Public Services
Getting Married
Please note that these guidelines do not apply to Americans who intend to marry other Americans or third-country nationals in Russia. The guidelines are subject to change without notice.
Five Steps to a Russian Marriage:
1. Prepare a marriage letter at the U.S Embassy in Moscow
U.S. citizens who intend to marry in Russia must complete a standard affidavit form(svidetel'stvo)(pdf document /120Kb) // Please download a Free version of Adobe Acrobat in order to view pdf documents
. The form must be completed in Russian and sworn to/affirmed in person before a U.S. Consul at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow (the service cannot be performed in Yekaterinburg because the signature of a Moscow Consular Officer is necessary for the next step, below). The transliteration of your name should be identical to that on your Russian visa. The American Citizen Services Unit of the Embassy offers notarial services Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.; the cost is $30 or the equivalent in rubles.
2. Have the marriage letter authenticated at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow
Authentication of the marriage letter may only be done in Moscow . This service is performed by the Department of Legalization of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at Neopalimovskiy Pereulok, dom 12a (see map below), approximately a twelve-minute walk from Smolenskaya Metro (on the dark blue Moscow line). The hours of operation are from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. (until 4:30 p.m. on Friday). Monday through Friday; telephone 244-3797. The procedure costs around 100 rubles, and the authentication process takes five days. There is no next-day or otherwise expedited service available. All fees can be paid at the Sberkassa located in the waiting room of the Department of Legalization.
3. Obtain an official notarized translation of the information page of your passport
The Consulate General cannot perform this service. However, the necessary notarized translation can be obtained at any translation center in Russia that has a notary public present.
Partial List of Translation Centers in Moscow:
4. Get married at the Civil Registry Office (ZAGS)
Start by having your paperwork approved by the ZAGS (Zapis' Aktov Grazhdanskogo Sostoyaniya). Please note that if you have been married before, ZAGS office requires that a certified copy of your divorce decree (or other document proving that the previous marriage was legally terminated), with an apostille stamp. The procedure for obtaining and apostille varies from state to state, so please contact us for more information on procedures.
Next, pay the marriage registration fee (Rb 100, subject to change) at any Sberkassa. Take the receipt for the marriage registration fee to the Marriage Office. Schedule the date for the marriage ceremony, usually one to two months in the future (there is a mandatory 30 day waiting period). Marriage Office employees will give you a price list for various wedding ceremony options.
A Russian fiance(e) may schedule the date of the wedding ceremony without the US citizen present. In these cases, the following U.S. documents (notarized with an apostille stamp) are required: letter of intention to marry; state record stating that you are free to marry; if you have been married before, a document proving that your previous marriage was legally terminated. For further instructions, contact ZAGS by phone at 3432-763635 or 3432-614125.
5. Congratulations!
Immigrant visas are issued only at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow , not at the Consulate. If you were married in our consular district, however, you can file the I-130 petition in Yekaterinburg to start the immigration process. Filing at the Consulate can often save considerable time.
General information on immigration of a spouse to the United States
Information on Immigrant Visa processing at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow