Depending on your country, your records of education (i.e diplomas, transcripts, certificates) need to be legalized and/or recognized so that they can be used to enter a university or start a job in Russia.
1. Legalization – quick facts:
- Is administered by:
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country of issue of document
- Consular Services of the Russian Federation abroad
- Apostille – a simplified legalization procedure, is administered by authorized Bodies of the country of issue of the document (see the list of authorized Bodies: For example, in India Apostille is granted by Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India.)
- Takes from 5 to 45 working days, depending on the country of issue
- If your educational records are issued by a country of the Bilateral agreement with Russia, legalization is NOT required (e.g. Algeria, Iran, India, China, see the full list https://nic.gov.ru/en/proc/nic/legalize . If your country of issue is on the list, proceed to Recognition/Nostrification.
According to the legislation of the Russian Federation, documents issued in another state can be used (accepted by Russian authorities and organizations) only after legalization, which meant a number of formal procedures have been completed to give the document legal force on the territory of another country.
There are two types of legalization: consular legalization and apostilization.
Consular legalization is carried out in two stages:
Ι. Certification of the document (depending on the requirements of the legislation of the country issued the document: usually the original, in some countries - copies) by the competent foreign affairs bodies (MFA) of the country issued the document: appropriate stamps and seals are affixed indicating the position and the signature of the certifying official;
ΙΙ. Certification by the consular services of the Russian Federation (consulate or representative office of the Russian Federation) in the country issued the document: appropriate stamps and seals are affixed with an indication of the position and the signature of the certifying official.
Apostilization is a simplified procedure for legalization. Affixing the apostille stamp on official documents emanating from institutions and organizations of the countries participating in the 1961 Hague Convention, which abolishes the requirement for consular legalization of foreign official documents:
• The apostille stamp is affixed on the original document or on a separate sheet attached to the document and may be compiled in the official language of the issuing authority;
• The apostille stamp is carried out by the competent authorized bodies of the country issued the document (Secretary of State, Department of Education, Ministry of Education, educational institutions and others).
Documents issued in countries-participants of multilateral or bilateral treaties abolishing the requirement of legalization of documents are accepted without legalization.
2. Russian Recognition/Nostrification of foreign education records – quick facts:
- Is administered by the Main State Center for Education Evaluation ("Glavexpertcenter") https://nic.gov.ru/en/proc/nic online or by mail or in person in Moscow office
- Takes up to 45 working days (e.g., if you plan to apply to RosNOU June 23, start the process as early as March 28)
In the Russian Federation, recognition of foreign education and (or) foreign qualifications is understood as the official confirmation of the relevance (level) of education and (or) qualifications obtained in a foreign state, with the granting of their academic, professional and (or) other rights to the holder. The decision on the recognition of foreign education and (or) foreign qualifications is made by the Federal Service for the Supervision in the Sphere of Education and Science (Rosobrnadzor).
Since 2019, the procedure for the recognition of foreign education (nostrification) has become mandatory for graduates of foreign educational organizations entering Russian universities. This is done by the Main State Center for Education Evaluation ("Glavexpertcenter").
The nostrification procedure takes up to 45 calendar days. Meanwhile, if the Glavexpertcenter sends a request to the organization that issued the educational document, it will add up to 45 days to the procedure, a repeated request will take up to 45 days more. Consequently, we advise you to start the nostrification procedure as early as possible.
Prepare your documents.
The following documents are required for the recognition of foreign education:
- document confirming the citizenship and identifying the applicant ID (Passport);
- notarized translation of Passport;
- original copy of the school diploma/certificate (or equivalent), the specific legalization procedure of which will depend on the country where the diploma was issued;
- notarized translation of mentioned document;
- original of official transcripts (supplement with marks);
- notarized translation of official transcripts.
THIRD-PARTY Representative: If the international prospective student has a trusted third-party representative (e.g. an agent, attorney-in-fact) in Moscow, it is possible to delegate the entire process of applying for Recognition, paying statutory fees, and collecting Recognition letter to the representative. It might save the prospective student's time and make the process of submitting the documents easier.
Please see Sample Letter of Attorney (in Russian) that your representative needs to get from you, and which will be accepted by the Main State Center for Education Evaluation ("Glavexpertcenter") . Please note that such letter needs to be notarized.