Birth in Russia and registration of the child in the Turkish civil registry

A child whose mother or father is a Turkish citizen is a Turkish citizen even if born in Russia. Two separate registrations are made for this child: first, birth registration at the Russian civil registry office (ЗАГС), then birth registration at a Turkish diplomatic mission. On this page, you will find the deadlines and documents for both registrations, the child’s Russian citizenship status, the Turkish identity card and passport, the fees of the Embassy of Moscow, and health insurance.

• The birth must be reported to the ZAGS or a state services center (МФЦ) within 1 month at the latest. The mother or father makes the notification; if they cannot, a relative, an authorized person, or a hospital official may do so.
• The notification may be made orally, in writing, or electronically through Gosuslugi. For an electronic application, you must bring the original documents on the appointment date.
• Required documents:
  • the birth certificate issued by the hospital (медицинское свидетельство о рождении)
  • the identity documents of the mother and father (passports)
  • the marriage certificate for recording the father. If the parents are not married, recognition of paternity (установление отцовства) may be registered at the same time.
• If your marriage was conducted in Türkiye, civil-status documents issued by foreign authorities are considered valid in Russia only with an apostille. Have your Turkish marriage certificate (Formül B) apostilled and prepare its Russian translation.
• Fee: According to the Moscow ZAGS Administration, birth registration is free and takes approximately 50 minutes. Birth registration is not included among the ZAGS fees listed in the Russian Tax Code.
• The ZAGS gives you the Russian birth certificate (свидетельство о рождении). This document is required for Turkish registration.

• In the Russian registration: the surname is the parents’ surname. If their surnames differ, the parents agree on the father’s, mother’s, or a combined surname. The patronymic (отчество) is derived from the father’s given name; a different practice based on national tradition is possible.
• In the Turkish registration: the given name is written using Turkish letters, as no more than three given names, without hyphens, dashes, or periods and without abbreviations.
  • The circumflex (^) is used only with the letters "a" and "u", upon written request (e.g., Kâzım, Lâle).
  • A child born within marriage takes the father’s surname. A child born to a Turkish mother and a foreign father is entered in the household register where the mother is registered, with the father’s surname.
  • For persons born abroad, the place of birth is written together with the name of the locality and country.
• The Russian registration is kept in Cyrillic letters. Make sure the name is pronounced the same way in both registrations.

• Turkish citizenship: A child born within marriage to a Turkish mother or father is a Turkish citizen. A child born outside marriage to a Turkish mother is also a Turkish citizen. A child born outside marriage to a Turkish father and a foreign mother acquires Turkish citizenship once the parentage relationship is established (recognition of paternity).
• Russian citizenship: A child becomes a Russian citizen by birth if:
  • one parent is Russian and the other is a foreign national, and the child was born in Russia
  • both parents are foreign nationals and reside permanently in Russia, but the child did not acquire another country’s citizenship at birth
• If both parents are Turkish citizens, the child acquires Turkish citizenship by birth, so being born in Russia does not make the child a Russian citizen.
• To document Russian citizenship acquired by birth, an application is submitted to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs.
• A child who is both a Russian and Turkish citizen is considered only a Russian citizen in Russia (see R4.5). For Russian military-service obligations applicable to boys, see R4.6.

• The birth of a child born abroad must be reported to a Turkish diplomatic mission within 60 days (Law No. 5490, Art. 15).
• The procedures are completed in the following order:
  1. If the parents’ marriage is not registered in Türkiye, first complete marriage registration (see R6.2)
  2. Birth registration; if the child also acquired Russian citizenship, register multiple citizenship in the same application
  3. Turkish identity card
  4. Turkish passport. The child must have an identity card to apply for a passport.
• Which diplomatic mission: The Russian birth certificate is a local document. Apply to the diplomatic mission responsible for the region where the birth occurred (for areas of responsibility, see R6.2).
• By mail: If the birth cannot be reported in person, the Russian birth certificate, a petition stating the name given to the child, and the parents’ identity information may be sent to the diplomatic mission.
• If it is not possible to apply to a diplomatic mission, the birth may also be reported to a civil registry office in Türkiye. The original Russian document and its Turkish translation are required.

• the original and a photocopy of the official document concerning the child’s birth, obtained from the competent Russian authority and including the names of both the mother and father (свидетельство о рождении)
• the originals and photocopies of the parents’ Turkish identity cards and, if applicable, foreign identity documents
• the original and a photocopy of the international family booklet or, if applicable, the Russian marriage certificate
• if the child also acquired Russian citizenship, the original and a photocopy of the child’s Russian identity document, passport, or document proving Russian citizenship, for registration of multiple citizenship
• the completed Petition for Birth Registration
• Since in some countries a birth certificate is also used as an identity document, the original may be returned to you if you wish; its certified translation remains in the file.
• Cost (Embassy of Moscow): The konsolosluk.gov.tr website lists a 17-dollar late-filing penalty among the birth-registration fees. Check the “Fees” section of your own diplomatic mission.

