Getting married or registering a civil partnership abroad: Information based on your answers

Marriage in Russia

Contact the Embassy of Russia before making any plans to find out about local marriage laws, including what documents you’ll need.

You should get legal advice and check the travel advice for Russia before making any plans.

What you need to do

You’ll be asked to provide a certificate of no impediment (CNI) to prove you’re allowed to marry.

Getting a CNI

You can get a CNI by giving a notice of marriage at your local register office or equivalent.

Find your:

• local register office in England and Wales

• local registration office in Scotland

• District Registrar in Northern Ireland

You should contact:

• the Civil Registrar if you live in the Isle of Man

• the Office of the Superintendent Registrar if you live in Jersey

• the Registrar General if you live in Guernsey

A Scottish CNI is only valid for 3 months from the date it’s issued.

You should check with the local authorities in Russia to find out how long a CNI is valid under local law.

Using your CNI

To get married in Russia, you need to either:

• have the CNI legalised (certified as genuine) and translated

• exchange the CNI for one that’s valid in Russia

If you want to legalise your CNI

Find out how to get your CNI legalised.

You can either find a translator in Russia or contact one in the UK through the Institute of Linguists.

If you want to exchange your CNI

You must make an appointment at the British embassy to exchange your CNI.

It costs £50 to exchange the CNI.

You can pay using MasterCard or Visa.

Find out more about consular fees for Russia.

Other documents you may need

Check with the Russian marriage registrar to find out if you need legalised and translated copies of any other documents.

The names on all documents you provide must appear exactly as they do on your passports. You may need to provide evidence if the name on your passport is different to your birth certificate (for example, a marriage certificate or a deed poll). The Russian spelling of your name needs to be the same on all your Russian language documents - if not, the authorities may not accept your documents.

Naturalisation of your partner if they move to the UK

Your partner can apply to become a British citizen once they’ve lived in the UK for 3 years.

Your answers

Start again

• Where do you want to get married?: Russia
• Where do you want to get married?: Change
• Where do you live?: UK
• Where do you live?: Change
• What is your partner’s nationality?: National of Russia
• What is your partner’s nationality?: Change
• Is your partner of the opposite sex, or the same sex?: Opposite sex
• Is your partner of the opposite sex, or the same sex?: Change