According to the existing practice, official organizations in the Russian Federation may not accept a foreign document if it is not accompanied by a certified translation, which should be legalized by a Consular office of the Russian Federation in the country of origin of the document.

A Consular officer authenticates translation of the document from one language into another.

Therefore, in order to be accepted in the Russian Federation each document has to be accompanied by an Apostille (issued by the Legalisation Section of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation) and by a certified translation.

The full text of the document has to be translated into Russian and signed by a certified translator. Consul verifies the translation and attaches together the Apostille, the original document and the translation in a way that is acceptable in the Russian Federation.

The consular fee is collected in cash at the Consulate, and is applicable per page (please, refer to our Fees our contact the Consulate for details).

Normally the Russian documents translated into English by the duly registered local translators (e.g. Sworn Translators to the High Courts) are accepted by the South African authorities without additional verification by the Consulate.

If a document is translated by a certified translator who is registered with the Consulate, the consular officer only certifies the signature of the said translator (please, refer to our Fees our contact the Consulate for details).