Public Services
Apostilles
An apostille is the equivalent of an international notarial seal. Any document which bears an apostille is legally valid for use in all countries party to the Hague Convention of 1961 on the legalization of documents. This includes the U.S. and Russia .
To obtain an apostille on documents notarized in the U.S. (including civil records), you must apply to the Secretary of State in the state in which the document was notarized. The Secretary of State's office will verify the notary public's or other notarizing official's signature by placing an apostille on the document. As requirements vary from state to state, please contact us for more specific information.
To obtain an apostille on Russian civil documents, go to your local ZAGS office. To obtain an apostille on Russian educational documents, go to the Ministry of Education in Moscow ( 33 Shabolovka St. , Rm. 114, 1st floor, tel. 495-236-5067). To obtain an apostille on documents notarized by Russian notaries bring them to the office of the local representative of the Ministry of Justice, Legal Consulting Office. Certain Russian notaries public offer to notarize a document as well as obtain an apostille stamp on it from the Ministry of Justice.
Occasionally, Russian officials erroneously advise people to go to the Consulate or American Embassy to get an official "stamp" on documents for use in Russia . We are not empowered under U.S. , Russian, or international law to perform this function. Therefore, the Embassy cannot legally accommodate such requests. To legalize U.S. documents for use in Russia , you should follow the instructions given above for obtaining an apostille. Russian documents which must be notarized for use in Russia should be executed before Russian notaries public.