987 |
| 10. | China | June 19, 1992 | November 14, 1993 |
| 11. | DPRK | December 16, 1957 | March 5, 1958 |
| 12. | Cuba | November 28, 1984 | August 7, 1986 |
| 13. | Kyrgyzstan | September 14, 1992 | February 25, 1994 |
| 14. | Latvia | February 3, 1993 | not effective |
| 15. | Lithuania | July 21, 1992 | January 21, 1995 |
| 16. | Moldova | February 25, 1993 | not effective |
| 17. | Mongolia | September 23, 1988 | November 12, 1990 |
| 18. | Republic of Yemen | December 6, 1985 | October 24, 1986 |
| 19. | Poland | December 28, 1957 January 23, 1980 | June 8, 1958 November 15, 1980 |
| 20. | Romania | April 3, 1958 | September 19, 1958 |
| 21. | Tunisia | June 26, 1984 | June 13, 1986 |
| 22. | Finland | August 11, 1978 | August 9, 1980 |
| 23. | Czechoslovakia | August 12, 1982 | June 4, 1983 |
| 24. | Estonia | January 26, 1993 | not effective |
| 25. | Federative Republic of Yugoslavia | February 24, 1962 | May 26, 1963 |
Convention on legal support and legal relations in civil, family and criminal cases executed in Minsk in 1993 is effective for the following countries:
Azerbaijan
Byelorussia
Kyrgyzstan
Russia
Kazakhstan
Turkmenistan
Armenia
Georgia
Moldavia
Tajikistan
Uzbekistan
Ukraine