Registration in Türkiye of a marriage concluded in Russia

Turkish citizens who marry at a civil registry office (ЗАГС) in Russia are required to register their marriage in the Turkish civil registry. This page explains the 30-day rule, which Turkish diplomatic mission in Russia to apply to and how, the required documents, the postal procedure, family record book and surname procedures. At the end of the page, you will also find the reverse situation: marrying in Türkiye and using the marriage in Russia. For the marriage process in Russia, see R6.1.

• A marriage concluded abroad before a foreign competent authority is also valid in Türkiye if it complies with the Turkish Civil Code and there is no ground making the marriage void (Population Services Law No. 5490, Article 24).
• The marriage must be reported within 30 days at the latest by submitting or sending the document issued by the foreign authority that performed the marriage to the Turkish diplomatic mission in that location.
• According to the consular services page, either the wife or the husband may apply. If one of the spouses is a foreigner, the Turkish citizen spouse applies.
• The diplomatic mission receiving the notification prepares the marriage notification and has it registered in the civil registry.
• If you have exceeded 30 days, apply anyway. Until registration is completed, you will appear as single in Turkish records.

• As a rule, you apply to the diplomatic mission responsible for the place where the marriage took place.
• If the marriage certificate is a local document, the application may only be made to the diplomatic mission responsible for that region. Applications made with an international multilingual marriage certificate (Formula B), however, are accepted by all diplomatic missions in the country.
• The marriage certificate issued by the Russian ZAGS (свидетельство о браке) is a local document issued in Russian. Therefore, choose the diplomatic mission responsible for the region where the ZAGS that performed the marriage is located:
  • Kazan Consulate General: Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Chuvashia, Mari El, Mordovia, Samara
  • Krasnodar Consulate General: Adygea, Krasnodar Krai, Rostov
  • St. Petersburg Consulate General: Karelia, Komi, Arkhangelsk, Vologda, Kaliningrad, Leningrad, Murmansk, Novgorod, Pskov, Nenets, St. Petersburg city
  • Embassy in Moscow: all of Russia outside the regions listed above

1. Prepare the documents (listed below).
2. Choose the application method:
   • By mail: marriage registration can also be completed by mail. In the petition, you request registration of the marriage in the family registry. You include the original marriage certificate and documents showing the identity details of the person submitting the notification.
   • In person: make an appointment through konsolosluk.gov.tr.
3. Registration is completed. The diplomatic mission records the marriage in the civil registry.
4. Renew your identity card. Applications by citizens who married in Russia for a new identity card are accepted only after marriage registration has been completed.
5. If you wish, obtain a family record book and Formula B (see below).
6. The child's birth cannot be registered before the parents' marriage has been registered. If you have had a child, register the marriage first (see R6.3).

1. The original Russian marriage certificate (or a certified copy obtained from the competent local authority or ZAGS) and a photocopy
2. The original Turkish identity cards of both spouses and photocopies
3. If one spouse is a foreigner, their birth certificate and a photocopy. Instead of a birth certificate, an identity document showing the names of the mother and father, place of birth and date of birth is also acceptable.
4. If the woman is a Turkish citizen and wishes to use her previous surname together with her married surname, a petition containing this request
5. The diplomatic mission's page contains two forms: Marriage Registration Application Petition and Request Form for Using the Maiden Name Together with the Spouse's Surname.
6. Your diplomatic mission may request additional documents. Before your appointment, select your diplomatic mission on konsolosluk.gov.tr and read the “Required Documents” section.

• If notification cannot be made to the diplomatic mission, the marriage certificate may also be submitted to a civil registry office in Türkiye (Law No. 5490, Article 24/2).
• For this purpose, the document must be:
  • translated into Turkish
  • duly certified
  • certified by the authentication unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Russia and Türkiye are parties to the Apostille Convention. The apostille for a Russian marriage certificate is issued by the regional Russian administration unit responsible for ZAGS matters (a fee of 2,500 rubles per document). Ask which certification is required before going to the civil registry office.

• For people who also have Russian citizenship but have not had it recorded in their Turkish civil registry, a marriage concluded using their Russian identity document is registered only after multiple citizenship registration (see R4.5).
• An application for multiple citizenship registration is made in person or with a special power of attorney; it cannot be made by mail.
• The main required documents are: foreign identity document and its certified Turkish translation, marital status certificate and its translation, birth certificate and its translation (no translation is required if it is Formula A), and a biometric photograph.

