Federal Law No. 330-FZ on affixing apostilles
The law of 28 November 2015 setting out how apostilles are affixed to Russian public documents intended for use abroad.
The law determines which authorities may apostille which documents, within what time and on what grounds an application may be refused. It came into force in 2016 and replaced a patchwork of departmental instructions.
The grounds for refusal matter in practice: an authority refuses where the document was issued in another region, where it is damaged or laminated, or where the signature and seal cannot be verified.
Related terms
Apostille
A stamp of a single international form confirming the authenticity of the signature, the seal and the office shown on a public document for use in another country.
OpenCompetent authority
The body authorised to affix an apostille to a given category of Russian documents — a different one for each type of document.
OpenHague Convention
The Convention of 5 October 1961 abolishing the requirement of legalisation for foreign public documents between contracting states and introducing the apostille.
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