What the Home Office requires from Russian documents, how to handle Soviet-era documents, Candidate of Sciences diplomas, and materials for asylum cases. If you have questions after reading, message us on WhatsApp.
Написать в WhatsAppThe Home Office accepts translations carried out by a "qualified translator". This is the term used in the official guidance: the translator must confirm that the translation is complete and accurate, and attach a signed statement (Certificate of Accuracy) giving their name, qualifications, signature, date, and contact details.
"Certified" in the UK sense is not a notary's stamp or a government seal. It is precisely that signed statement from the translator. Notarisation in Russia does not give a translation the status of "certified" as the Home Office understands it.
There is no system of sworn translators in the UK. Membership of ITI or CIOL is significant but not formally compulsory.
The entire document is translated — including stamps, seals, marginal notes, the date of issue, the document number, and the details of the issuing authority. Translations of fragments or "the main part only" are not accepted by the Home Office.
Apostille: Russia is a member of the Hague Convention, so apostilles are available. However, the Home Office does not require an apostille for a certified translation. If your solicitor or institution is asking for an apostille, that is their separate requirement, not the Home Office standard.
Each document name is shown in two forms: Russian and English.
| Русский | English |
|---|---|
| Свидетельство о рождении | Birth Certificate |
| Свидетельство о браке | Marriage Certificate |
| Свидетельство о расторжении брака | Divorce Certificate |
| Свидетельство о смерти | Death Certificate |
| Свидетельство о перемене имени | Change of Name Certificate |
| Русский | English |
|---|---|
| Загранпаспорт РФ | Russian Foreign Passport |
| Внутренний паспорт РФ | Russian National Passport (Internal) |
| Военный билет | Military Service Record Book |
| СНИЛС | SNILS — Individual Insurance Account Number |
| ИНН | TIN — Taxpayer Identification Number |
| Русский | English |
|---|---|
| Аттестат о среднем образовании | Secondary School Certificate |
| Диплом о высшем образовании | University Degree / Diploma |
| Приложение к диплому / академическая справка | Diploma Supplement / Academic Transcript |
| Диплом кандидата наук / справка о защите | Candidate of Sciences Diploma / Defence Certificate |
| Диплом доктора наук | Doctor of Sciences Diploma |
| Диплом советского вуза (РСФСР) | Soviet-era University Diploma (RSFSR) |
| Русский | English |
|---|---|
| Медицинская справка | Medical Certificate |
| Выписка из истории болезни / эпикриз | Medical Record Summary / Discharge Summary |
| Медицинское заключение | Medical Report |
| Результаты обследований | Examination / Test Results |
| Русский | English |
|---|---|
| Решение суда | Court Judgment / Order |
| Доверенность | Power of Attorney |
| Постановление о задержании / аресте | Arrest / Detention Order |
| Обвинительное заключение | Indictment / Bill of Indictment |
| Судебный приговор | Criminal Judgment / Conviction |
| Русский | English |
|---|---|
| Повестка (суд, полиция, ФСБ, военкомат) | Summons / Official Notice (Court / Police / FSB / Military) |
| Уведомление о возбуждении уголовного дела | Criminal Case Initiation Notice |
| Справка из ИВС / следственного изолятора | Temporary Detention Facility Certificate |
| Документы родственников (политзаключённых) | Documents of Imprisoned / Politically Detained Relatives |
| Административный протокол | Administrative Offence Record |
| Материалы СМИ и публикации | Media Publications and Press Articles |
Многие граждане Russia имеют документы, выданные до 1991 года: свидетельства о рождении и браке советского образца, дипломы советских вузов, военные билеты СССР. Эти документы остаются юридически действительными и принимаются Home Office при условии качественного перевода.
Soviet documents from Russia (RSFSR) are entirely in Russian. After the dissolution of the USSR, all RSFSR-era documents remained valid on Russian territory. We translate the full Soviet period — from the 1920s to 1991.
Отдельные особенности советских документов, с которыми мы работаем регулярно:
An apostille for Soviet documents submitted to the Home Office is generally not required. Russia is a member of the Hague Convention, so apostilles are technically possible, but the Home Office does not require one for a certified translation.
Документ на русском, штамп «Союз ССР». Переводим полностью, в т.ч. реквизиты выдавшего органа.
Below are the three most common situations. Each card describes who needs it and which documents are typically required.
If you are claiming asylum or your solicitor is assembling a bundle for a hearing, below is a typical list of documents from Russia that are translated for the Home Office. The precise list depends on your individual case.
For most UKVI visas, the applicant's documents are translated, and in the case of family reunion, those of the spouse and children too. Below is a typical list for Spouse Visa and Skilled Worker.
For UCAS, ENIC (qualification recognition), postgraduate programmes, and academic appointments, certified translations are required. Candidate of Sciences dissertations are a separate matter: usually only the defence certificate is needed, not the full text.
Yes. Documents issued in territories with disputed international legal status (Crimea, parts of Donbas) are accepted and translated as personal documents — birth certificates, marriage certificates, passports. The legal status of a specific document in your immigration case is a matter for your solicitor. That is beyond our remit as translators.
For UK ENIC, a degree with its supplement is usually sufficient. The school-leaving certificate is needed separately only if you are seeking recognition of secondary education (for example, for access to Foundation or A-level equivalents). Check the requirement through the ENIC portal for your specific type of recognition.
An apostille is legalisation of the original document itself, placed by the authorised authority in the issuing country. It is a separate procedure, not directly related to a certified translation. The Home Office does not require an apostille for visa or asylum applications. An apostille may be required for notarial procedures, ENIC, or certain European institutions. We produce certified translations — apostilles on originals are not our function.
The patronymic is transliterated according to the BSI standard and accompanied by the note "patronymic" (for example: Ivan Petrovich Sidorov, where "Petrovich" is a patronymic). This is the standard practice accepted by the Home Office. Important: if your passport spells the name one way and your birth certificate another, this is noted in the Certificate of Accuracy with an explanation.
Yes. Documents of this type may be partially illegible due to lamination or deterioration — everything that is illegible is recorded in the translation with an explanation. The Home Office accepts Soviet birth certificates provided a certified translation is supplied.
As a rule, a certified translation of the Candidate of Sciences diploma and the defence certificate (if one was issued) is sufficient. A full translation of the dissertation is not required by the Home Office or ENIC. If an institution (a university or employer) wants a substantive translation of the abstract or introduction, that is a separate request, not a standard certified procedure.
A Russian notary's stamp confirms the authenticity of the signature under Russian law, but it is not equivalent to a UK-certified translation. The Home Office requires a certified translation with a Certificate of Accuracy from a UK-qualified translator. A Russian notarial notation does not replace this.
Yes. If you have a document bearing such a marking or equivalent, we translate its content in full, including all visible text and document details. The restricted-access marking is recorded in the translation as part of the original. This does not affect our ability to produce a certified translation — we work only with what you provide.
Скажем стоимость и сроки. Если не разобрались — тоже напишите, поможем понять, что нужно.
Отвечаем по-русски и по-английски.
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