Start with written instructions from the organisation receiving the document. Confirm the language, who may translate it, whether the translation must be attached to the original or a copy, and which form of certification is accepted. A translation can be accurate yet unusable because the finished set has the wrong form.

Neither an apostille nor Russian notarisation settles the translation format on its own. A Russian authority may require a translator’s signature to be certified by a notary, while a foreign authority may insist on a translator from its local register. The legal sources for this article were checked on 29 July 2026. Confirm the recipient’s rules again before filing.

What a Russian notary certifies

Article 81 of the Fundamentals of Russian Notarial Legislation (opens in a new tab) provides two routes. A notary who knows both languages may certify the accuracy of the translation. Otherwise, a translator prepares the text and the notary certifies the authenticity of that translator’s signature.

The second route is the usual arrangement for an order placed through an agency. The notary does not carry out a separate linguistic review. Under Article 80 of the Fundamentals (opens in a new tab), signature certification confirms that a particular person signed the document, but it does not certify the facts stated in it. The translator remains responsible for the completeness and accuracy of the text, while an agency may add editorial checks.

Since 5 February 2025, a notary certifying a translator’s signature must check documents concerning the translator’s status and knowledge of the language. The requirement was introduced by Federal Law No. 251-FZ (opens in a new tab), and the documentary routes are set out in Ministry of Justice Order No. 12 of 30 January 2025 (opens in a new tab). Language ability alone is therefore not enough for this notarial procedure. The translator must be able to present the evidence required for the relevant language pair.

Our guide to who may translate official documents explains where self-translation, an agency stamp and Russian notarisation fit.

When a notarised translation is required

Public authorities, banks, universities, notaries and parties to transactions often request this form of certification. It is commonly used for:

passports and identity cards;
birth, marriage and name-change certificates;
degrees, school certificates and transcripts;
police-clearance and other official certificates;
powers of attorney, consents and corporate documents.

An official purpose does not automatically mean that Russian notarisation is required. One recipient may accept an agency-certified translation, while another may require a notarised copy, an apostille or a translator listed in its own country. The receiving organisation decides what it will accept for the particular procedure.

How to get a translation notarised in Russia

1. Obtain the recipient’s requirements

Ask which language is required, who may prepare the translation and which certification the recipient accepts. Confirm whether the translation has to be attached to the original, an ordinary copy or a notarised copy. For a foreign filing, ask whether a local sworn, court or certified translator is mandatory.

Keep the written reply or a link to the authority’s current instructions. A request for a “certified translation” is not precise enough on its own. Depending on the jurisdiction, it may refer to an agency statement, a translator’s declaration, notarisation or a different procedure.

2. Prepare the original or an acceptable copy

A legible scan or photographs of every page are normally enough for a quote. Before the notarial act, the source document must be available in the form agreed with the recipient and the notary. If the translation is bound to the original, the set should not later be separated. Where the original must remain untouched, the recipient may allow a notarised copy or a separately issued translation.

Provide the reverse side, inserts, seals, stamps and margin notes. Article 45 of the Fundamentals requires a paper document presented to a notary to be legible and free from unverified alterations. The integrity of a multi-page document must not be in doubt. Discuss damage or an illegible seal before translation begins.

If the document is intended for another country, establish the legalisation route first. An apostille or consular endorsements added after translation will not be covered by the text already prepared.

The choice of source changes the whole finished set:

Source	When it may be suitable	What to consider
Original	The recipient expressly asks for the translation to be bound to the original	The document will form part of a binding that should not be separated
Notarised copy	The recipient accepts a copy and the original needs to remain separate	The notary first carries out a separate act to certify the copy, after which the translation is prepared
Ordinary copy or separate translation	The recipient’s instructions expressly allow this format	A photocopy does not become notarised merely because a notarised translation is attached

Copy certification also has limits. Under Article 77 of the Fundamentals, the notary certifies the copy against the document presented, but does not confirm the legality of its contents, the truth of its statements or the authority of its signatories. More elaborate binding cannot cure a defect in the source document.

3. Choose the translator before work begins

The translator needs the relevant languages, experience with the document type and evidence that the notary can accept. For a less common language, show the translator’s documents to the chosen notary before commissioning the work. This avoids completing a translation that its author cannot sign under the required notarial procedure.

