The Law on the Legalization of International Documents has entered into force.

Jan, 15 2025

From January 1st, 2025 the Law on the Legalization of International Documents has entered into force, adopted in the summer of 2024.

The law regulates the procedure for the legalization of Russian official documents intended for export abroad, as well as foreign official documents intended for import into Russia.

List of documents to be legalized:

The Law refers to Russian official documents subject to legalization as documents issued by:

  • federal executive authorities, their territorial bodies
  • federal courts, magistrates
  • prosecutor’s offices
  • executive authorities of the subjects of the Russian Federation
  • local government bodies
  • state and municipal institutions
  • organizations engaged in educational activities
  • notaries and other persons authorized to perform notarial acts
  • multifunctional centers for the provision of state and municipal services.

When these documents are intended to be submitted in foreign countries that are not parties to international treaties that repeal the requirement for legalization, the legalization of such documents must be carried out through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and its territorial authorities. The explanatory note to the draft law notes that currently the legalization regime operates in relations between the Russian Federation and 74 foreign countries.

Also, Russian documents must be stamped by the Ministry of Justice before being legalized at the Russian Foreign Ministry, and after being stamped by the Russian Foreign Ministry, they are sent to the consular office of the document’s destination country in Russia for final legalization.

Legalization of foreign documents for the Russian Federation

The Law also establishes a list of foreign official documents and rules for their legalization. The requirement of legalization does not apply only to identity documents of foreign citizens and stateless persons issued by the competent authorities of foreign States that are recognized as such in the Russian Federation.

As a rule, the legalization of foreign documents abroad also includes the attestation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and/or the Ministry of Justice, translation into Russian and legalization at the Russian consulate abroad.

Due to the adoption of this law, the relevant provisions in the Consular Charter of the Russian Federation, as well as in a number of subordinate regulations related to legalization, were also changed.

Author of the article
The Law on the Legalization of International Documents has entered into force.
Irina Girgushkina
Head of legal, head of corporate law practice
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