Russian translation: key facts for 2026
- • Russia is a Hague Apostille member (since 1992). The sequence is State HRD, SDM or Home Department, then MEA apostille in New Delhi, then Russian translation. No Russian Embassy attestation step applies; an agent quoting one is working from outdated information.
- • Notary-certified Russian translation (notarialny perevod) is what most Russian receiving authorities want: the translation covers the document and the apostille, and the translator's signature is notarised in the format the receiving side accepts.
- • A scan is enough for the translation. You only send us the original when it is time for the MEA apostille, and it comes back to you by tracked courier.
- • Rosobrnadzor academic recognition for Russian medical and engineering university nostrification. First Moscow State Medical (Sechenov), Saint Petersburg State Medical (Pavlov), Kazan State Medical, Bauman Moscow State Technical, ITMO, and the engineering universities all admit Indian students after nostrification.
- • Belarus (Hague since 1992) and Kazakhstan (Hague since 2001) work the same way: MEA apostille on the Indian original, certified Russian translation alongside.
- • How long it takes: most Russia-bound documents finish in 20 to 50 working days. The State HRD step decides the pace. Translation adds no extra time, because it runs from the scan while the original is still in attestation.
Russia is Hague: apostille first, then notarised Russian translation
Russia has been a Hague Apostille member since 1992. For an Indian document going to Russia, the India-side work ends at the MEA apostille. You get the State HRD or Home Department attestation first, then the MEA apostille sticker in New Delhi. There is no Russian Embassy attestation step, so any agent quoting one is working from outdated rules. Paying for an embassy step the Russian side never asked for wastes money and weeks. The real difference from Western Europe is the translation. Russian authorities usually want a notary-certified Russian translation covering the document and the apostille together, and the certification format varies by receiving authority.
The candidates we see most often on the Russian desk are MBBS and BDS graduates going to Russian medical universities for nostrification or for postgraduate specialisation, engineering and IT professionals going to Russian companies, families on long-term Russia residence permits, and B2B clients with Russian-side commercial contracts.
When you actually need to send us the Original
For the translation itself, never. A clear scan or photograph is all the Russian translator needs, and the finished translation reaches you on email, with a hard copy by courier if the receiving side wants one.
The original is needed for the attestation and apostille, because the State HRD office signs the actual paper and MEA stamps the actual paper. So you send it to our Noida office once, we run those steps, and the translation happens in parallel from the scan.
Which authority will actually read this Russian translation
Russian medical universities and Rosobrnadzor for nostrification. Russian medical universities (First Moscow State Medical University, Saint Petersburg State Medical University, Kazan State Medical University, others) accept Indian MBBS and BDS degrees through nostrification. State HRD attestation on the degree, MEA apostille in New Delhi, notary-certified Russian translation, then submission to the university or to Rosobrnadzor. Course content sometimes additionally needs translation.
Russia visa applications through Russian Embassy New Delhi and Russian Consulate General Mumbai/Chennai/Kolkata. Student visa, work visa and family residence visa applications run with Indian documents carrying the MEA apostille and certified Russian translation alongside. The Embassy and Consulates issue the visa; they do not attest the documents.
Belarus residence and nostrification. Belarus has been a Hague Apostille member since 1992. Documents going to Belarus run State HRD or SDM, MEA apostille, then Russian translation. The Belarusian Ministry of Education runs the nostrification.
Kazakhstan residence, work, and university admission. Kazakhstan acceded to the Hague Apostille Convention; for many document categories MEA apostille is sufficient. Russian translation accompanies. The Kazakh Embassy in New Delhi handles consular matters.
Russian-side commercial contracts and corporate documents. MOA, AOA, board resolutions going to Russian counterparties. Chamber of Commerce attestation, MEA apostille, then Russian translation.
Russian-side court matters and notarial work. Court orders, POA, affidavits going to Russian courts or notarial filings. State Home Department or SDM, MEA apostille, then Russian translation certified in the format the Russian court or notary accepts.
What we will not pretend
We are not the Russian Embassy, the Russian Consulate, Rosobrnadzor, or any Russian university admissions office. We coordinate the documentary sequence that feeds into their processes; the verifications and acceptance decisions are theirs.
We do not run Russian university nostrification on behalf of the candidate. Nostrification is the university's or Rosobrnadzor's academic-recognition process; we deliver the attested and translated documents in the format the destination accepts.
We do not work with forged Russian translations or fabricated source documents. SiZA Global has a hard line on documentary integrity.
How SiZA Global keeps your original documents safe on a Russia case
You can't mess with people's Original documents. A document that arrives at our Noida office for the Russian sequence is logged with a Customer ID and a Document ID at intake. A printed checklist stays with your document and gets signed at every handoff, so you can see who held it and when: Notary, State HRD, MEA, translator and outbound courier.
