Citizenship & Repatriation Package
Applying for Russian citizenship by descent or repatriation? We translate your birth and marriage certificates, diplomas, and your ancestor's old records into Russian, notarized and ready to file — fully remote.
- In-country team in Krasnodar since 2001
- Fixed quote before you pay
- No Translation Error Guarantee
Get Your Free Estimate
Documents you typically need to send us
- Your own birth certificate
- Your parent's or grandparent's birth certificate — the paper that shows your family link to a Russian or Soviet citizen
- Marriage certificates that connect each generation between you and your Russian ancestor
- Any name-change certificate, if a name changed through marriage or for another reason
- Your ancestor's old Soviet or Russian passport or internal ID, if your family still has it
- Diplomas or education certificates, if your specific application asks for them
- The apostille page for each document, if your country needs one — check the table below
How the Citizenship & Repatriation Package works
You send us scans of your family documents. We make a certified Russian translation of each one, and a Russian notary certifies the signature of the translator, so every page is ready to file with the Russian migration service, a Russian consulate, or a court in Russia. You keep the originals with you the whole time — nothing needs to travel to Russia by mail.
Citizenship-by-descent and repatriation cases usually need a chain of documents, not just one certificate: your birth certificate, the birth certificate of the ancestor you are descended from, and every marriage certificate that links the generations in between. We translate the whole chain as one package so the names, dates, and places match up cleanly across every document.
Choose what you need translated
Birth Certificate Translation
from €49per document
Certified Russian translation of the birth certificate, notarized, ready for the migration service or a Russian consulate
2-3 business days
Marriage Certificate Translation
from €49per document
Certified Russian translation of the marriage certificate, notarized, used to link generations in your case
2-3 business days
Diploma & Academic Record Translation
from €69per document
Certified Russian translation of a diploma, transcript, or academic record, notarized
2-3 business days
Full Citizenship & Repatriation Package
from €249per case — final price depends on how many documents your case needs
Translation and notarization of up to five core documents (your birth certificate, your ancestor's birth certificate, the marriage certificates linking you, and one supporting document), plus a checklist review of your specific case
5-7 business days
No Translation Error Guarantee
If a Russian authority rejects your translation because of a mistake we made — a misspelled name, a mistranslated term, a missing stamp — we redo it at no charge, on a rush basis.
Applies to our own translation and notarization work; does not cover requirements set by the receiving authority, such as an apostille it turns out you needed, or a document type it does not accept in translated form at all.
About the apostille — please read this before you order
This part trips a lot of people up, so we say it plainly: an apostille for a document used in a Russian citizenship-by-descent or repatriation application is issued in the country where the document was created, not in Russia. If your Italian birth certificate needs an apostille, it is added in Italy, at the office designated for that. We cannot add an apostille in Russia to a document from another country, and no company legitimately can.
Not every document needs one, though. Countries that have a legal-assistance treaty with Russia — the CIS countries, plus Serbia and the Czech Republic, among others — do not need an apostille at all. Their documents are accepted with just the normal official stamp from the issuing country. Check the table below for your own case before you spend time and money on an apostille you may not need.
Do you need an apostille for your documents?
| Country group | Examples | Apostille needed? | Where it's issued |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hague Convention countries | Italy, Germany, Spain, USA, UK, and most of the EU | Yes, on each original document | The designated authority in the country where the document was issued — for example a prefecture in Italy or a Secretary of State office in the US |
| Legal-assistance treaty countries | CIS countries such as Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Armenia, plus Serbia and the Czech Republic | No, an apostille is not required | The document is accepted with its normal official stamp from the issuing country |
| Countries with neither the Hague Convention nor a treaty with Russia | A small number of countries outside both systems | No apostille; consular legalization instead | The Russian consulate or embassy in the country where the document was issued |
Why our notarization is accepted for citizenship and repatriation cases
Under Article 81 of the Fundamentals of Legislation on Notaries of the Russian Federation, a Russian notary certifies the signature of a translator who holds a recognized translation diploma and is registered with that notary’s office. The notary does not re-check the translation word by word — the notary certifies that a qualified, registered translator signed it. This is the exact format the Russian migration service, consulates, and courts look for, and a sworn or certified translation made abroad is usually not enough on its own.
Common questions about citizenship and repatriation documents
What documents do I need for Russian citizenship by descent?
Most cases need your own birth certificate, the birth certificate of the ancestor you descend from, and marriage certificates linking every generation in between. Some cases also need your ancestor's old Soviet or Russian passport, a change-of-name certificate, or a diploma. Tell us about your family line and we'll confirm the exact list for your case.
Does my Italian birth certificate need an apostille for Russia?
Yes. Italy is part of the Hague Convention, so your birth certificate needs an apostille before we translate it. The apostille is added in Italy, at the Prefettura or the office designated for that purpose — not in Russia, and not by us.
Can the apostille be added once the document is already in Russia?
No. An apostille can only be added in the country where the document was issued, before it leaves that country. If your document is already in Russia without an apostille, it needs to go back to the issuing country's authority, or you need a fresh copy apostilled there.
Do I need an apostille if my country has a legal-assistance treaty with Russia?
No. Countries with a treaty — the CIS countries, plus Serbia and the Czech Republic, among others — are exempt from the apostille requirement. Their documents are accepted with the normal official stamp from the issuing office, so you can skip that step and its cost entirely.
Who translates my documents and makes them valid for Russian authorities?
A certified translator prepares the Russian translation, and then a Russian notary certifies the translator's signature under Article 81 of the Fundamentals of Legislation on Notaries. This combination is what the migration service, consulates, and courts in Russia require.
How long does the full citizenship and repatriation package take?
Standard turnaround for the full package is 5-7 business days once we have clear scans of all your documents and, where required, their apostilles. Single-document translations, like one birth certificate, are usually done in 2-3 business days.
What if my ancestor's documents are old, handwritten, or in a Soviet-era language other than Russian?
We can still translate them. Old Soviet-era documents in Ukrainian, Belarusian, or other languages of the former USSR are common in these cases, and our translators regularly work with handwritten or faded originals. Send us the clearest scan or photo you have.
You may also need
-
Notarized Translation (any document)
Need one extra document translated and notarized outside this package, like a passport page or a school record? Order it separately.
-
Handling a Russian Inheritance at the Same Time?
Citizenship and repatriation cases often surface alongside an inheritance from the same Russian ancestor. See how we support that process too.
Ready when you are
Send a scan now — you will have a fixed price and an honest deadline answer within 2 hours during working hours, and you pay nothing until you approve.
We are not a law firm, an immigration consultancy, or a government agency, and we do not decide or guarantee the outcome of any citizenship or repatriation application. We provide certified translation and notarization of your documents. We do not issue apostilles — an apostille can only be issued in the country where the document was created. Consult a licensed immigration lawyer or the relevant Russian authority for advice on your specific case.
