Getting married in Russia (ЗАГС): documents, apostille and translation

This page is for Turkish citizens who want to get married at a civil registry office (ЗАГС, ZAGS) in Russia. Whether the Turkish citizen marries a Russian citizen, another foreigner, or another Turkish citizen, the process consists of two stages: obtaining a certificate of legal capacity to marry from the Turkish side and having the marriage registered at the ZAGS. Within 30 days after the marriage, you must have it registered in the Turkish civil registry (see R6.2). For a residence permit through marriage to a Russian citizen, see R4.1.

• The persons marrying must act of their own free will and have reached the marriageable age. The marriageable age in Russia is 18. For a valid reason, the local administration may permit 16-year-olds to marry.
• Marriage is not performed between:
  • persons if one of the parties is currently in another registered marriage
  • close relatives, or an adoptive parent and an adopted child
  • persons if one of the parties has been legally incapacitated by a court due to mental illness
• The conditions for a foreigner to marry are determined by the law of their own country. For a Turkish citizen, this means the requirements of Turkish law. Therefore, the ZAGS requests a document from the Turkish authorities showing that you have no impediment to marriage.
• Russian law applies to a person who is both a Russian citizen and a citizen of another country.

1. Obtain a certificate of legal capacity to marry from a Turkish diplomatic mission. The couple applies together, in person, and by appointment. The application must be made only to the mission responsible for the region where you live.
2. Have the documents translated into Russian. Have the Russian translations of the Turkish documents certified by a Russian notary.
3. Submit a joint application to the ZAGS. Both parties sign the application form together. In the form, you declare that neither party has an impediment to marriage.
4. Choose a date. The marriage is registered at least 1 month and at most 12 months after the application. You choose the date and time when applying, from the days on which the ZAGS is open.
5. Both parties must appear in person at the ZAGS on the wedding day. Marriage by proxy is not permitted.
6. Obtain the marriage certificate (свидетельство о браке) and apply to the Turkish diplomatic mission within 30 days to register the marriage in the Turkish civil registry (see R6.2).
7. If there is a valid reason, the ZAGS may shorten the one-month period. In special circumstances such as pregnancy, childbirth, or a life-threatening situation, the marriage may be registered on the day of application.
8. You may apply to a court against a refusal by the ZAGS.

• a petition, signed jointly by the couple at the mission, stating that they wish to marry
• the couple's Turkish identity cards and copies; for the foreign or dual-national party, their foreign identity card or passport and a copy
• if one of the parties is a foreigner, their birth certificate and a copy
• 2 identical, color, front-facing photographs taken within the last 6 months for each Turkish citizen
• a document obtained by the foreign party from their own country stating that there is no impediment to their marriage
• if a previous marriage ended in divorce:
  • the final Turkish court decision
  • the foreign authority's divorce decision must have been registered in the Turkish civil registry (see R6.4)
  • if the 300-day waiting period has not expired for the woman, a Turkish court decision lifting the period
• a copy of the death certificate if the previous spouse died
• parental consent for 17-year-olds and judicial permission for 16-year-olds
• Cost: The website of the Embassy of Türkiye in Moscow, konsolosluk.gov.tr, lists 10 dollars as the postal fee. Check the "Fees" section of your own mission.

• joint marriage application (the form is prescribed by an order of the Russian Ministry of Justice dated 2018)
• identity documents of both parties; passports for foreigners
• a document showing that a previous marriage has ended, if applicable
• for the foreign party, a civil status certificate issued by the competent authority of their own country (for a Turkish citizen, a certificate of legal capacity to marry)
  • Unless otherwise provided by an international agreement, the document must be authenticated (legalized or apostilled)
  • The document must be translated into Russian and the translation must be notarized
  • The Moscow list specifies this document for foreigners living abroad. If you live in Russia, ask the ZAGS in advance what it requires.
• If one party cannot attend, a separate application may be submitted; the signature on this application must be notarized.

• Türkiye is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention together with Russia. An apostilled document can be used in both countries without additional authentication (see O1.3).
• Documents issued in Türkiye (such as a birth registry extract or divorce decision):
  • apostilles for administrative documents are issued by provincial governor's offices and district governor's offices
  • apostilles for judicial documents (court decisions) are issued by presidencies of judicial commissions
  • Turkish diplomatic missions are not authorized to issue apostilles
• Consular documents: Under the Turkish side's interpretation, documents issued by diplomatic and consular officers are exempt from apostille requirements. Since the mission issues the certificate of legal capacity to marry, ask before applying whether the ZAGS requires any additional authentication.
• Documents issued in Russia (marriage certificate): if they are to be used in Türkiye, the apostille is issued by the regional administration unit responsible for ZAGS matters.
• Translation: In Russia, a notary certifies the accuracy of the translation.