• If the father has not acknowledged the child, the child is entered in the mother’s single-status household register, with the mother’s surname and the father’s name as declared by the mother.
• The Turkish father may acknowledge the child:
  • by appearing in person at the diplomatic mission and having a paternity acknowledgment deed prepared
  • if he acknowledged paternity at a Russian ZAGS, by completing the procedure at the diplomatic mission with that document and its Turkish translation
• If the mother is a foreign national, a document showing her marital status on the date of birth or that the child has no parentage relationship with another man is required. If the mother is divorced, the divorce judgment is also required.
• The diplomatic mission may require the mother and father to appear together.
• Cost (Embassy of Moscow): The certification fee for the translation of the paternity acknowledgment deed is 19 dollars; regular postage is 10 dollars.

• Turkish identity card (TCKK):
  • The application is made by appointment. A child under 15 does not have a photograph on the card; a card with a photograph can be issued if you wish or if you intend to use the card as a travel document.
  • The Embassy of Moscow’s website lists the TCKK fee due to birth as 6 dollars and the postage fee as 4 dollars. According to the general information on the same page, no valuable-paper fee is charged for a card issued following a birth notification submitted on time (within 60 days abroad).
  • A temporary identity document may be issued upon request until the new card arrives.
• Turkish passport:
  • With electronic passports, the child is not added to a parent’s passport; a separate passport is issued for the child.
  • For a passport application for a minor, the joint consent of the mother and father is required. A parent who cannot attend gives a consent document (see O1.3).
  • For details of passport procedures, see O1.2.

• A child who is only a Turkish citizen is a foreign national in Russia. Like every foreign national in Russia, the child must have migration registration and a valid document confirming legal stay. After the Turkish passport is issued, see R2.1 and R2.2 to regulate the child’s residence status.
• State health insurance (ОМС): Children of foreign nationals living in Russia with a temporary or permanent residence permit are insured under ОМС. Until the child’s birth registration, the child is considered insured by the insurance company with which the mother is registered (see R7.1).
• Birth-related expenses: According to Moscow’s ОМС information, pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period are covered by ОМС. If you are not insured under ОМС, services other than emergency care are subject to payment, private insurance (ДМС), or an ОМС contract. Discuss the costs with the hospital before the birth.
• Birth allowance in Türkiye: The Birth Assistance Regulation requires residence in Türkiye. Citizens living abroad and Blue Card holders cannot benefit from this assistance.

• Birth registration in Russia: the ZAGS branch or state services center (МФЦ) at the place of birth or residence. Moscow Unified Information Hotline (24/7): +7 495 777 77 77
• Turkish diplomatic missions — birth registration, identity cards, passports
  • Embassy of Moscow: +7 495 994 93 59 (information 14:30–18:00) · Duty phone (outside working hours and holidays): +7 906 770 11 90
  • Consulate General in Kazan: +7 843 299 53 10
  • Consulate General in Krasnodar: +7 861 214 12 51
  • Consulate General in St. Petersburg: +7 812 577 44 69 (consular services, weekdays 14:00–18:00)
  • For addresses and areas of responsibility, see R6.2 and O1.1. Appointments: konsolosluk.gov.tr
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs Consular Call Center (24/7): +90 312 292 29 29

• Failing to report the birth to the Russian ZAGS within 1 month and to the Turkish diplomatic mission within 60 days.
• Going to register the birth without first registering the parents’ marriage in Türkiye.
• Failing to notice that the parents’ names on the Russian birth certificate differ from those in the Turkish records.
• Applying to a diplomatic mission that is not responsible for the region where the birth occurred.
• Making a passport appointment before the identity card is issued.
• Neglecting the child’s residence document and migration registration in Russia.

• Can I complete the birth registration, identity card, and passport on the same day? The order is birth registration, identity card, then passport. Whether the registration and identity-card applications can be accepted at the same time depends on the diplomatic mission; ask in advance.
• Will I get the original Russian birth certificate back? The original may be returned to you if you wish; the certified translation remains in the file.
• My spouse is Russian. Is our child both Russian and Turkish? If the child was born in Russia, the child becomes Russian by birth; the child is also Turkish because one parent is Turkish. A multiple-citizenship note is added to the Turkish registration.
• We are both Turkish. Will our child become Russian because the child was born in Russia? No. Since the child acquired Turkish citizenship by birth, Russian citizenship does not arise.
• Can I receive the birth allowance in Türkiye? No. Residence in Türkiye is required for the birth allowance.
• I exceeded 60 days. What should I do? Submit your application anyway. The diplomatic mission’s fee list may include a late-filing charge.

• Petition for Birth Registration (Word)
• Petition for birth registration, outside marriage (Word)
• Consular procedures – Birth
• Consular procedures – Civil registry (identity card)
• Consular appointment system
• Moscow ZAGS – Birth registration service
• Civil Services Law No. 5490 (PDF)
• Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901 (PDF)
• Civil Status Records Law 143-FZ, Art. 16: birth notification