Consular legalisation
The chain of notary, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the destination country's consulate, in place of a single apostille.
Consular legalisation is required for countries outside the 1961 Hague Convention that have no treaty on legal assistance with Russia. Instead of one stamp the document passes through certifications in sequence, each confirming the signature on the one before, ending at the consulate of the destination country in Moscow.
The state fee at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is RUB 350 per document; the consulate sets its own fee, which is often several times higher.
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.
OpenConsular Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that confirms the signature of the Ministry of Justice official before the document goes to a foreign consulate.
OpenVisa centre handling legalisation
A commercial intermediary to which some consulates have delegated the acceptance of documents for legalisation instead of receiving them in person.
OpenConsular fee
The payment to a foreign consulate for the final stage of consular legalisation; the amount and the currency are set by the consulate, not by Russia.
OpenState fee
A payment under the Russian Tax Code: RUB 2,500 per document for an apostille and RUB 350 for legalisation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as at the date checked.
Open