I’d like to find out whether it’s possible to submit a document electronically through a consulate. I’ve heard that notaries can create an electronic copy with a digital signature that another notary can verify and print out as a notarized copy. Logically, if a consulate performs notarial functions, it should be able to do the same — or not? Has anyone used this functionality, either within a country or across borders?
I checked in person at the consulate — they said that only documents issued by official authorities need to be legalized, like the civil registry office (ZAGS) or Rosreestr. A tax return, for example, definitely isn’t on that list. Regarding electronic documents with a digital signature — at our consulate I hadn’t heard of that; I’m not sure it actually works in practice. I also found out that a power of attorney for Russia doesn’t have to be done through the consulate — you can get it done by a regular notary, then have it translated, apostilled and legalized. That option takes about 7–10 days and they say it’s accepted fine.
3 Likes
You can also get it certified at the tribunal in Italy — they then accept it as a valid document, that’s what we were told. I haven’t dealt with the electronic version with a digital signature myself, so I don’t know how it works in practice. It’s better to first check with the exact place where you plan to submit the document — they usually tell you which format is easiest for them to accept.
3 Likes
about electronic signature - when we applied to the comune (municipality), they asked for PDFs signed electronically. I searched back then for Italian services for this, accepted by government bodies — there are options, but you need to check the price. I haven’t dealt with the consulate in that format, but with the questura (police headquarters), for example, you can send a PEC (Posta Elettronica Certificata) with the PDF and ask whether that specific document is acceptable — you get a written reply, print it out, and then go with that.
3 Likes
I’ll add — the translation and notarization can be done in Italy after you arrive; the main thing is to get the apostille applied before leaving the place where the document was issued. Also keep in mind that some Italian documents have a short validity period — the marriage certificate, for example, is valid for only six months, so you need to plan more carefully.
3 Likes
For translations — if possible, have them done in Russia; it’s noticeably cheaper there. In Italy, one page from a notary-certified translator costs about €35; in Russia it’s roughly three times less. In any case, choose a translator from the list of accredited translators on the consulate’s website — there’s a specific list, not just any translator will be accepted.
3 Likes
Every consulate handles things differently, so it’s best to write to them directly in advance and ask exactly what requirements the document needs to meet for them to process it. They might require an apostille beforehand — but that’s just me thinking out loud; I haven’t dealt with an electronic translation through a consulate myself.
3 Likes
I personally ran into a situation where the consulate was surprised — the originals of the certificates hadn’t been attached to the translations. It turned out that they require the original to be physically attached to the translation, meaning there’s no separate channel for sending it. And another point — if the translation was done by an accredited translator, it’s unclear whether it then still needs to be legalized at the consulate or whether a notarization is sufficient. I received different answers to that question each time.
3 Likes
An apostille at the civil registry office (ZAGS) in your place of birth — it took me two business days, but first you need to pay the state fee at Sberbank, otherwise they won’t accept it. As for whether you need to additionally legalize the translation by an accredited translator — I’ve heard that if the translator is on the consulate’s official list, then no, that’s already considered properly done. But every place you submit to may require its own thing; the questura and the comune, for example, look at this differently.
3 Likes