Hans + Masha = Love
or,
How a Foreigner in Russia Can Enter Into the Bonds of Matrimony
Text Alexander Zorin
Unlike countries, love has no borders.
For a foreigner, though,
entering into the bonds of matrimony
in the Russian Federation has its own set
of hurdles. A lot depends, for example
— and perhaps unsurprisingly — on the
accurate completion of a series of marriage-
related documents. So for those
foreign lonely hearts who come to Russia
and find marital bliss with an enchanting
Slavic miss or burly “Siberian bear,”
it is important to know how to quickly
and correctly register the relationship
with his or her new-found life partner.
Russia is quite liberal as far as granting
rights to foreigners residing in
the country legally. According to the
Russian legal code, foreigners enjoy the
same rights and bear the same obligations
as Russian citizens. And that holds
for the main spousal legislation, the
Family Code, which says that domestic
law applies to the marriage of a Russian
citizen, but that the foreign citizen
remains subject to the laws of his or her
own country.
Russian law prohibits same-sex marriage
and polygamy as well as unions
between close relatives. Russian citizens
entering into marriage must have
reached the age of 18, though in some
instances the local authorities can
reduce the legal age to 16. A foreign citizen
must have reached the legal age to
marry according to the laws of his or
her own country and provide evidence
of such. The imposition of additional
requirements, such as parental assent,
period of betrothal, or membership in
a particular religious denomination, is
illegal.
Spouses-to-be who want to register
their marriage in Russia must complete
a series of administrative formalities.
First, they must file a joint application at
the office of vital records (abbreviated in
Russian as ZAGS). Unlike other countries,
where a union can be legally registered
through a church or other religious
institution, in Russia marriages can be
registered only by the state.
The ZAGS application includes common
personal information such as full
name, date and place of birth, age, citizenship,
nationality, residence, and the
last name to be used after the marriage.
In addition, a foreigner must provide
supporting documents such as passport
and proof of the dissolution of any previous
marriages. In addition, to ensure
that a marriage concluded in Russia
will be recognized in a foreign citizen’s
country of origin, any documents connected
with additional conditions
imposed by the laws of the home country
should also be fi lled out at the time of
the registration.
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The marriage application must be
submitted in person. (Exceptions are
possible, however, for foreigners who
live outside of Russia.) Upon reviewing
the marriage application (which is done
within a month of submission), Russian
authorities assign a date for the actual
registration of the marriage. As the
formal registration of the union cannot
be done without the attendance of
both parties, the foreign national must
be present on the day of the registration.
Under certain circumstances — such as
the expiration of a visa or urgent need
to leave the country — foreigners may
request that the ZAGS delay or expedite
the date of the registration, provided he
or she can substantiate the need for this.
(Also, by Russian law, a foreign citizen
may enter into marriage while hospitalized
or incarcerated in a Russian prison,
but let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.)
The final step for the foreigner who
has been joined with a Russian citizen
in the bonds of matrimony is obtaining
the marriage certifi cate. This document
includes the same personal information
for both spouses as the application for
marriage registration with the addition
of the date and location of the marriage
and the date of preparation and number
of the official record of the registration.
Then you’re done.
Wasn’t that easy? Now you can live
happily ever after. Just one last thing: If
you and your spouse ever decide to move
somewhere else, don’t forget to have
your Russian marriage certifi cate properly
notarized in accordance with the
requirements of the Hague Convention
of 1961 (you’ll need a certification called
an apostille).
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