No legalisation needed
Russia has treaties on legal assistance with a number of countries, both multilateral and bilateral. A Russian public document is accepted there without an apostille and without consular legalisation, at most with a translation.
A treaty on legal assistance in civil, family and criminal matters means that the authorities of one country have agreed in advance to trust the public documents of the other without verifying their authenticity separately — without an apostille and without the chain of consular legalisation. In practice a birth certificate, a diploma or a certificate issued in Russia is simply accepted on presentation, sometimes with a translation into the local language.
The Minsk Convention of 1993 and the Chisinau Convention of 2002
| Country | Treaty |
|---|---|
| Azerbaijan | Minsk Convention of 1993 |
| Armenia | Minsk Convention of 1993 |
| Belarus | Minsk Convention of 1993 |
| Kazakhstan | Minsk Convention of 1993 |
| Kyrgyzstan | Minsk Convention of 1993 |
| Moldova | Minsk Convention of 1993 |
| Tajikistan | Minsk Convention of 1993 |
| Turkmenistan | Minsk Convention of 1993 |
| Uzbekistan | Minsk Convention of 1993 |
Bilateral treaties where an apostille is asked for in practice
| Country | Formal basis | What happens in practice |
|---|---|---|
| Latvia | Bilateral treaty on legal assistance of 1993 | Universities and registry offices often ask for an apostille anyway: Latvia is party to the Hague Convention |
| Lithuania | Bilateral treaty on legal assistance of 1992 | An apostille is often required in practice rather than a reference to the treaty |
| Estonia | Bilateral treaty on legal assistance of 1993 | An apostille is often required in practice rather than a reference to the treaty |
| Poland | Bilateral treaty on legal assistance of 1996 | Polish institutions often require an apostille as the form they are used to |
| Czechia | Treaty on legal assistance inherited from Czechoslovakia | Czech authorities often ask for an apostille rather than a reference to the old treaty |
When an apostille is asked for although formally it should not be
Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland and Czechia all have grounds to accept Russian documents without legalisation, but they are themselves party to the Hague Convention, and it is simply easier for their institutions to check one internationally recognisable apostille than to explain to a clerk that an older bilateral treaty exists. As at the date checked it is therefore sensible, for this group of countries, to establish the requirement of the particular institution in advance and to be ready to obtain an apostille even though the treaty does not require one.
What is needed instead of an apostille
Most often a notarised translation into the language of the destination country, made in Russia. In several CIS countries where Russian is widely used in official business, such as Kazakhstan and Belarus, a document in Russian is accepted without a translation, but this is worth confirming with the particular authority on the date of application, as the rule can differ by type of document.
Work out the route for your document
The document, the region where it was issued, the destination country. The step-by-step chain with authorities, fees and timescales appears at once.