Russian change of name certificate translation, certified for USCIS
In Russia a change of surname, given name or patronymic is registered at ZAGS and confirmed by a certificate of change of name. It is translated in full, with both names spelled to match the documents that carry them, and a signed certificate of accuracy.
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A photo from your phone or a PDF. Both sides if there are notes on the back.
See the price
From $23.70 per document, certification included. Nothing is charged until you confirm.
Receive the certified PDF
In your account on the day agreed, ready to attach to your USCIS packet.
Two documents or ten, the same rules: price by word count, one file back.
Order NowRussian change of name certificate, line by line: what the reviewer compares
The certificate names the person before and after, including the patronymic, the date and place of birth, the ZAGS office and the act record number. A change of patronymic is common and easy to miss, so the translation states all three parts of each name.
Surname, given name, patronymic
All three parts of the old and new names are transliterated, with the changed part visible at a glance.
ZAGS office and record number
The registry office, the act record number and the seal are translated or described.
Dates in the US format
The date of the change and the issue date are converted and kept separate.
Consistent across your file
The spellings chosen here are used in every other document we translate for you, so the officer sees one person.
ZAGS certificate or ZAGS spravka, which one do you have
A Russian change of name is confirmed by the ZAGS certificate of change of name on a security form. If the certificate was lost, or an office wants confirmation from the archive, ZAGS issues a spravka about the change instead, and both are translated in full.
ZAGS certificate of change of name
Security form, seal- A single sheet on a numbered security form with the ZAGS seal and the act record number; Soviet-era ones are handwritten
- Surname, given name and patronymic before and after, date and place of birth, the date of the change and the office
- Every field, the seal, the form number and any stamp on the back are translated
- Asked for by USCIS when a birth certificate or diploma shows a different name from the passport
Send photos of the front and the back.
ZAGS spravka or archive extract
Replacement or archive- A one-page letter form or an extract from the act record, with the office's stamp and the head's signature
- The same names before and after, the act record number and date, and the office that holds the record
- The whole page including the stamp and signature block is translated
- Asked for when the certificate is lost or when an office asks for confirmation from the registry
Send a straight-on photo of the whole page with the stamp.
The whole certificate, form number to seal
Form number, layout and the back
The series and number on the security form and the position of each field are kept, and a duplicate stamp or note on the back is translated.
Handwritten Soviet-era entries
Older certificates are filled in by hand; each entry is translated as written, with unclear letters checked against your other documents.
Issuing office in full
The name of the ZAGS office, its district and region, as printed in the header and inside the seal, are translated.
Old spelling, new spelling
The translation states which document each spelling follows, so the reader sees why the old name may look unfamiliar.
One translation, accepted where you need to file
The same certified file works for immigration, courts, universities and employers. Say who it is for when you order and the certificate is worded for that office.
USCIS
Green card, citizenship and asylum filings. Certification statement on every page set.
Immigration courts
Same certified translation, laid out page by page so the clerk can compare it with the original.
Universities and WES / ECE
Admissions offices and credential evaluators get the certified English file with the original attached.
Employers and licensing boards
HR departments get the translation with the certificate, ready to attach to an application.
From a photo on your phone to a certified PDF
Upload and confirm
Send the document, check the page count and the date, pay by card.
A native speaker translates
One certified native-speaking translator per order. The original is read by a person, not a machine.
Names and dates are checked
Every name is compared with your passport spelling, every date and number with the original.
Delivered as one PDF
Translation, signed certificate and a copy of the original in one file, in your account.
From $23.70 per document. Certification included.
The price is based on word count. A certificate, passport or letter is usually the minimum. You see the exact price and delivery date right after upload, before you pay, and it does not change afterwards.
Price My DocumentRussian change of name certificate, the questions we hear most
Will USCIS accept this translation?
It follows what USCIS asks for: the whole document in English plus a signed statement that the translator is competent and the translation is complete and accurate. Every order includes that statement, signed and dated by the translator.
I only changed my patronymic. Is the certificate still needed?
If any document shows the old patronymic, yes; the certificate is what explains the difference. The translation states all three name parts before and after.
Can you translate a Soviet-era change of name record?
Yes. Soviet certificates and registry extracts in Russian follow a standard layout and are translated or described in full.
Do I need the back of the certificate?
Photograph it anyway; a duplicate stamp or a note is sometimes there, and it is translated when present.
How much does it cost and how fast is it?
From $23.70 per document, certification included. A one-page document is usually ready the next business day; the date is confirmed before you pay.