We do not use Porter, Wefast, Borzo or similar third-party parcel apps for movement between our office and MEA. Inter-city and international legs use Blue Dart, DHL, FedEx, DTDC Premium, UPS.
We click pictures and shoot videos of every stamp on the journey: Notary, State HRD seal, MEA apostille, translator certification. Pictures go on WhatsApp before the document moves to the next handoff.
Frequently asked questions
My degree needs to go to a Moscow medical university. What is the order of work?
Russia is a Hague Apostille Convention member (since 1992), so the legalisation step is the MEA apostille, not embassy attestation. The order: State HRD attestation in the issuing state, MEA apostille in New Delhi, then certified Russian translation of the degree and the apostille, notarised in the format the receiving side accepts. For medical and other regulated professions, you also apply for Russian university nostrification, either through the Russian university itself or through Rosobrnadzor in Moscow. If an agent is quoting Russian Embassy attestation for a Russia-bound Indian document, they are using outdated information.
Belarus and Kazakhstan accept Russian-language translation. Do they have their own attestation routes?
Both are Hague Apostille members: Belarus since 1992 and Kazakhstan since 2001. For both destinations the MEA apostille on the Indian original is the legal-recognition step, with certified Russian translation alongside. Belarus runs its own academic recognition through the Belarusian Ministry of Education; Kazakhstan has its own recognition desk for foreign qualifications. We confirm the exact translation-certification format the receiving authority wants per case before quoting.
What translation format do Russian authorities accept?
Most Russian authorities want what Russia calls notarialny perevod: a Russian translation with the translator's signature certified by a notary. Universities, Rosobrnadzor, employers and courts all read this format. Some accept an India-side certified translation. Others insist the notarisation happen in Russia or at a Russian consulate. For high-stakes documents like a medical degree for nostrification, the certification requirement is confirmed with the receiving authority before any translation is locked.
Do I need to send the Original for Russian translation?
No. A clear scan or photograph is enough, because the translator works from the image. You only send us the original when it is time for the MEA apostille. The finished Russian translation reaches you as a soft copy on email, with a hard copy on request.
My MBBS is going to a Russian medical university for nostrification. What is the full sequence?
State HRD attestation (for example, Maharashtra State HRD for a Maharashtra-issued medical degree), MEA apostille in New Delhi, certified Russian translation covering the degree and the apostille, then submission to Rosobrnadzor or directly to the destination Russian medical university's admissions desk. Some Russian universities additionally ask for separate course-content translation alongside the transcript. We coordinate the documentary sequence; the university's academic-recognition decision is theirs.
My passport is in English but my surname has Russian-style transliteration that does not match my degree. Will the Embassy ask me to fix this?
Russian transliteration of Indian names varies. The Russian Embassy New Delhi typically accepts the translator's transliteration choice if it is consistent across the bundle. Mismatches between degree, marriage certificate, and passport translations cause questions at submission. We standardise transliteration across the whole bundle before any translation is locked.
How long does the Russian translation and attestation sequence take from your end?
State HRD attestation: 8 to 45 working days, the state decides. MEA apostille: 2 to 3 working days. Russian translation: 3 to 7 working days, running in parallel from the scan. International courier to Russia: 5 to 10 working days. A degree and transcript together usually finish in 20 to 50 working days, and the HRD step decides where in that range you land.
Are Indian school-level documents (Class 10, Class 12) accepted for Russian university admission?
For Russian medical and engineering university admission, Class 10 and Class 12 boards are sometimes asked for alongside the degree. CBSE, ICSE, and state board records all need certified English translation if regional language, then SDM or Home Department countersign (board records use SDM or Home Department, not HRD), MEA apostille, Russian translation. We confirm at intake what the destination Russian university asks for.
Related desks
SiZA Global verification, for the customer who wants to check before sending Originals
- • Operated by SiZA Global Solutions Private Limited, registered office: C-25, Sector 8, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201301, India.
- • UDYAM registration: UDYAM-UP-28-0217175 (Ministry of MSME, Government of India).
- • Verifiable completed-work portfolio at /about and the SiZA Global anti-scam verification protocol at /anti-scam-notice.
- • Content is reviewed by the SiZA Global Documentation Desk. Country-specific instructions are checked against the receiving authority before a file starts.
Reviewed by the SiZA Global Documentation Desk on 27 May 2026 (SiZA Global Solutions Private Limited, registered office: C-25, Sector 8, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201301, India; verified completed-work portfolio at /about and /anti-scam-notice). Russian university nostrification processes and the translation-certification formats accepted by Russian, Belarusian and Kazakh authorities vary and change. Every Russia-bound case begins with a check of the destination authority's current rule.