Notarized passport translation in Russia

When a foreigner in Russia needs a notarized translation of the passport, whether to translate only the data page or every page, what the translation contains and how to avoid name and number mistakes.

Almost every procedure a foreigner goes through in Russia starts with the same document: a notarized Russian translation of the passport. Migration offices, registry offices (ZAGS), banks, notaries, universities and employers all need to read your name, date of birth and passport number in Russian, and the only version they accept is a translation certified by a Russian notary.

Where you will need it

• temporary residence permit (RVP) and permanent residence permit (VNZh);
• Russian citizenship;
• work permit or registration as a highly qualified specialist;
• marriage registration at a ZAGS and registering a child's birth;
• opening a bank account, buying property or signing a lease at a notary;
• university admission and diploma recognition.

The migration card and the registration at your address are filled in from your passport too, so it pays to have the translation early: every later document will copy your name from it.

Data page or the whole passport

There are two types of passport translation, and the authority decides which one it needs.

For residence permits and citizenship the migration office checks your travel history, so a data-page translation is often returned. If you are not sure which one you need, send us the scan and tell us where you are filing — we will say what that office normally asks for.

What a correct translation contains

• all data fields — surname, given names, nationality, date and place of birth, sex, issue and expiry dates, the issuing authority;
• document numbers in Latin letters, exactly as in the original;
• dates in the same format as in the original: if the passport abbreviates the month, so does the translation;
• visas — the visa of another country is translated in full; a Russian visa is given in one line with its series and number;
• entry and exit stamps — counted, not transcribed, as Russian authorities expect;
• seals and signatures marked as "(Seal)" and "(Signature)";
• the translator's signature and the notary's certification.

We check the passport number and the dates against the machine-readable zone at the bottom of the photo page. Its check digits catch a typo in a number or a date immediately — the most expensive kind of mistake, because the migration office compares the translation with your migration card and visa.

The spelling of your name

Your name is not translated but transcribed into Cyrillic, and the same Latin name can be written in Russian in more than one way. Whatever spelling the first translation uses becomes your name in Russia: it goes onto your migration documents, your RVP, your bank account. Every later translation — police clearance, birth and marriage certificates, diploma — must repeat it letter for letter.

If you already have a Russian document or an earlier translation, send it with your passport, and we will keep that spelling. Read more in our guide on name spelling in Russian documents.

Do I need to bring the original?

No. A good scan or photo of the pages is enough: the notary certifies the translator's signature, not the passport itself. The translation is ready in 1 business day, and you can collect it in Moscow or have it delivered anywhere in Russia.

When to make a new translation

A notarized translation has no expiry date. You need a new one when the passport changes: a new passport, new visas or stamps that the authority will check, or a change of name. For residence permits make the full translation shortly before filing, so it shows your latest entries.

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