Apostille on a criminal record certificate: who affixes it, what it costs, how long it takes
Certificate of the presence or absence of a criminal record. Russian law sets no validity period for the certificate, but consulates and universities usually require it to be three to six months old at most on the date of submission: plan to obtain it close to that date.
- Who affixes it
- The Main Information and Analytical Centre of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, or the regional Information Centre that issued the certificate
- State fee
- USD 30state fee for affixing an apostille, charged per document, Tax Code art. 333.33(1)(48); the certificate itself is issued free of charge, only the apostille is paid for
- Time
- 5–30 working daysthe certificate itself takes up to 30 calendar days; the apostille takes about a further 5 working days once the certificate is ready. Ask about the combined time when you apply, as Information Centres count it differently
- Where to apply
- In any regionThe certificate and the apostille on it can be obtained through the Information Centre of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in any region: there is no link to your registered address.
- On the original
- Yes
- On a notarised copy
- No
Drop off documents in person
Drop-off points for notarised translation, apostille, legalisation and document retrieval orders:
- Москва 9 pointsБелорусская metroМаяковская metroЧеховская, Пушкинская, Тверская metroКузнецкий Мост metroКурская metroПавелецкая metroАвтозаводская metroПарк культуры (выход 1) metroВыставочная metro
- Химки, ул. Молодёжная, 70
- Краснодар, ул. Кузнечная, 6, офис 4; Краснодар, ул. Зиповская, 5/1
- Горячий Ключ, ул. Ленина, 37
Where are you taking the a criminal record certificate?
Choose the region of issue and the destination country: the chain of steps appears at once.
What to do before applying
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01
Order the certificate through Gosuslugi
Order the certificate through Gosuslugi, or in person at the Information Centre of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, stating explicitly that it is ‘for use outside the Russian Federation’ and requesting an apostille: otherwise the certificate is issued without one and an apostille cannot be added to that copy later
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02
Collect the original from the Information Centre of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, not from an MFC and not in electronic form: the apostille goes on a paper document on the Information Centre’s letterhead
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03
If all you have is the MFC copy
If all you have is the MFC copy, there are two ways out: obtain the original from the Information Centre, or have a notary certify a copy — the Ministry of Justice affixes an apostille to a notarised copy. Whether the receiving institution accepts a copy instead of the original is a question for them: many consulates insist on the original
The certificate itself costs nothing; the only payment is the state fee for the apostille.
Where a criminal record certificate is apostilled
You may apply in any region. Below are the authorities whose addresses we have verified.
Информационный центр ГУ МВД России по Краснодарскому краю (апостиль на справку о несудимости)
Информационный центр ГУ МВД России по Московской области (апостиль на справку о несудимости)
- Like the regional office of the Ministry of Justice, the Information Centre is located in Moscow rather than in the regional capital
- A certificate with an apostille can be ordered through Gosuslugi, the Information Centre itself or an MFC public services centre of Moscow Region
Зональный информационный центр ГУ МВД России по г. Москве (апостиль на справку о несудимости)
- The apostille is affixed to the reverse side of the criminal record certificate
- Obtaining the certificate and obtaining the apostille on it are two separate steps, the apostille has to be ordered separately
Информационный центр ГУ МВД России по Нижегородской области (апостиль на справку о несудимости)
Информационный центр ГУ МВД России по Новосибирской области (апостиль на справку о несудимости)
- The application can also be submitted at any MFC public services centre in Novosibirsk and the region, not only at the Information Centre
- There is an additional, less well-known intake point at ул. Челюскинцев, 2, open only two days a week
Информационный центр ГУ МВД России по Ростовской области (апостиль на справку о несудимости)
Информационный центр ГУ МВД России по Санкт-Петербургу и Ленинградской области (апостиль на справку о несудимости)
- Since 2014 the criminal record certificate can also be ordered through the district MFC public services centres of Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Region
- One Information Centre serves both regions, the city and the region
Информационный центр ГУ МВД России по Свердловской области (апостиль на справку о несудимости)
Информационный центр МВД по Республике Татарстан (апостиль на справку о несудимости)
- The apostille is affixed to the reverse side of the certificate
- The service takes up to 30 days from the date the application is registered at the Information Centre
Other regions: the city pages and the ‘Where to apply’ directory.
Criminal record certificate by destination country
Ready-made routes for the most common destinations.
All 196 countries as a list
What an apostille on a criminal record certificate looks like
The form is the same for every country and authority: a square stamp with ten numbered fields and a French heading. It is placed on the document itself or on a separate sheet attached to it (Article 4 of the Hague Convention). Hover over a field to see what goes in it.
The form of the stamp is set out in the annex to the 1961 Hague Convention and is the same in every contracting state. The heading in French is compulsory; the other captions may be repeated in the language of the country. The square measures at least 9 centimetres on each side.
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1CountryPays
The state where the document itself was issued, not the one it is going to.
Example Russian Federation
People sometimes look here for the destination country and conclude that the stamp is the wrong one.
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2This public document has been signed bya été signé par
The surname and initials of whoever signed the document.
Example A. P. Ivanova
The name here belongs to the official or the notary, not to the holder of the document.
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3acting in the capacity ofagissant en qualité de
The office held by the signatory: head of a civil registry department, notary, vice-rector.
Example head of the civil registry department
A mismatch between the office stated in the document and in the apostille gives the receiving institution grounds to refuse.
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4bears the seal / stamp ofrevêtu du sceau / timbre de
The body whose seal appears on the document.
Example the Civil Registry Department of the City of Krasnodar
The seal of the issuing body and the authority that affixed the apostille are two different things and need not match.
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5atà
The place where the apostille was affixed.
Example Krasnodar
The city of the apostille need not be the city where the document was issued.
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6thele
The date the apostille was affixed.
Example 13.09.2026
How long a document stays valid is counted from the date the document was issued, not from this date.
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7bypar
The authority that affixed the apostille: a regional civil registry authority, the Ministry of Justice, an education authority, the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Example the Civil Registry Office of Krasnodar Krai
Applying to the wrong authority is the commonest reason documents are turned away.
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8Nosous No
The number of the apostille in the authority's register. It is what authenticity is checked against.
Example 23-14-000123
Without a number the stamp is invalid: there is nothing to check it against.
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9Seal / stampSceau / timbre
The seal of the authority that affixed the apostille.
Example the official seal of the office
The seal must belong to the authority in field 7, not to the body in field 4.
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10SignatureSignature
The signature of the official of the authority that affixed the apostille.
Example a signature with the name spelled out
A facsimile in place of a wet signature is a sign of a forgery.
Questions
Do I need an apostille on a criminal record certificate?
Can an apostille be placed on a criminal record certificate?
What does an apostille on a criminal record certificate look like?
We can obtain the apostille on your a criminal record certificate
A courier collects the document, we submit it to the authority and return it with the apostille. The state fee is already in the price and you pay once a manager has confirmed the scope.
No notarised power of attorney needed: for most documents a passport scan is enough