Regardless of where your children are born, they can enjoy dual citizenship of your country via naturalization. Sometimes, authentication and legalization of documents is required to confirm this status. Naturalization is the process where a non-citizen can acquire citizenship of a country. While there are several avenues through which a person may acquire citizenship with this method, having a parent be a national of a country prior to a child’s birth is one of the simplest. The child may acquire citizenship of that country too. Other requirements are also in place to ensure that they can obtain this formal status. Such is the scenario for Russian Canadians who have Canadian-born children. These children are Canadian nationals by birth, but also enjoy Russian citizenship via their parent’s Russian status.
Russian Citizenship: A Quick Requirement List
The Russian government acknowledges that Canadian-born children born to Russian parent(s) are automatically Russian citizens as well. This is true even if only one of the child’s parents holds Russian citizenship while the other is a foreigner. However, in order for the child to obtain this citizenship formally via documentation, they must complete an application process. This is important because if they were to visit Russia, they would require a Russian passport and any visa application would be denied due to their automatic Russian national status. In order to obtain the passport, the individual, or parents of children under the age of 18, must submit the following documents to the Russian embassy in Ottawa:
- An application to verify the child’s Russian citizenship
- Translated, notarized, and authenticated copy of the child’s Canadian birth certificate
- If one of the parents is a non-Russian, then a notarized statement of consent from the non-Russian parent (for children under the age of 18)
- Processing and shipping fees
- Passport photos for the child
Some other documents that may also be required:
- Passport photos for the applying parent
- Notarized, authenticated and legalized copies of the parent’s residency document (Canadian permanent residency card, Canadian passport, long-term visa, etc.).
What Needs To Be Done?
Before submitting your documents to the Russian government, authenticate and legalize them. With that done, you will clear your citizenship verification and get your Russian passport. Complete details of the process can be found on the website of the Russian Embassy in Ottawa here.
You must submit these documents (especially the birth certificate) alongside your application. You must translate, authenticate, and legalize them in order to meet the requirements of the Russian government. First, translate the certificate, then you have to notarize with a notary public. Following this, the documents must be sent to Globalization Service Centre (GAC), which is a Canadian government body responsible for all document authentication in Canada. Here, your documents and the signatures on them will be verified for accuracy and trueness. Once they meet the standards set forth by GAC, GAC will place their large red stamp on them signifying that they have been authenticated. Then, the Russian Embassy in Ottawa will legalize them. They will verify that the GAC stamp is authentic and that the application meets all the document requirements, legalizing it.
How We Can Help With Russian Citizenship
While the process of authentication and legalization can be conducted by anyone, it is best to entrust a professional such as Legalization Service Centre. This is because processing time and length can be significantly reduced when the documents are processed by professionals who are well networked within GAC and embassies in Ottawa. Legalization Service Centre’s office is conveniently located in the heart of Ottawa, proximate to GAC and nearby foreign embassies. Whereas it may take an individual up to a month to complete authentication with GAC, we can have your documents processed via expedited next-day service or within weeks for regular processing time.
Having your child obtain their Russian citizenship status and passport can be an exciting step. Let us help you with the process to make the process as convenient and time-efficient as possible! Give us a call to talk to one of our professionals anytime at 1-800-857-1215.
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