Getting an EGRUL or EGRIP extract apostilled takes two steps and from 4 working days to about a week and a half. First, a paper extract from the tax office: 200 roubles and up to 5 days, or 400 roubles for next-working-day issue. Then the apostille at the Ministry of Justice office in the same region: 2,500 roubles and up to 3 working days. An electronic extract will not do.
An EGRUL or EGRIP extract (Russian company/sole-proprietor register extract) with an apostille is requested when the document is going abroad: to a foreign bank, to another country’s registration authority, or to a consulate when applying for a visa or residence permit. The procedure is the same in all cases. If you need the extract because you are deciding what to do with your sole proprietorship itself, start with our guide: a Russian sole proprietorship when you live in Spain. A tax residence certificate is apostilled in the same way.
Below is how to get through it: where to get a paper extract, who affixes the apostille, how much it costs and how long it takes according to the law rather than rumour. The receiving party’s requirements vary, however, and should be checked separately — there is a section on Spain at the end. We do not apostille Russian documents or order extracts ourselves: this article is a reference for doing it yourself.
What an apostille is and why an electronic extract is not enough
An apostille is a stamp by which one state confirms to another that the signature and seal on a document are genuine. It was introduced by the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 and works between its parties: a document with an apostille is accepted without consular legalisation.
This leads to the main consequence, which is where people most often lose time.
An electronic extract from the Russian Federal Tax Service (FNS) website will not do. It is certified with an electronic signature; it has no handwritten signature or seal, and it is precisely those that an apostille certifies — there is physically nothing to put it on.
An apostille on a notarised copy will not do either. Such an apostille confirms the notary’s signature, not the tax office’s. The chain of certification must reach the register itself, so the apostille is affixed to the original paper extract.
What you need is a paper extract obtained from the authority, with an apostille on it.
Two steps, two different authorities
Step one — the paper extract. It is issued by the tax office (IFNS); in some regions, by an MFC (Russian public service centre). The extract is issued by any tax office authorised to provide register data, including the one where you live: it does not matter where the company or sole proprietor is registered. You choose a tax office in your own region because of the apostille — the reason is explained below. The registers are public, so anyone may obtain an extract on any legal entity or sole proprietor — there is no need to prove a connection to the company.
Step two — the apostille. Where to get it: at a regional office of the Russian Ministry of Justice. You can also go through an MFC in the same region, but the MFC does not affix the apostille — it only forwards the document to the Ministry of Justice and returns it.
And this is where the rule people most often trip over applies: the apostille is affixed in the same region where the document was issued. Not in a neighbouring one, not at the Ministry of Justice’s central office and not at a Russian consulate abroad.
The reason is not a formal ban but the mechanics. Under Article 9 of the apostille law, if the authority does not have a specimen of the signature, the seal impression and information on the powers of the official who signed the document, it must send a request and wait for a reply. Specimen signatures of staff at local tax offices and MFCs are held only by their own regional office — any other office would have to request them, and that means a different timeline.
An extract from a Moscow tax office — apostille in Moscow. From Krasnogorsk — at the office for the Moscow Region. From St Petersburg — in St Petersburg.
How to get the extract: step by step
Step 1. Check the registration date — free of charge and from home. The FNS service egrul.nalog.ru issues an electronic extract by INN or OGRN. It is no good for filing in Spain but fine for checking: look at the registration date and make sure the entry is active. If a full year will not have passed by the filing date, there is no point going further.
Step 2. Pay the state fee. RUB 200 for a standard extract, RUB 400 for an urgent one. You can generate and pay the receipt on the FNS service “Payment of taxes and fees” or at a bank. Keep proof of payment: you will be asked for it.
Step 3. Book an appointment. Via the FNS service “Online appointment booking at a tax office”. You can also come without an appointment, but then you will have to wait in the general queue. Choose a tax office in the region where you will get the apostille — why this matters is explained above.
Step 4. At the appointment. Bring your passport, proof of payment and the details of the organisation or sole proprietor — OGRN, OGRNIP or INN. Tell the officer the key thing: you need a paper extract for an apostille, bound and certified. Without this, you may be given a document that the Ministry of Justice will not accept.
Step 5. Collect the document. An urgent extract is ready no later than the working day after the request; a standard one within five days of the request. When you collect it, check the formatting against the list below before leaving the counter.
How to get the apostille: step by step
Step 1. Pay the fee in advance. RUB 2,500 per document. The official procedure explicitly requires payment before filing: without proof the documents will not be accepted. Take the payment details from the website of the regional office you will go to — each has its own.
