How do you translate a Russian name change certificate for USCIS?

What the certificate shows

In Russia, anyone aged 14 or older may change their surname, first name or patronymic. A person under 18 needs the consent of both parents, or a court decision, and every change is registered by the civil registry office (ZAGS) (Federal Law No. 143-FZ, art. 58 (opens in a new tab)).

The name change certificate (svidetelstvo o peremene imeni) gives (art. 62 (opens in a new tab)):

• the surname, first name and patronymic before and after the change;
• the date and place of birth, citizenship and, if the record has it, nationality;
• the date and number of the name change record;
• the ZAGS office that registered the change, and the date and place of issue.

We translate it in full, as USCIS requires (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) (opens in a new tab)), with the seal, the signature and any note on the back.

Your other certificates change too

After a name change, ZAGS amends the person’s earlier civil records and issues new certificates that reflect the change. When a parent changes a surname, a minor child’s birth record changes as well, and the child gets a new birth certificate (art. 63 (opens in a new tab)). The Department of State’s page on Russian documents says the same about birth certificates: after a legal name change other than through marriage or divorce, a new one is issued under the new name (U.S. Department of State (opens in a new tab)).

So you may have two birth certificates with two different names. We translate each one exactly as it reads, and the name change certificate shows how they connect.

How we spell the old and the new name

The new name follows your international passport. If the old name was in an earlier passport, tell us that spelling too. If it never was, we spell it by the same pattern as the new one, so that the two names can be compared letter by letter. Both spellings stay the same in every document of your order.

Where the translation goes

• USCIS: if you or the person you are filing for uses a name that isn’t the one on the documents, the Form I-⁠130 instructions ask for the legal documents that reflect the change (Form I-⁠130 instructions (opens in a new tab)). Each comes with a full translation and the translator’s signed certificate. What USCIS accepts
• NVC and US consulates: among Russian civil documents, the Department of State’s page names the new birth certificate issued after a name change, not the name change certificate itself. Whichever you upload, the translation goes in one file with the document (scanning documents (opens in a new tab)). A translation isn’t needed if your visa interview is in a country where Russian is an official language. What NVC accepts
• Immigration court: a typed certificate with the translator’s address and phone. What the court accepts

What to file in your case is for you or your attorney to decide.