Services, Useful Information & Fees
Notarial Services
If a document signed by a person located in the U.S. must be notarized for use in Russia, that document should first be notarized in the U.S. and then submitted to the office of the Secretary of State of the state in which the notarial was performed to be affixed with an apostille. A document bearing an apostille is legal and valid in Russia as well as other countries that are signatories to the Hague Legalization Convention of 1961.
The Consulate cannot certify or authenticate state documents such as birth certificates, drivers' licenses, or divorce decrees. Nor can the Consulate provide or certify official translations of documents.
Notarial services fees are as follows:
Notarial Service
First service (seal) - $30
Each additional seal provided for the same transaction - $20
Certification of a true copy
First copy - $30
Each additional copy provided for the same transaction - $20
We accept U.S. dollars, rubles and credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express) for payment of these fees.
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.
- To obtain an apostille on Russian civil documents (birth, marriage, death certificates), contact ZAGS office at 39 Tavricheskaya St. in St. Petersburg, tel.: 271-3651. Public hours: Tue, Thu – 10am-5pm, lunch 2pm-3pm, Wed – 3pm-5pm. Fee – currently 300 Rubles.
- To obtain an apostille on Russian educational documents, contact the Ministry of Education in Moscow (33 Shabolovka St., Rm. 114, 1st floor, tel. (495) 236-5067).
- To obtain an apostille on a copy of a document, notarized by a Russian notary bring your passport, an original document, a notarized copy, a xerox copy of a notarized copy of a document to the Chief Directorate of the Federal Registration Service (3 Smolnogo St., tel. 710-0230.) , M, W, 14-16, Fr- 9:30-11 am. The fee (currently 300 Rubles needs to be paid at any Sberkassa, for example 20 Suvorovskiy pr).
Certain Russian notaries public offer to notarize a document as well as obtain an apostille stamp on it from the Registration Service.
Various Russian officials sometimes erroneously advise people to go to the American Consulate to get an official Consulate "stamp" on documents for use in Russia. The Consulate is not empowered under U.S., Russian, or international law to perform this function. Therefore, the Consulate 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.
Updated April 2009
Appointment System for American Citizen Services
The American Citizen Services (ACS) Unit of the U.S. Consulate General in St. Petersburg has introduced an Appointment System for all services, including passport renewals (and passport extra pages), Consular Reports of Birth Abroad, notarial services, and other inquiries. Please make your appointment before you visit the Consular Section. Make an Appointment Now!