Twenty document types, two languages
Each document and each language has its own page with its own specifics and price. Something else? Upload it and we quote it by hand.
Civil statusBirth certificateTranslated in full by one translator who reads the original, not a machine. Names spelled as in your passport, every stamp and registry note included, and a signed certificate of accuracy in the same PDF.Learn more
Civil statusMarriage certificateZAGS certificates, Soviet-era forms and duplicates issued decades after the wedding, translated in full by one translator. Both names follow your passports, patronymics stay in place, and the signed certificate of accuracy comes in the same PDF.Learn more
Civil statusDivorce certificateIn Russia a divorce through court still ends with a ZAGS certificate, and that certificate is usually what an officer wants to see rather than the court file alone. We translate whichever you hold, in full, with a signed certificate of accuracy.Learn more
Civil statusDeath certificateZAGS certificates of death, Soviet-era forms and duplicates issued to relatives years later, translated in full by one translator. Names keep their patronymics and follow the spelling in your own filings.Learn more
IdentityPassportThe Russian foreign passport has a bilingual data page and pages of Russian-only stamps and visa notes. We translate what is filled in, keep your name exactly as the passport spells it in Latin letters, and sign the certificate of accuracy.Learn more
IdentityInternal passport / ID cardThe Russian internal passport is a small booklet where each page has a job: registration, military duty, marital status, children, previously issued passports. We translate the pages that are filled in and count only those.Learn more
IdentityDriver's licenseThe current plastic card and the older laminated pink form are both in circulation, and both are translated on one page with front and back. Categories, subcategories and special marks are kept as printed.Learn more
EducationDiplomaDiplomas of the state standard, Soviet-era blue diplomas and the newer forms with the two-line qualification all pass through credential evaluators. Each is translated literally, with the series, number and seal, and a signed certificate of accuracy.Learn more
EducationTranscript / diploma supplementThe supplement to a Russian diploma lists courses with hours and grades on the five-point scale, plus coursework, practice, the thesis and state exams. Every line is translated as printed, with a signed certificate of accuracy.Learn more
EducationSchool certificateThe Russian attestat comes in two levels, basic general education after grade nine and secondary general education after grade eleven, each with its own grade sheet on the five-point scale. Both are translated literally with a signed certificate of accuracy.Learn more
LegalPolice clearance certificateThe Russian certificate of the presence or absence of a criminal record is issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, on paper or as a signed electronic file through Gosuslugi. Both versions are translated in full with a signed certificate of accuracy.Learn more
IdentityMilitary IDThe Russian military ID has a fixed page order: personal data and photo, rank and specialty, service record, reserve status, medical category and enlistment office stamps. We translate the pages that are filled in and label each with its page number.Learn more
Work & financeWork record bookSoviet-era books, the 2004 Russian form, inserts and the electronic record printed as an STD-R or STD-PFR form all count as a work record. Each is translated entry by entry, with order numbers, stamps and the labor code articles cited for each dismissal.Learn more
Work & financeEmployment letterA Russian employment certificate is issued on letterhead with the OGRN and INN of the company, the position, the start date, the salary in rubles and a round stamp. Every element is translated as printed, with a signed certificate of accuracy.Learn more
Work & financeBank statementRussian banks issue statements on paper with a stamp or as PDF files from the app with an electronic signature note, and both are accepted for translation. Amounts stay in rubles, dates are converted, and the certificate of accuracy is signed.Learn more
MedicalMedical recordRussian records follow numbered forms, such as the discharge summary 027/u or the certificate 086/u, each with fixed fields and a triangular clinic stamp. They are translated field by field, with a signed certificate of accuracy.Learn more
MedicalVaccination recordThe Russian certificate of preventive vaccinations (form 156/u-93) is a booklet; the card 063/u is a clinic form. Both list vaccines by Russian abbreviations, and both are translated line by line with the English names and the originals in brackets.Learn more
LegalPower of attorneyA Russian power of attorney is drawn up on a numbered security form and closes with the notary's certification, the register number and the fee. Every part, including the apostille when issued, is translated with a signed certificate of accuracy.Learn more
Civil statusChange of name documentIn Russia a change of surname, given name or patronymic is registered at ZAGS and confirmed by a certificate of change of name. It is translated in full, with both names spelled to match the documents that carry them, and a signed certificate of accuracy.Learn more
LegalAffidavit / statementA Russian statement is often a zayavlenie written in the first person, with the notary certifying the signature rather than the content. It is translated as written, with the certification block and any consular stamp, and a signed certificate of accuracy.Learn moreYour document, translated right
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