Apostille on a certificate issued in the USSR

For what reason do you need the Apostille on a birth certificate?

A necessity of affixing the Apostille stamp depends on a situation that a person faces: getting a permanent residency or a residence permit, concluding a marriage abroad, employment, studies, opening a company or a branch, family reunification, etc. The whole point of the Apostille stamp is to give a legal effect to the document on the territory of countries of the Hague Convention and also to validate the authenticity of the document.

The Apostille on birth or any other certificate such as marriage, death, name change, or divorce certificate issued by a registry office can be affixed in the Directorate of the registry office that issued the exact certificate. For example, you can affix the Apostille on birth or any other certificate, issued by a registry office in Moscow or Moscow region in the registry office archives of Moscow and Moscow region and both of them are located in Moscow. But if a certificate was issued in Nizhny Novgorod (old name is Gorky) then you can affix the Apostille in the registry office Directorate for Nizhny Novgorod region only.

Why might you be denied in affixing the Apostille?

It is particularly significant to say that there’s no always a possibility in affixing the Apostille on the old soviet birth certificate issued in the USSR( or any other certificate) due to its condition: a document can be delicate or has a blurred, hard to read stamp if the document has non-agreed notes, strikethrough or any sort of correction. In this case, it is required to get a duplicate of the birth certificate first before affixing the Apostille. The procedure of getting a duplicate has a territorial scope - to obtain a duplicate of the registry office certificate a person can only in the exact place from the previously issued document.
 
Another reason for being denied in affixing the Apostille is the special rules for affixing an Apostille within a particular region. The 7th article of the Hague Convention says that Apostille confirms the surname of the person signing the certificate and the function of it. All birth certificates of the USSR don’t have a name deciphering of the signer which contradicts the content of the Hague Convention and doesn’t allow affixing the Apostille. However, this regulation applies only to some of the regional Registry office directorates. And in this case, it reclaims a duplicate birth (or any other) certificate. Our company works throughout Russia and can help you to provide all the information about affixing the Apostille on your birth certificate issued in the USSR.

Down below you can learn about our work examples of affixing the Apostille on the registry office certificates including birth certificates issued in the USSR.

Is a power of attorney required for affixing the Apostille?

Most Russian and Moscow regions don’t require a power of attorney to affix the Apostille on a birth certificate, but some of the Registry office directorates, such as in the Republic of Dagestan or Chukotka, etc. necessarily request it because of the regional features in admission policy of affixing the Apostille.

If a certificate was issued on the territory of the former Soviet Union republics

If a birth certificate was issued during the USSR time and not on the territory of present Russia then it is impossible to affix the Apostille on this document. To get an Apostille in your country you’ll need to obtain a duplicate of your certificate on the territory of the present state, that was previously included in the USSR.

To affix the Apostille in Russia you’ll need to provide only a notarized copy of your document. Please note: this procedure confirms not a document’s but signature’s authenticity and a notary who certified the accordance of the copy and the original document. You need to check with the host if this option is right for them. Applying the Apostille on a copy is usually used if it’s impossible to affix the Apostille on the original certificate for any reason.

Tariffs and terms

We stand ready to assist you in affixing the Apostille on your certificate of the USSR. Сosts and terms of our service area in the table below: