Apostille

What is an apostille?

This is an international stamp that gives documents legal validity outside the country of issue. It is affixed to originals or notarized copies and is valid in all countries that have acceded to the Hague Convention of October 5, 1961. Apostilization is a common type of legalization of personal documents, educational certificates, powers of attorney, and statutory documents. Having received an apostille once, the document will be accepted in all countries of the Hague Agreement, and there are already more than 120 such countries and their number is steadily growing.

Who needs an apostille?

It is required both for Russian citizens outside the Russian Federation and for foreigners who have arrived in Russia in the following cases:

  • when enrolling in secondary school or university – applicants will need an apostille for a certificate or diploma;
  • for employment – applicants need to submit apostilized certificates of qualification;
  • when addressing the bank – powers of attorney issued by an authority of another state will not be accepted without this stamp;
  • when applying for residence permit or citizenship - they will ask to prepare a birth/marriage certificate, certificate of no criminal record.

How do I make an apostille of documents?

Depending on the place of issuance, apostilization is performed by different government agencies:

  • original certificates of marriage, divorce, birth, death relate to the activity of the Civil Registry Office archive;
  • the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation is responsible for stamping the original criminal record certificates;
  • diplomas, certificates of secondary education and other academic certificates are prepared through the Department of Education of the City of Moscow;
  • Notarized powers of attorney, copies, translations are apostilled through the Ministry of Justice.

The latter is the most popular method because it takes the least amount of time and there are almost no restrictions on the documents that can be apostilled. There is still one limitation though – when preparing the papers, take into account that an apostille can only be made in the region where the document was issued. For example, a power of attorney certified by a notary from Samara cannot be apostilled in Moscow. The exception is the Department of Education, here you can prepare certificates from any institution in the country.

For which countries is an apostille appropriate?

More than 120 states have already joined the Hague Agreement: the whole of Europe, the CIS, several countries of the Arab world, Africa, Asia and Oceania. A complete list of where apostille is accepted in 2024 can be viewed here. All others require complete Consular Legalization, a more complicated paperwork process.

Benefits of working with BetterLetter

  • Fair prices;
  • We provide a complete solution: we ourselves make notarized copies and translate into any languages of the world - you get fully prepared documents;
  • We accept orders remotely, personal presence is not necessary.

Examples of our work

Front side of the criminal record certificate Apostille on the criminal record certificate

Example of apostille on the certificate of no criminal record

Cost

Apostille of documents in the Ministry of Justice
The following is the cost of apostille on one document issued in the territory of the Russian Federation, including payment of the state duty. The cost of making notarized copies (if necessary) is calculated separately. The final term of the service may change and depends on the deadlines in the relevant state body. Apostille affixing on documents issued outside the Russian Federation can be performed only in the country of issue.
ServiceCostTime to completionExpress rate
Apostille of documents in the Ministry of Justicefrom 4 900 5-7 working daysCheck with manager
Apostille of documents in the Registry Office
The following is the cost of apostille on one document issued in the territory of the Russian Federation, including payment of the state duty. The cost of making notarized copies (if necessary) is calculated separately. The final term of the service may change and depends on the deadlines in the relevant state body. Apostille affixing on documents issued outside the Russian Federation can be performed only in the country of issue.
ServiceCostTime to completionExpress rate
Apostille of documents in the Registry Officefrom 5 500 6-12 working daysCheck with manager
Apostille of documents in the Ministry of Internal Affairs
The following is the cost of apostille on one document issued in the territory of the Russian Federation, including payment of the state duty. The cost of making notarized copies (if necessary) is calculated separately. The final term of the service may change and depends on the deadlines in the relevant state body. Apostille affixing on documents issued outside the Russian Federation can be performed only in the country of issue.
ServiceCostTime to completionExpress rate
Apostille of documents in the Ministry of Internal Affairsfrom 4 900 5-7 working daysCheck with manager

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Time to completion: from 1 working day
The displayed cost and time to completion are only indicative and shall be confirmed by our manager when processing the order.

Our customers' reviews

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asderty96 22 May 2024

Just wanted to say a big thank you to the team at BetterLetter Translation Company for the great quality and speedy service. Everything is absolutely perfect! We're now going to be using this office only. The location is really convenient.

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Alexandra P. 16 May 2024

I've visited a lot of translation offices, and this one is definitely my favorite! The staff have a great attitude towards clients and the atmosphere is really friendly. They explained everything to me in a calm and clear way, and they were really patient with my silly questions. After seeing what other offices are like, this place really stands out. 🥲 Thanks so much, Sergey! I hope this office will be successful and grow.❤️

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Yulia Kisulina 29 April 2024

Thanks so much for the work done in a timely manner! I'm really happy that the office is located near the metro. The service was fast, affordable, and high-quality. Overall, I was really satisfied! I'll definitely recommend this translation company to my friends because I'm now confident in it. 👌🏻👌🏻

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Sergey P. 26 April 2024

I reached out to this office to have some documents translated and notarized in English. I needed it done fast. They got it done quickly, efficiently, and professionally! I'd definitely recommend them.

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