Step 2. Choose how to file. There are four ways:
- in person at the regional Ministry of Justice office — the fastest and most reliable;
- through an MFC in the same region — convenient, but adds time for forwarding both ways;
- by post or courier — a written request is enclosed with the document;
- via Gosuslugi (Russian public services portal).
The document must be collected in the same way it was submitted.
Step 3. What to bring when filing in person. Your passport and the original extract. Any individual can file — a power of attorney is needed only if you are acting on behalf of an organisation.
Step 4. Wait until it is ready. The time limit is three working days; more on this below. Do not turn up on the off chance: offices have different hours for receiving and issuing documents, and filing usually takes place in the morning, collection in the afternoon. Check whether it is ready by the phone number or email given on your office’s website.
When an apostille will be refused
The grounds for refusal are officially listed, and most of them concern formatting — that is, they are entirely in your hands. The document will not be accepted if:
- it has no signature, seal or stamp;
- corrections in the text have not been initialled by the person who signed the document;
- the pages are not bound, not numbered or not secured with a seal impression.
The last point is the most common, which is exactly why the formatting is checked at the tax office counter, not at home.
A separate group of grounds has nothing to do with formatting: the signature or seal does not match the specimens held by the Ministry of Justice, or the signatory had no authority to sign. This is the same mechanism that means the apostille is affixed where the document was issued.
How much it costs and how long it takes
| What | How much | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Paper extract, standard | RUB 200 | Russian Government Resolution No. 462 of 19.05.2014 |
| Paper extract, urgent — no later than the working day after the request | RUB 400 | ibid. |
| Apostille | RUB 2,500 per document | Russian Tax Code, Art. 333.33, para. 1, subpara. 48 |
| Time to affix the apostille | up to 3 working days from the date the request is registered | Administrative regulation, Ministry of Justice Order No. 75 of 04.05.2017, para. 20 |
| Maximum period under the law | up to 5 working days | Federal Law No. 330-FZ of 28.11.2015, Art. 6(1) |
| Extended period | up to 30 working days | ibid., Art. 6(2) |
The timing deserves a separate note, because there are two rules. The federal law sets a ceiling: the period “may not exceed five working days”. The Ministry of Justice administrative regulation binds the authority to a shorter period — three working days. There is no contradiction: a regulation may be stricter than the law, but not more lenient.
It is sensible to plan on three days, keeping five in mind as the legal maximum. And to build in a margin based on thirty.
The extension to thirty working days applies in one case: the Ministry of Justice does not have a specimen signature of the officer who issued the extract and sends a request. This happens when staff at the authority have recently changed. It cannot be predicted in advance — and that is the main argument for not leaving the document until the last week before filing.
Filing through an MFC adds time for forwarding there and back; this is not included in the legal time limit.
What to check before leaving the counter
The extract always runs to several pages, so it must be submitted to the Ministry of Justice bound and certified. The Ministry will not accept an incorrectly formatted document, and you will have to go back. Check three things right at the counter:
- The pages are numbered.
- At the end of the document — the officer’s position, surname, handwritten signature and the authority’s round seal. It must be a round seal, not a stamp.
- On the back of the binding — a note of the number of bound pages, a signature, surname, position and the same round seal.
If anything is missing, ask for it to be redone straight away: two minutes at the counter versus a lost day.
And separately: do not laminate the document. The Ministry of Justice will not accept a laminated sheet — the embossing of the seal cannot be checked.
What an apostille looks like and where its number is
An apostille is not a stamp over the text but a separate sheet bound to the document. The form is the same for all countries party to the convention: a square stamp headed APOSTILLE (Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961) — this line is always in French, whatever the country.
Then come ten numbered fields: the country, who signed the document, in what capacity, which institution’s seal it bears, the city and date of the apostille, who affixed the apostille, its number, the seal and the signature.
The apostille number is field 8, “No. …”. This is what is meant when you are asked for the “apostille number”: it identifies the entry in the competent authority’s register, and the apostille can be verified with it.
An apostille on Russian documents is written in Russian — that is normal. It is translated together with the document itself; there is no such thing as a separate “apostille in a foreign language”.
Apostille or consular legalisation
An apostille works only between parties to the 1961 Hague Convention: they accept a document bearing an apostille without any further certification. Russia and Spain are both parties to the convention, so an apostille is enough for Spain.
If the country the document is going to is not a party to the convention, the apostille has no effect there and the document is legalised through consular channels: the signature and seal are certified first by the authorities of the issuing country and then at the consulate of the destination country. The Spanish instruction on Ley 14/2013 provides for both options — “legalizados por vía diplomática o, en su caso, apostillados” (legalised through diplomatic channels or, where applicable, apostilled). Whether the country you need is a party is checked against the list on the Hague Conference website. How an apostille differs from legalisation and how long it is valid is covered in apostille and legalisation for Spain. How the apostille works on other documents for Spain is covered in the articles criminal record certificate and degree homologation.
