Marrying a Foreigner in Russia – Document Apostille

The huge and bustling country of Russia has a lot to offer! If you’re considering marrying a Russian, you need to keep your paperwork straight from the beginning and figure out where and when you need to do what. Here are the steps to marry in Russia.

Marriage Process, Affidavit of Single Status and Apostille

First, make sure your visa is registered by your sponsor at the local or central Office of Foreign Visa Registration in Moscow. If you are an American citizen, you must next complete an affidavit where you swear that aren’t currently married (Affidavit of Single Status). The form needs to be translated into Russian, notarized and bear an Apostille Stamp. Your transliterated name should be identical to the name on your Russian visa.

Next, you need to present to the Russian authorities your Birth Certificate, also accompanied with the certified translation into Russian and apostilled.

When in Russia, you should get your marriage letter authenticated at the Department of Legalization of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is located at Neopalimovskiy pereulok, dom 12a, near Smolenskaya Metro in Moscow. The hours are 10 AM to 1 PM and 3 PM to 5 PM. It costs about 100 rubles (pay at the Sberkassa in the Department of Legalization waiting room) and takes five days, with no way to expedite the process. Finally, get an official translation of your passport information page from a Russian notary public at a certified translation center.

Once this is done, contact the Zapis Aktov Grazhdanskogo Sostoyaniya office where your fiancé or fiancée is registered with these documents. They may need apostilled copies of divorce decrees or death certificates. Thirty-two days after the date of registration, your civil marriage will be scheduled. For those getting married to a resident of Moscow, bring these documents and your passport and visa to the Civil Registry office, located at the Palace of Weddings, 17 Butyrskaya St.

Helpful Tips

* The waiting processes here can’t be sped up. You will need at least five days for the Russian authentication and 32 days before your civil marriage, so it will take about forty days. You don’t have to stay in Russia while you wait for the 32-day period, but both of you must be present on the scheduled day to get your marriage license.

* Certified apostille stamps are only available in the USA, so plan ahead before you leave and contact your Embassy before traveling to make sure you have everything you will need, as it’s a long and expensive trip to the US and back.

* Russian weddings can often be lavish and religious in nature, though the actual ceremony is a civil procedural one. With large and friendly families being the norm, you will hopefully be welcomed quickly by your new spouse’s family.

The process of a Russian marriage can be complicated, but if you make sure you have everything you’ll need before you leave the USA, it will mostly be a matter of waiting!

If you need assistance in document preparation for a marriage in Russia, the Apoling Solutions’ team of notaries public, apostille agents and professional Russian translators is here to give you an advice on how to make your dream come true by providing document apostille services meeting strict requirements of the Russian authorities.