Passport translation for a work patent: what to translate and why it gets returned

A work patent starts with a passport. The inspector looks at the translation first, and it is the translation that comes flying back most often. One letter in a name. An untranslated seal. And off the person goes for a new translation, losing a day.

We have been doing these translations in Nizhny Novgorod every day since 2003. Below: what gets translated, how the name is spelled, what it costs, why documents come back and what to do if yours already has.

Which translation the MVD migration service requires

In short: you need a notarised translation. Not a copy, not a translation with an agency stamp.

That means three things:

• the translation is done by a qualified translator who is registered with the notary;
• the notary certifies the translator's signature and binds the translation to a copy of the passport;
• the translation carries the notary's certifying inscription, seal and signature.

A translation with nothing but an agency stamp will not be accepted for a patent. An employer is often happy with that kind of translation; the migration service is not. The difference between the two types of certification is set out on the translation for the MVD page.

Which passport pages are translated

Mistake number one: translating only the spread with the photograph. For a patent you translate every page that has an entry on it.

What goes into the translation:

• the cover with the coat of arms and the name of the country;
• the page with the surname, given name, date and place of birth;
• the details of issue: who issued the passport, when, and until what date;
• notes about extensions and replacements;
• border crossing stamps, if there are any in the passport;
• every seal and stamp, even the small ones.

Blank pages are marked in the translation with a single line. The inspector compares the translation with the original page by page. If there is a stamp in the passport and it is not in the translation, the document comes back.

Seals are translated separately. It often goes like this: the entry is in Russian and the seal on top of it is in the national language. The seal still gets translated.

A passport in two languages, an Uzbek one duplicated in English for example, is translated from both. Then the inspector can see that the entries match and no questions come up. Such a translation costs more, but it goes through the first time. The details for this document are on the passport translation page.

How the name is spelled in the translation

In short: the name is not spelled by transliteration rules, it is spelled the way it is already written in your Russian documents.

The main reference point is the migration card. If you have a visa, that too. Then come the documents already in the MVD database: an old patent, a temporary residence permit, notifications.

If the migration card says "Gurbanguly" and the translator writes "Kurbanguly", to the inspector those are two different people. The translation will be returned.

What to do before ordering:

1. Photograph the migration card together with the passport.
2. Recall how your name was spelled in earlier documents and tell the translator.
3. Order the documents for the whole family in one place, so that the surname is spelled the same way for the husband, the wife and the children.

We always ask for the migration card and check the spelling before the translation goes to the notary. You cannot correct a letter in a paper the notary has already certified. It can only be done again from scratch.

What it costs and how long it takes

A CIS passport from one language takes us 15 minutes. The notary sits in the office next door and certifies it in another 15. So you come in at lunchtime and half an hour later you leave with the finished document.

Notarisation costs 1200 ₽ per document. That is the notary's rate and it is the same at every agency in the city. Arabic passports are ready the next day, the rest the same day. The full list of prices for the other family documents is in the price list.

Why the inspector returns a translation

These are the real reasons people come to us with after a refusal:

1. Only the spread with the photograph was translated, the other pages with entries were skipped.
2. Seals and stamps were not translated. The passport issue stamp especially.
3. The given name or surname does not match the migration card, even by one letter.
4. The surname is spelled differently across one family's documents: one way for the father, another for the child.
5. A mistake in the passport number or in a date. One digit out of place and the document is no longer yours.
6. The translation is certified with the agency stamp only, without a notary.
7. The translation is old and new entries have appeared in the passport since.
8. Formal quibbles about wording: the word order in the certifying inscription, "entry" instead of "inscription". It happens, and arguing is pointless, redoing it is quicker.

The first five points are closed by a single action: send photos of every page and of the migration card, not just the first spread.

What to do if the translation has already been returned

Ask the inspector exactly what is wrong and write it down. "Incorrectly drawn up" tells you nothing, you need specifics: which page, which word, which letter.

Then it depends:

• The agency that did the translation made a mistake. Take it back to them, they should redo it free of charge. If we did the translation, we correct it and certify it again the same day at our expense.
• Pages or seals are missing. The translation is done again in full: you cannot add anything to a document the notary has already bound.
• The name is spelled differently from the migration card. A new translation again, the old one cannot be saved.
• New entries have appeared in the passport. The translation is repeated, the notary certifies it anew, and you have to pay again.

Bring the old translation with you, it shows where the mistake is straight away.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need the original passport? A photograph is enough for the translation. The notary certifies the translator's signature, not the passport itself. The original is only needed if the translation is bound to a notarised copy of the passport, and that is not required everywhere. We will warn you when we quote.

How long is a passport translation valid? It has no expiry date. It stops being usable when new entries appear in the passport or when you change passports. If you are extending a patent and nothing in the passport has changed, the old translation is usually accepted.

Can everything be done without coming to the office? Yes. Photos on WhatsApp, payment by transfer, and the finished document is picked up by a courier you book. We send the scan by email the same day.

How many translations do we need if the whole family is applying? A separate passport translation for each person. Plus the children's birth certificates and the marriage certificate. The whole family package is on the for migrants page.

Where are you? Nizhny Novgorod, 27/8 Varvarskaya St., office 34, third floor. We work 9:30 to 17:00 on weekdays. How to get here is in contacts.

What to do now

Photograph the passport: every page with entries, seals and marks. Put the migration card next to it and photograph that too. Send the photos on WhatsApp to 8 920 062-96-56.

In working hours we reply within 15 minutes: we name the exact price and time. A passport translation for a work patent, all in, costs 1800 ₽ and is ready in half an hour, with the notary through the next door.