Glossary

Criminal record certificate

A certificate from the Ministry of Internal Affairs stating whether or not a person has a criminal record; it is free, and only the apostille is paid for.

Checked on 12 September 2026

The certificate is issued by the Main Information and Analytical Centre of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or by a regional Information Centre, and can be ordered in any region: there is no link to your registered address. The certificate itself is free; the only payment is the state fee for the apostille.

State the purpose as ‘for use outside the Russian Federation’ when ordering, otherwise the certificate is issued on a form that cannot be apostilled. Abroad this document is often called a police clearance certificate.

Checked on 12 September 2026 Sources: www.consultant.ru, do.gosuslugi.ru