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Translation
An apostille does not replace translation: it confirms that the signature and seal are genuine, not that the text is understandable. Translation requirements are set by the receiving country, and they differ more than is commonly thought.
The general rule: both the extract and the apostille are translated — the apostille is part of the document, not an attachment to it. The same order — paper original, apostille on it, official translation — also applies to the criminal record certificate, which is requested in the same document set.
For most international business purposes — accounts abroad, branches, tenders — a notarised translation is enough. For visa or residence permit applications, a number of countries do not accept notarised translations at all. Spain is one of them; see below.
If the document is for Spain
Here the general instructions found online differ from reality in two ways, and each costs weeks.
A notarised translation will not be accepted
Spain does not recognise translations certified by a Russian notary. Two options have official status:
Sworn translation (traducción jurada) — done by a traductor-intérprete jurado (sworn translator) accredited by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Their powers, seal and form of certification are set by Real Decreto 724/2020. Such a translation is official in itself and needs no further certification.
A translation certified by a Spanish consulate — the second route if you are in Russia. After certification the translation is also legalised by the legalisation service of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The third route is a translation made or checked by the Russian consulate in Spain, with an apostille or legalisation (UGE guidance).
The language of the procedure is governed by Article 15 of Ley 39/2015, the general law on administrative procedure.
“No older than 30 days” does not apply to visa applications
The requirement that a document be no more than 30, or less often 90, days old is repeated from article to article. It is a condition of foreign banks. There is no need to apply it to a visa or residence permit application — check the validity period with the consulate you are applying to.
Why the extract is needed for a digital nomad residence permit application
The procedure for applying for the digital nomad residence permit is set out in the joint instruction of the Directorate-General for Spaniards Abroad and the Directorate-General for Migration on Ley 14/2013. The list of documents contains two different requirements, and they are constantly confused:
4.º Acreditación de una relación laboral o profesional mínima de tres meses a la fecha de la solicitud con la empresa o empresas extranjeras con la que mantiene dicha relación.
5.º Acreditación de una actividad real y continuada durante al menos un año de la empresa extranjera o grupo de empresas con la que la persona trabajadora mantiene relación laboral o profesional.
In other words, the applicant must have had a relationship with the company for at least three months, and the company’s activity itself must have been genuine and continuous for at least a year. The first is proven by the contract and payments, the second precisely by the register extract: it shows the registration date and that the entry is active.
The instruction then distinguishes two cases:
6.º En los supuestos de una relación laboral, carta de la empresa extranjera autorizando el desarrollo del trabajo en remoto desde España.
7.º En los supuestos de una relación profesional, documentación que acredite los términos y condiciones en los que va a ejercer la actividad profesional a distancia.
Hence which register you need:
- an employee of a Russian company — an EGRUL extract on that company, plus a letter from the employer allowing you to work from Spain;
- a registered sole proprietor working for clients — two extracts. From EGRIP on yourself: it confirms your own activity, referred to in point 7.º. And from EGRUL on the corporate client: the requirement of a year of genuine activity in point 5.º applies to the counterparty with whom you have a professional relationship. Both need an apostille.
Check the registration date before going to the tax office. If a full year will not have passed by the filing date, the document will not fix that: you will be refused on the merits, not on paperwork. A sole proprietor needs to check two dates — their own and the client’s.
And budget for two documents: the apostille fee is charged per document, so RUB 5,000 instead of RUB 2,500, and there will also be two translations.
The apostille requirement is in the same instruction, in the section on documentation:
Cuando obren en el expediente documentos públicos extranjeros se exigirá que dichos documentos sean legalizados por vía diplomática o, en su caso, apostillados.
And one more item on the same list that almost nobody mentions:
12.º Copia de la titulación o documentación que acredite una experiencia profesional de al menos tres años.
In addition to the year of activity and three months of relationship, you will need a degree or proof of three years of professional experience. The register extract does not replace this.
If the UGE cannot verify the apostille by its QR code
Since September 2026 the UGE has been sending requests for further documents about Russian documents apostilled by the Ministry of Justice, including EGRUL and EGRIP extracts. The gist: the QR code on the apostille returns nothing, so its authenticity cannot be checked, and you must provide documents that allow it to be verified. You have 10 working days to reply.
The apostille itself is fine. The QR code leads to the apostille register on the Russian Ministry of Justice website, which loads unreliably from Spain, so the officer sees a blank page. Applicants report that a screenshot taken in Russia with an explanation does not resolve the request.