A customer-supplied translation cannot simply be handed to another person to sign. The person signing before the notary becomes the named translator and must check the whole text, including seals, handwritten notes and certificates.

4. Agree the spelling of names

If a name already appears in Latin characters in a passport, visa, residence permit or earlier document, provide that version before work begins. Even a one-letter discrepancy may cause questions when the document is filed.

Check organisation names, place names, document numbers and dates as well. A transliteration may be linguistically defensible but still conflict with the passport or application form used in the same case.

Do not crop an image to the main text. The translator needs the letterhead, series and number, signatures, printed names, seals, stamps, margin notes and footer. Page boundaries and the relationship between attachments and the main document should remain clear in a multi-page set. This allows the recipient to match each part of the translation to the source.

A signature is not copied or treated as a word to decipher. The translation records its presence and translates any name printed beside it. Legible wording in a seal is translated in the same way, while an unclear passage should not be guessed. Ask for a better scan before the final version is prepared if image quality prevents reliable reading.

5. Complete the signature certification

Under the usual Russian arrangement, the translator signs the prepared text in the notary’s presence. The notary establishes the translator’s identity, checks the documents required by law and adds the notarial certificate. Where the notary knows both languages and certifies the translation itself, the first route under Article 81 applies instead.

Confirm the fee, timing and attendance arrangements with the chosen notarial office. An agency may work with a notary who has already checked its translators’ documents, but this is not a permanent state accreditation of the translator.

6. Check the binding and finished set

The translation may be issued with the original, with a copy or separately if the recipient permits it. Article 45.1 of the Fundamentals requires the pages of a paper notarial document to be stitched, numbered and sealed by the notary unless the law provides another way to secure its integrity.

Before collection, check that:

every page, reverse side, attachment, seal and stamp is covered;
names, dates and numbers match the source and the other documents;
the translation is attached to the type of source requested by the recipient;
the notarial certificate, signature, seal and page count are legible;
any apostille and other endorsements appear in the required order.

Do not separate the finished binding. If the recipient wants an electronic copy, scan the complete set and confirm whether a scan can replace the paper original.

How the available forms differ

Form	What it confirms	What it does not confirm
Agency-certified translation	That a company issued the translation under its own procedure	A notarial act or automatic acceptance by any authority
Notarial certification of the translator’s signature	That the document was signed by the person identified by the notary	The authenticity of the source or the facts stated in it
Notarised copy	That the copy corresponds to the document presented within Article 77 of the Fundamentals	The legality of the source’s contents or the truth of its statements
Apostille	The origin of a public document: the signature, signer’s capacity and seal or stamp	Translation quality or the document’s contents
Consular legalisation	Completion of the required chain of certifications for the destination country	Translation accuracy or compliance with a particular recipient’s filing rules

An agency stamp is suitable only when the recipient accepts it. A notarised copy is a separate notarial act. Attaching a translation to an ordinary photocopy does not turn that copy into a notarised one.

An apostille is used for public documents under the Hague Convention where it operates between the relevant states and covers the document type. If that route does not apply and no treaty removes the formalities, consular legalisation may be needed. The article Apostille or consular legalisation compares the two routes.

Why a translation has to be redone

The wrong procedure is the usual reason a set has to be redone:

the translation was ordered before the apostille, leaving the certificate untranslated;
the recipient required a local sworn translator, but the set was prepared in Russia;
the translation was attached to an ordinary copy when the recipient wanted the original or a notarised copy;
the reverse side, an attachment, a seal or a handwritten note was omitted;
a name was spelt differently from the passport or application form;
the document presented to the notary was damaged, illegible or contained unverified alterations.

If the recipient’s reply is unclear, send a photograph of the proposed set or describe its source, language, translator, certification and filing method. That concrete question is easier to answer than “Will you accept a notarised translation?”

Official sources

This article was checked on 29 July 2026 against:

If you have the document and the recipient’s instructions, send both for review. We will identify whether the original or a copy is needed, agree the spelling of names and quote for the translation with the appropriate presentation.

What is a notarised translation and when is it required?