Glossary

Competent authority

The body authorised to affix an apostille to a given category of Russian documents — a different one for each type of document.

Checked on 12 September 2026

‘Competent authority’ is the convention's own term for the body a state designates to affix apostilles. Russia has no single one: it is the authority that issued the document or is responsible for its category.

Under Federal Law No. 330-FZ these are the regional civil registry authorities, regional education authorities, territorial bodies of the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the archives, the Ministry of Defence and the Prosecutor General's Office.

Checked on 12 September 2026 Sources: base.garant.ru