10 important rules for apostille on notarial documents in 2025 and 2026

What an apostille is, you can read about it in our article

Rules for apostille:

• The apostille is placed on a notarized copy of the document, as well as on notarized documents (powers of attorney, consents, contracts, agreements, etc.).
• The apostille has a regional binding. Therefore, if a notarized copy has been made by a notary in the city of Moscow, it can only be apostilled in Moscow.
• The apostille confirms the authenticity of the signature and seal of the notary or the responsible person who certified the document, but does not confirm the content of the document itself.
• The apostille is placed only for countries that signed the 1961 Hague Convention on simplified legalization by affixing the "Apostille" stamp. For countries that did not sign the convention, the full consular legalization procedure is carried out.
• The apostille is not placed on documents issued by the consulates/embassies of the Russian Federation.
• The apostille does not have an expiration date. Only the document itself may have an expiration date (for example, a criminal record certificate).
• The apostille is not placed by just any organizations, but by those authorized by law. In Russia, these are the Civil Registry Office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Justice.
• To place an apostille in Russia, a power of attorney is not required.
• In Russia, the apostille is not placed on foreign documents.
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation does not place apostilles.