Legalising a Russian university diploma: apostille or consular legalisation

The diploma is in your hands, but at home it will not be accepted. An employer in Cairo, Delhi or Beijing does not read a Russian seal: they need confirmation from the state. That confirmation is what legalisation means.

The whole procedure turns on one question: has your country signed the Hague Convention or not. Get that wrong and you lose a month and the money you paid in state fees. Here is the full route, step by step.

Step 1. Check your country against the list

The Hague Convention of 1961 abolished consular legalisation between member countries. If your country is on the list, an apostille is enough: one stamp from a Russian authority. If it is not on the list, the document has to pass through four authorities in a row.

A note on China: it joined the convention in November 2023. Guides written before that date still send graduates to the consulate. You no longer need to go there, an apostille is enough.

The country lists get updated. Before you file anything, check with your country's consulate in Russia. If you cannot find the answer, write to us and we will check it for free.

Step 2. Decide what the apostille goes on

The stamp goes either on the diploma itself or on a notarised copy of it. These are two different documents with different prices and different waiting times.

In the Nizhny Novgorod region the apostille on an original diploma is issued by the regional Ministry of Education. Forty five days starting in July means you get the finished document at the end of August. Plan ahead.

An apostille on a copy is faster and cheaper. But it confirms the copy, not the diploma. Some foreign universities and ministries turn that version away.

Ask the receiving side directly: the university, the employer, the education ministry of your country. If there is no answer, take the apostille on the original. That one always goes through.

We have gone through the options country by country on the apostille and consular legalisation page, and the consultation is free.

Step 3. Translate the diploma and the transcript

The translation comes after the apostille. The reason is simple: the stamp has to be translated too. Translate earlier and you pay twice.

We translate into the language of the country, or into English if the country accepts English. A notary certifies the finished translation. If the country also requires an apostille on the translation, that is stamped as well.

What we check in a diploma translation:

• subjects and the degree are rendered in the terminology of the destination country, not word for word;
• the name in Latin letters exactly as in the international passport, letter for letter;
• every seal, signature and the text of the apostille itself is translated;
• the transcript with the marks is translated in full, with nothing left out;
• the name of the university matches the way the university writes it in official documents.

The transcript with the marks matters more than people think. No education ministry anywhere accepts a diploma without a translated transcript: it has neither the hours nor the subjects. A diploma together with its transcript takes us 1-2 days, and the details are on the diploma and transcript translation page.

Step 4. Country outside the convention: the four-authority route

Egypt, the UAE, Vietnam, Nigeria and the other countries outside the convention require consular legalisation. The order is strict and the steps cannot be swapped around.

1. A notarised copy of the diploma and transcript, plus a notarised translation into the country's language.
2. The Russian Ministry of Justice certifies the notary's signature.
3. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs certifies the signature of the Ministry of Justice.
4. Your country's consulate in Russia puts on the final stamp.

The whole route takes from two weeks to a month and a half. Start before you leave. From inside Russia it is done in one go; from abroad it turns into an exchange of letters and powers of attorney.

What it costs and how long it takes

• Document translation from 600 ₽. A diploma is priced by volume, the transcript with the marks per 1800 characters including spaces.
• Notarisation 1200 ₽ per document.
• Passport translation, all in, 1800 ₽ including certification. Useful for checking how your name is spelled.
• Apostille at the authority's rate, the state fee on an original diploma is 2500 ₽.

The notary sits in the office next door, so certification takes 15 minutes rather than a separate day. The full price list is open: prices.

Common mistakes

• Translating the diploma before the apostille. The stamp stayed in Russian and the document came back.
• Getting an apostille for a country that needs consular legalisation. The fee was wasted.
• Translating only the diploma and leaving the transcript. The most common reason for a refusal.
• The name in the translation not matching the international passport. One letter and it is already a different person.
• Taking the consular route to China from an outdated guide. Since November 2023 an apostille is enough.
• Starting in August with a September departure. An apostille on an original takes up to 45 days.

How it works with us

Since 2003 we have handled graduates of Lobachevsky University (UNN), PIMU, Minin University, NNGASU, the agricultural academy and the conservatory. China, India, Arab countries, Africa, the CIS.

You send a scan of the diploma and the transcript and name the country. We tell you which route is yours, work out the price and the time, translate, and certify with the notary through the next door. We write out the route through the authorities on a single page, so you can walk it in one go.

Parents often arrange this for a son or daughter who is still finishing their studies. We need a scan of every page of the transcript and the spelling of the name in Latin letters from the international passport, and we do the rest. Everything else students need is on the for students page.

Frequently asked questions

Does the apostille go on the diploma or on the translation? On the original diploma or on a notarised copy. If the country also requires an apostille on the translation, it is added as a third step, after the translation and the notarisation.

Does the transcript with the marks have to be translated? Yes, in full. Without the list of subjects and hours the diploma is not even considered.

Which is faster, an apostille on the original or on a copy? On a copy: a few working days against forty five. But a copy is not accepted everywhere, so ask the receiving side first.

My country is not in the convention. Can I get away with an apostille? No. An apostille has no force there and the document will come back. You need all four steps of consular legalisation.

Can it all be done remotely, without coming to the office? Send the scan on WhatsApp or by email. If you need the original with the notary's seal in your hands, you collect it at the office at 27/8 Varvarskaya St. or book a courier.

Send us a scan, we will price it in 15 minutes

Send a photo of the diploma and the transcript on WhatsApp to 8 920 062-96-56 and tell us the country. In working hours we reply within 15 minutes: 9:30 to 17:00 on weekdays. We will tell you whether you need an apostille or consular legalisation and name the exact price and time. The other ways to reach us are in contacts.