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Birth certificate translation for Russia

When a foreign birth certificate is needed in Russia, which version to order, how to apostille or legalize it and what the notarized Russian translation must contain.

Updated: 2026-10-27

A foreign birth certificate is needed in Russia more often than people expect. It proves family ties, which open simpler routes to residence permits and citizenship, and it is needed when a child is enrolled in school, registered at an address or included in a parent's application.

When you need it

  • a temporary residence permit (RVP) without a quota on the ground of a Russian parent or child;
  • Russian citizenship in the simplified procedure on family grounds;
  • including a child in a parent's residence application;
  • school and kindergarten enrolment, medical insurance;
  • proving a change of name between your birth and your passport.

Which certificate to order

Countries issue birth records in different forms: a full certificate, a short extract, an international multilingual extract. For Russia the safest choice is the full version that shows both parents. A short extract without the parents' names often cannot prove a family tie.

The multilingual extracts used inside the European Union are not a substitute for an apostille and a translation in Russia.

Apostille or legalization

The certificate is filed with:

  • an apostille, if your country is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention;
  • consular legalization, if it is not;
  • neither, for documents from some CIS countries, under agreements on legal assistance.

The apostille is issued in the country that issued the certificate. Details in Apostille or consular legalization.

What the translation contains

  • every field of the certificate, including the registration number and date;
  • names of the child and both parents, in the spelling of their passport translations;
  • places of birth in their established Russian form;
  • the apostille, every item;
  • stamps and seals, marked in the translation; handwritten notes are translated where readable.

If the child and parents already have Russian documents or earlier translations, send them: names in the birth certificate must match them exactly, or the migration office may ask for proof that it is the same person.

What we need

A scan or clear photo of the certificate and the apostille. The translation with the notary's certification is ready in 1 business day.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Requirements change; check the current list with your migration office before filing.

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