• After registration, obtaining an international family record book is not mandatory. If you wish, you may apply by appointment.
• The international family record book fee is shown as 29 dollars on the Embassy in Moscow's konsolosluk.gov.tr page.
• A family record book cannot be requested for an unregistered marriage; registration must be completed first. A maximum of 6 children can be entered in an international family record book.
• International Multilingual Marriage Certificate (Formula B): obtained from the diplomatic mission by appointment. The Embassy in Moscow sends Formula B by mail to people who apply through online.konsolosluk.gov.tr and pay the postage.
• Surname: according to the consular page, a married woman takes her husband's surname; if she also wishes to use her previous surname, she must request this in writing. The sentences in Article 187 of the Turkish Civil Code were annulled by the Constitutional Court's decision dated February 22, 2023. Ask about your options when applying.

• Under the Russian Family Code, marriages concluded abroad in accordance with the law of that country and not prevented by impediments to marriage under Russian law are valid in Russia.
• According to the consular page, for a marriage in Türkiye to be valid in a foreign country, Formula B obtained from the civil registry office is submitted to the authorities of that country.
• In Russia, civil-status documents issued by foreign authorities must be legalized (apostilled) unless an international agreement provides otherwise. The apostille for a Turkish document is issued by a governor's office or district governor's office. A notarized Russian translation of the document is also required in Russia.
• Marrying a Russian citizen in Türkiye: the marriage is performed before a Turkish marriage registrar. According to information from the Embassy of Russia in Ankara that we read on October 9, 2026, the Russian citizen must provide:
  • a certificate from the Russian consulate stating that there is no impediment to marriage (to be certified by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
  • a birth certificate and Turkish translation (the translation must be certified by the Russian consulate and the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
  • a notarized translation of the passport (the visa must be valid)
  • a health report approved by an authorized health institution and photographs
• Ask the marriage registry office where the marriage will take place for the definitive list.

• Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye in Moscow: 7 Rostovskiy pereulok 12, 115127 Moscow · +7 495 994 93 59 (information 14:30–18:00)
• Consulate General of the Republic of Türkiye in Kazan: Ulitsa Maksima Gorkogo 23/27, 420015 Kazan · +7 843 299 53 10
• Consulate General of the Republic of Türkiye in Krasnodar: Ulitsa Severnaya No. 369, 350002 Krasnodar · +7 861 214 12 51
• Consulate General of the Republic 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)
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs Consular Call Center (24/7): +90 312 292 29 29
• Consular Section of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Ankara — documents of the Russian spouse
  • Address: Andrey Karlov Sokak No. 5, Çankaya, Ankara
  • Telephone: +90 312 439 21 83 (09:00–12:00) · Appointment: ankara.kdmid.ru

• Forgetting the 30-day notification period.
• Applying to a diplomatic mission that is not responsible for the region where the marriage took place.
• Sending a simple photocopy instead of the original marriage certificate or a certified copy.
• Trying to register a marriage concluded using a Russian identity document without having Russian citizenship recorded in the Turkish registry.
• Applying to register a child's birth or obtain a new identity card before registering the marriage.
• Taking a Russian document to a civil registry office in Türkiye without an apostille or Turkish translation.

• What happens if I do not register the marriage? Your marriage will not be entered in the Turkish civil registry; you will continue to appear as single in the records. Under the law, notification must be made within 30 days.
• Can I apply by mail? Yes. The petition, original marriage certificate and documents showing your identity details are required.
• Does my Russian spouse also need to come? No. The Turkish citizen spouse submits the registration application. The foreign spouse's birth certificate or identity details are required.
• Do I have to obtain a family record book? No. Obtaining a family record book after registration is not mandatory.
• Where can I obtain Formula B? From the diplomatic mission, civil registry offices in Türkiye, or e-Government. The Embassy in Moscow also sends it by mail.
• We married in Moscow and live in St. Petersburg. Where should we apply? Since the Russian marriage certificate is a local document, apply to the diplomatic mission responsible for the region of the ZAGS that performed the marriage, namely the Embassy in Moscow.

• Marriage Registration Application Petition (Word)
• Request Form for Using the Maiden Name Together with the Spouse's Surname (Word)
• Consular services – Marriage
• Consular services – Multiple citizenship registration
• Consular appointment system
• Online consular application (Formula B delivery)
• Population Services Law No. 5490 (PDF)
• e-Government