The answer is a deed from a Spanish notary, an acta notarial de presencia. The notary opens the QR link personally and certifies that it shows the Ministry of Justice register entry for this very apostille. The deed is Spanish, so it needs no apostille.
- What to bring to the notary. The original document with the apostille and the text of the request. Ask the notary in advance to check that the register page opens in their office.
- Translation. The register page is in Russian, so a sworn translator translates the printout attached to the deed.
- If you are short of time. Before the 10 days run out, ask the UGE for an extension: the law allows up to five more days when the documents are hard to obtain.
- Fallback. Under the Russian apostille law, the Ministry of Justice must confirm on request from any interested person that the apostille is in its register. The law sets no deadline for the reply, and the reply itself would need an apostille and a translation for Spain, so this route rarely fits the deadline of a request.
To be ready for such a request, bring the originals of every document filed with your application to Spain and keep them for as long as you hold the permit: if a copy raises doubts, the UGE may ask to see the original. A criminal record certificate often has no QR code at all, and the reply for it is different; see the criminal record certificate guide.
FAQ
How much does an apostilled EGRUL extract cost and how long does it take? The fees are 200 roubles for a standard extract or 400 roubles for an urgent one, plus 2,500 roubles for the apostille on each document. An urgent extract is issued on the next working day, and the apostille takes up to 3 working days. In total, from 4 working days to about a week and a half.
Can one person obtain the extract and another file it for the apostille? Yes. The registers are public, and any person with a passport can file a document for an apostille. A power of attorney is needed only if you are filing on behalf of an organisation.
How long is an apostille valid? The apostille itself has no expiry date. Any limit is imposed by the receiving party — on how current the information in the extract is.
Can an apostille be affixed at a Russian consulate abroad? No. Apostilles on Russian documents are affixed only by the Russian competent authorities in Russia.
Can I get the extract in one region and the apostille in another? No, and the reason is Article 9: another region’s office does not have a specimen signature of the officer who issued the document.
I am applying to Spain as a sole proprietor — is the extract needed on me or on my client? On both. From EGRIP on yourself: you are proving your own activity. From EGRUL on the corporate client: the requirement of a year of genuine and continuous activity applies to them. An apostille is affixed to each extract separately.
What if I have several clients? The logic is the same: you need to evidence the relationships on which the application is based. How many extracts you will need in your case is a question for a lawyer before filing: both timing and costs depend on it.
My sole proprietorship has been registered for less than a year — what should I do? Wait. This is a substantive requirement: point 5.º speaks of a year of genuine and continuous activity. There is no point applying earlier.
Do I need to take the original abroad? Usually a scan and an official translation are enough, but keep the original: it may be requested during checks.
What should I do if the UGE cannot verify the apostille by its QR code? Order a deed from a Spanish notary (acta notarial de presencia): the notary opens the QR link and certifies that the apostille is in the Russian Ministry of Justice register. Submit the deed with a sworn translation of the attached page in reply to the request, within 10 working days.
Legal basis
- The Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents
- Federal Law No. 330-FZ of 28.11.2015, Art. 6, Art. 9 and Art. 10(4): confirmation of an apostille against the register
- Ley 39/2015, Articles 16.5, 28.5 and 68: filing at a registry office, the right to request the original, 10 days to reply and an extension of up to five. BOE-A-2015-10565.
- Reglamento Notarial, Article 199: the notarial deed of presence (acta de presencia). BOE-A-1944-6578.
- Ministry of Justice administrative regulation on affixing apostilles, Order No. 75 of 04.05.2017, para. 20 — time limit and grounds for refusal
- Ministry of Finance Order No. 5n of 15.01.2015 — procedure for providing information from EGRUL and EGRIP
- Russian Tax Code, Art. 333.33, para. 1, subpara. 48
- Russian Government Resolution No. 462 of 19.05.2014
- Joint instruction of the Directorate-General for Spaniards Abroad and Consular Affairs and the Directorate-General for Migration on the practical application of Ley 14/2013 — points 4.º, 5.º, 6.º, 7.º and 12.º of the document list, section “Documentación”, para. 4
- Ley 39/2015, de 1 de octubre, del Procedimiento Administrativo Común, art. 15
- Real Decreto 724/2020, de 4 de agosto — Reglamento de la Oficina de Interpretación de Lenguas
Checked on 03.09.2026.
- What an apostille is and why an electronic extract is not enough
- Two steps, two different authorities
- How to get the extract: step by step
- How to get the apostille: step by step
- When an apostille will be refused
- How much it costs and how long it takes
- What to check before leaving the counter
- What an apostille looks like and where its number is
- Translation
- If the document is for Spain
- FAQ
- Legal basis
