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Please be advised that the United States and the Russian Federation are signatories to the Hague Convention of October 5, 1961. In accordance with the Convention, in order for U.S. documents to be valid in Russia, they must bear an Apostille - certificate confirming the capacity of the government official signing the document, authenticity of the signature and, where appropriate, of the seal or stamp on the document. Documents with Apostille do not require any further legalization.
Nonetheless, according to the established common practice, official organizations in the Russian Federation may not accept foreign documents if they are not accompanied by a certified translations; many organizations require certified translations to be legalized by consular offices of the Russian Federation in the countries where the documents originated. Furthermore, due to the different forms of execution of Apostille in Russia (seal) and in the United States (certificate), receiving organizations in Russia may ask for additional proof of proper legalization.
In view of the above, it is advised that the documents intended for use in Russia must be certified as to the accuracy of translation and proper legalization at the consular offices of the Russian Federation. Each document must be:
- Acknowledged before a Notary Public (in case of Certificates of Incorporation, Amendments, Addenda, Goodstanding and the like - presented in the form of certified copies issued by the Department of State where the company was incorporated);
- Certified by an Apostille issued by the Department of State in the respective state;
- Accompanied by a certified translation (the Apostille page and the entire content of the document must be translated); the translation should be sewn together with the original document in a way acceptable in the Russian Federation)
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