Travel to Russia with GC

[John24689 0]

I have finally gotten my wife an airline ticket to return to Russia. I got it in her maiden name which is on her Russian Passport. I have an Apostille from the State's Secretary of State on both our Certified Marriage License and the Russian Translation of our Marriage License.

I am going to send my wife's Russian Passport to the Russian Embassy and pay them $20 to add my wife's married name to her Passport.

They will certify that the Russian Translation of our Marriage License is a true translation for and additional $30.

Do I need to have the the Russian Embassy certify the Russian Translation of our Marriage License is a true translation? I presume they will stamp it with something.

Thanks for everyone's help. Have a great day.

John

PS: The Russian Embassy in Houston said they can issue a new passport to my wife when her passport expires next year. It will be in her maiden name. I will have to pay another $20 to have her married name added to the new passport. They only way to get my wife a Russian passport in her married name is for her to do it in Russia. I don't really understand this. That can take a few months.

[John and Anna 0]

You can enter Russia only using Russian documents. Therefore she will need her international passport with her maiden name. Thus it is recommended that you buy airline tickets in her maiden name.

To return to the US you need to show your Russian passport to the exit border patrol in Russia and an American entry document i.e. valid visa, green card, refugee stamp, I-551 stamp or US passport to the airline officials and then do the same at the Point of Entry officers in the US.

The only known problems occur in Russia because a Russian official who is working for Aeroflot will refuse to recognize a Russian Passport with one name and a US entry document in another name. To ease your worries some, like myself have requested the Russian consulate to make an amendment to the Russian Passport indicating that this passport holder also goes by the following married name.

AK has had more success by even getting the Seattle Russian consulate to change the entire Russian passport into the married name. San Francisco Russian Consulate refused to do the latter, claiming it must be done in Russia through the internal passport first.

But 9 out of 10 you will be fine with the documents you listed. As the folks in the Canadian or European forums point out, you should bring your marriage certificate to point out the name change. That might pass muster in civilized Western Countries, but in Russia, a US marriage certificate is worth as much as a piece of toilet paper. Unless it is appostiled and certified by a Russian consulate here in the US.

They amendment took about 2 weeks. Instructions are on the consulates web site.

[Neonred 3,562]

The Russian embassy in DC is SLOW! To renew my wife's passport and add the amendment will take about six months they told us. We sent it off in March, and two weeks ago they called us with some questions. It seems they are finally working on it. They scolded my wife because she had dropped her registration in Russia when she left but did not register with the embassy here (propiska). Sent off some more copies from her internal passport and we hope everything will be finished in a few months.

[Thomas-n-Elena 0]

That's a new one. Well, easy answer, "no, I'm here illegally, and I feel so bad about it, so I am leaving now. See you!"

I can just imagine the look on the face of the people after that one.

Other things

"I forgot to turn off the iron the last time I left and I can back to turn it off"

[John24689 0]

I sent my wife's passport to the Russian Embassy in Houston along with $20 to have her married name added to her passport. It was there on Monday and I had it back on Tuesday. Very fast. I used FedEx Express 2-3 day.

All they did was handwrite on a page in the passport:

"Matrimonial Name of the Bearer is:

Last name, First name

Someone's Signature and then a Russian Seal Stamp"

I have the tickets in my wife's maiden name. She will her passport, our Marriage License in English and the Russian translated copy. Both documents have the Secretary of State's Apostille. She will also take her Green Card.

I did not pay the additional $30 for the Russian Translation of our Marriage License to be a true translation.

I do hope this will be sufficient and there will not be any problems. I do want my wife back home from her trip. She is leaving 27 August and returning 26 September.

Thank every one for their help. I will report back after the trip is complete.

Have a great day.

John and Ludmila

[Satellite 1]

Both documents have the Secretary of State's Apostille. She will also take her Green Card...I did not pay the additional $30 for the Russian Translation of our Marriage License to be a true translation.

You shouldn't have any problems. But if you truly wanted to use the marriage certificate for some official purpose in Russia, you are at the mercy of the ZAGS people if they want to accept it without the consulate certification. Since technically it is still out of compliance with the Hague Convention. Although I am not 100% sure about that!

http://www.rusconshouston.org/document_legalization.htm

However, on a second read, it appears that the translation is what requires the consulate certification.

http://www.rusconshouston.org/translation_of_documents.htm

Edited July 25, 2007 by Satellite