The issuance of certificates of the presence or absence of a criminal record and the fact of criminal prosecution is carried out by specialized bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in any area. As a rule, it is now a necessary attribute when applying for a job.

It is a document that indicates whether the applicant has (had) or not any criminal record.

In addition, expunged and expunged convictions, if any, will be shown there. And, of course, it will be written whether criminal cases have ever been initiated against the person who applied for the certificate.

Recently, we often have to receive such a document for a variety of reasons. There are only two ways to do this: apply in person or order online. The second option is always more advantageous, since it does not require much time and standing in queues.

The expiration date is 3 months from the date of receipt.

The procedure for obtaining a certificate through the State Services portal

To obtain a police clearance certificate online, just follow the basic steps:

  1. Go to the official website of the State Service.
  2. Complete registration indicating exact passport, contact information, and pension certificate number.
  3. Pre-register by writing your first name, last name and cell phone number (or email address).
  4. Enter the verification code received via SMS and complete registration.
  5. Go through the identity verification process (this step is described below).
  6. Select the “Authorities” tab, go to the “Ministry of Internal Affairs”, find the required item “Certificate of no criminal record” at the bottom.
  7. Click on the “Get service” button.
  8. Fill out an application to purchase this document.
  9. Check the box next to how you will be notified about the progress of the procedure.
  10. Click “Submit Application”.

Ways to verify your identity:

  1. Independently contact specialized centers for providing such services.
  2. Using Russian Post services.
  3. Via electronic signature or multifunctional digital card.

As a result, all three ways have a confirmation code sent to an email address or mobile phone number.

After checking the verification, all services will become available on the State Services portal, and a mark of the verified account will appear on the personal account page.

Who can receive this certificate?

Recently, a certificate of the presence (absence) of a criminal record is given to the following categories of applicants:

  • citizens of the Russian Federation;
  • Foreign citizens;
  • stateless persons;

Information about representatives of any state is requested both from the Russian GIAC database and from international channels, which allows foreigners in the country to obtain a certificate. They should contact the consular departments of their country.

There, employees transfer the request to specialized authorities, draw up all the necessary documents and send a response back by mail. At the same time, there is often a need for a translation notarized by an authorized person, or an apostille on the original.

A similar opportunity is provided for Russian citizens abroad. They can also easily contact Russian consulates on the territory of another state, but, as a rule, they have to wait several months for a response.

Cases when a certificate is required

Such a document may be required in various cases.

The main reasons for receiving it:

  1. Work, study or residence abroad.
  2. Adoption, guardianship.
  3. Obtaining a residence permit or citizenship of another country.
  4. License for weapons, items and devices.
  5. Registration of certain organizations (for example, banks, auditors, appraisers and others).
  6. Employment as aviation personnel.
  7. Employment in security agencies.
  8. Arrangement for the purpose of employment in structures of education, upbringing and development of minor children, social organizations, medical institutions, organizations in the field of culture, physical education and sports, art for children under 18 years of age.

Labor legislation is required to process an employee when applying for a job, which cannot be accepted for those persons who have ever had (or currently have) a criminal record of any kind.

When is an apostille and certification options required?

Apostille is one of the ways to confirm the authenticity of the document provided. Such a stamp on the original or a notarized copy of a document is recognized in all countries that joined the Hague Convention in 1961.

It must comply with a standardized template, written in the native language of the country where it is being written, the main paragraphs can be written in two languages, but the title can only be written in French. It can be placed in the appropriate structures.

Such bodies are the department of Justice for the capital and regions, civil registry offices in the republics and other subjects throughout the Russian Federation, the administration of the prosecutor's office, the Ministry of Education, notification centers under the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

If a certificate of good conduct needs to be submitted to various institutions of foreign countries, its legalization will be necessary, which consists of confirming the truth of the seal and signatures affixed by the body in the territory of the native country.

It is needed so that in another state other than Russia, the document is considered valid, since the format of such certificates abroad has a completely different look.

And, as a rule, officials who are provided with Russian documents do not see the value in such papers without the appropriate stamp and cannot judge its authenticity.

Official documents that require an Apostille stamp include:

  • certificates from the prosecutor's office, executive and judicial acts;
  • certificates issued by government authorities of the country;
  • administrative certificates (for example, about birth or death);
  • state stamps and marks;
  • notarial certificates;

The list of rules of the Convention on the need for an apostille does not include consular acts and certificates related to commercial or customs activities.

This particular stamp can be placed on the certificate in question here at the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs or at the regional departments of the Ministry of Justice. In the first case, it is placed on the original, in the second - on a certified copy by a notary and a translation of the certificate.

Typically, this procedure lasts about 7 days, the time depends on the subject of the Russian Federation and the number of people in the “queue”.

Apostille certification can occur in different ways:

  • directly to the original;
  • for a certified copy and its translation;
  • for a translation of a certificate certified by a notary.

So, you can choose one of the ways, but depending on the circumstances, several of these methods may be required, so it is important to clarify the stamping option before choosing a service.

There is also consular legalization for those countries that have not joined the Apostille Convention.

Ways to obtain help

There should be no problems obtaining a certificate of the presence (absence) of a criminal record. You can apply for it yourself to the highly specialized structures of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Internal Affairs Directorate, and the Central Internal Affairs Directorate of the Russian Federation. Also, it is possible to act through an authorized person or go to intermediary companies.

When issuing a power of attorney for a person, it is imperative to adhere to the established template. This method may be especially useful for those who live abroad, because processing documents through Russian consulates can take several long months, but with the help of a power of attorney, this procedure will be much faster and easier, without unnecessary paperwork.

But when contacting intermediary companies, you should be extremely careful, as cases of issuing fake certificates have become more frequent. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the status and experience of this authority.

The second, most popular way to obtain the document discussed above is to obtain a certificate through the State Services portal.

Where can I get it and what are the production times?

The processing time is no more than 30 days. You can obtain a completed certificate either from the main Ministry of Internal Affairs or its branches throughout Russia.

The person who submitted the application must personally come with a passport to the office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the city in which he lives and pick up the completed document. For minor citizens, their legal representatives must draw up a special document (on guardianship, guardianship, etc.).

Along with the approval of the application for a certificate, the address and contact details of the center, as a rule, come in a letter on the State Services website.

The result of providing this type of service is the document itself or a refusal with a description of the reason. The service is free and no government fees or other fees are charged.

Reasons for refusal to issue a certificate

The grounds for not taking action in providing the service for issuing a certificate of good conduct when submitting documents directly yourself may be the following:

  1. Lack of application for the issuance of a document.
  2. The text is written incorrectly or is difficult to read.
  3. No original identification document (passport) provided.
  4. Documents provided in a foreign language were submitted without appropriate translation.
  5. Partially assembled package of documents.

The reasons for refusing an application in electronic form will be:

  • grammatical and/or technical errors in specifying personal data;
  • incomplete fields;
  • the presence of incomplete details;
  • there are no copies of the necessary documents;
  • providing false information about the applicant;
  • provision of documents not translated into Russian;

If the applicant does not accept the refusal, he has the right to write a claim and address it to the head of the representative information body under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. It must clearly state the reasons on which the citizen decided to challenge the decision on non-execution.

In addition, if unlawful acts (or inaction) were committed by officials, the applicant has the right to apply for help to the prosecutor’s office with a corresponding statement.

Also, if you have any questions about filling out the fields on the State Services portal, you can contact the site support. The page contains complete contact information, various methods of communication, and also has a section for frequently asked questions.

So, if you need to get a certificate in a few days, then you should use the State Services portal. The main thing is to fill out all the fields correctly and do not forget to bring your passport with you when you receive it.