Notarial Regulations
U.S. consular officers abroad function in place of U.S. notaries
public. Their notarial authority, as such, is strictly limited.
Notarial services are governed by U.S. and Russian laws and treaties,
including the Hague Convention of 1961 on the Legalization of Documents.
The Consulate is prohibited from legalizing, witnessing, verifying,
certifying, or otherwise notarizing documents for use in Russia.
The primary restrictions on notarial services are listed below:
- The Consulate cannot "verify" or "legalize"
U.S. documents for use outside the United States. To legalize
U.S. documents for use outside the U.S., it is necessary to obtain
an apostille in the United States (see instructions below). An
apostille cannot be obtained at the Consulate.
- The Consulate will not certify foreign civil documents (e.g.
Russian passports, certificates from ZAGS, etc.), or any academic
credentials. Furthermore, certifying copies of original documents
is a discretionary service offered only to American citizens.
- The Consulate will not provide certification of true copies
of documents for use in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California,
Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois,
Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana,
New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South
Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
The Apostille: What is it?
An Apostille is the equivalent of an international notarial seal.
Any document which bears an apostille is legally valid for use in
all countries party to the Hague Convention of 1961 on the legalization
of documents. This includes the U.S. and Russia. To obtain an apostille
on documents notarized in the U.S. (including civil records), you
must apply to the Secretary of State of the state in which the document
was notarized. The Secretary of State's office will verify the notary
public's or other notarizing official's signature by placing an
apostille on the document. The American Citizen Services Unit can
provide you with the necessary addresses.
To obtain an apostille on Russian civil documents, go to the local
ZAGS office. To obtain an apostille on documents notarized by Russian
notaries ("notariusi"), bring them to the office of the
local representative of the Ministry of Justice.
Various Russian officials, apparently unaware that Russia is a
signatory to the Hague Convention of 1961, sometimes erroneously
advise persons to go to the American Consulate to get an official
Consulate "stamp" on documents for use in Russia. The
Consulate is not empowered under U.S., Russian, or international
law to perform this function, as the Russian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs has reminded us. Therefore, the Consulate cannot legally
accommodate such requests. To legalize U.S. documents for use in
Russia, you should follow the instructions given above for obtaining
an apostille. Russian documents which must be notarized for use
in Russia should be executed before Russian notaries public ("notariusi.")
Affidavits
An affidavit is a statement made under oath before a notary public
or other official authorized to administer oaths. Persons of any
nationality may execute affidavits at the Consulate for use in the
United States. American citizens may also execute an affidavit stating
whether the person has been married before or not, which must be
presented to the ZAGS office in order for an American citizen to
marry a Russian citizen in Russia. You may not make any statements
in an affidavit on behalf of the U.S. Consulate or the U.S. Government.
The Consulate takes no responsibility for the content of affidavits;
however, persons who knowingly make false statements in an affidavit
sworn before a U.S. consular officer may be subject to perjury charges
under U.S. law.
The fee is $30 per notarial.
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