• Marriage registration and marriage certificate at the ZAGS: 350 rubles (Article 333.26 of the Russian Tax Code, text dated August 4, 2026). The Moscow ZAGS Administration also displays this amount.
• Duplicate marriage certificate: 500 rubles
• Certificate of legal capacity to marry (Embassy of Türkiye in Moscow): 10 dollars postal fee
• Notarization of a translation: 100 rubles fee per page
• Apostille for a Russian document: 2,500 rubles per document

• In the Russian record: Spouses may choose a common surname or each retain their own surname. A common surname may be the surname of one spouse or a combination of both surnames (no more than two surnames, joined by a hyphen).
• In the Turkish record: According to the consular website, a married woman takes her husband's surname. If the woman also wishes to use her previous surname, she must request this in writing.
• The sentences in Article 187 of the Turkish Civil Code concerning a woman's surname were annulled by the Constitutional Court's decision dated February 22, 2023. Ask the mission about your surname options when applying for registration.

• Only couples in which both parties are exclusively Turkish citizens may marry at Turkish diplomatic missions. Dual citizens and those marrying a foreigner marry at the ZAGS.
• Russia does not appear on the list of countries to which consulates.gov.tr says Turkish missions have not been granted authority to perform marriages. The Russian Family Code also recognizes, subject to reciprocity, marriages performed between two foreigners at foreign consulates.
• The couple applies together and in person. Application procedures may be carried out with a special power of attorney; the marriage itself may not be performed by proxy.
• Main documents requested:
  • the couple's petition and Turkish identity cards
  • 2 witnesses and their identity documents (the witnesses may be foreigners who know the couple and speak Turkish)
  • a medical report showing that there is no illness preventing marriage (blood tests are not required)
  • 3 color photographs of each of you
  • a civil status certificate obtained from the local Russian authorities
• After the documents are submitted, a separate day is assigned for the marriage. An international family booklet is issued after the marriage.

• Embassy of Türkiye in Moscow: 7 Rostovskiy pereulok 12, 115127 Moscow · Consular switchboard +7 495 994 93 59 (information 14:30–18:00) · Citizen reception 09:00–13:00
• Consulate General of Türkiye in Kazan: Ulitsa Maksima Gorkogo 23/27, 420015 Kazan · +7 843 299 53 10
• Consulate General of Türkiye in Krasnodar: Ulitsa Severnaya No. 369, 350002 Krasnodar · +7 861 214 12 51
• Consulate General of Türkiye in St. Petersburg: 7-ya Sovetskaya Ulitsa No. 24, 191036 St. Petersburg · +7 812 577 44 69 (consular services, weekdays 14:00–18:00)
• For areas of responsibility, see R6.2. Appointments: konsolosluk.gov.tr. Ministry of Foreign Affairs Consular Call Center (24/7): +90 312 292 29 29
• Moscow ZAGS Administration (Управление ЗАГС Москвы)
  • Address: Sadovaya-Spasskaya ulitsa 6, bldg. 2, 107045 Moscow (reception by appointment)
  • Moscow Unified Information Hotline (24/7): +7 495 777 77 77
• In other regions: the ZAGS and wedding palaces of the region where you live

• Applying to the ZAGS without obtaining the certificate of legal capacity to marry.
• Bringing Russian translations of Turkish documents without notarization.
• Trying to apply online or at an МФЦ in Moscow using a foreign document.
• Planning travel without taking into account that the marriage will be performed at least 1 month after the application.
• Trying to remarry without registering a divorce decision obtained abroad in the Turkish civil registry.
• Failing to notify the Turkish diplomatic mission of the marriage within 30 days after the wedding.

• Can I obtain the certificate of legal capacity to marry alone? No. The couple must apply together and in person.
• Which mission should I go to? For the certificate of legal capacity to marry, go to the mission responsible for the region where you live (see R6.2).
• How soon is the marriage performed? At least 1 month and at most 12 months after the application. It may be sooner in special circumstances.
• Can I marry in Russia on a tourist visa? The Moscow ZAGS document list has no requirement concerning the type of visa; foreigners are asked for a passport and a civil status certificate. However, because the marriage is performed at least 1 month after the application, your permitted stay may not be long enough (see R2.2).
• Can I obtain a residence permit in Russia after marrying my Russian spouse? For a temporary residence permit through marriage (РВП), see R4.1.
• Do I need to do anything in Türkiye after the marriage? Yes. Notify the Turkish diplomatic mission of the marriage within 30 days (see R6.2).

• Application Form for a Certificate of Legal Capacity to Marry (Word)
• Marriage Request Form at a Foreign Mission (Word)
• Request Form to Use a Maiden Name Together with a Spouse's Surname (Word)
• Consular procedures – Marriage
• Consular appointment system
• Moscow ZAGS – Application for marriage registration
• Civil Status Acts Law 143-FZ, Article 26: marriage application
• Russian Family Code, Article 156: marriage of foreigners in Russia