How and where to get a duplicate marriage certificate: application, state duty and government services

Article updated: July 26, 2021.

Author: Lawyer Sergey Vladimirovich.

In 2021, you can obtain a second certificate of registration or divorce through the government services website or at the registry office.

You can also get a certificate or a duplicate, and the cost will be lower. How to do this, a sample application and details about the amount of the state fee - read on.

Procedure

A marriage certificate is the main document of a new family. As a rule, after the wedding it is put away in a far corner as unnecessary. What should you do if a situation arises when you need evidence, but you cannot find it?

If all efforts are in vain, you will have to restore the certificate according to the law. In Russia, the Federal Law of November 15, 1997 No. 143-FZ “On Acts of Civil Status” is in force; it is with its help that you can obtain a duplicate.

Example 1: Oksana and Oleg decided to apply for a mortgage. The bank asked them for a marriage registration certificate, but it turned out that it was lost. As a result, Oksana had to write an application to the registry office to receive a duplicate and pay a fee of 350 rubles. But everything ended well, the duplicate was issued on the same day.

Fun fact: 15,000 people lose their certificates every year, so don't worry too much, you're not alone.

Remember that once you receive a copy, you will be able to use the original certificate if you happen to find it.

The very first piece of advice is to carefully look for it in all the closets, in document folders, and ask your parents to look at yours. Let's assume that after these procedures you still haven't found anything. All that remains is to obtain a duplicate of the marriage certificate.

In 2021, you can re-receive a certificate or certificate of registration or divorce at the registry office; any spouse can do this. The procedure is as follows: 1. Fill out the application in form No. 19 and bring it along with your passport; 2. Pay the state fee of 350 rubles at Sberbank; 3. Hand over the documents to the head of the registry office; 4. Receive a duplicate on the same day.

How to restore someone else's marriage documents.

There are situations when it is necessary to obtain a marriage document for people who have died or are considered incompetent.

The following categories of persons have the right to issue a duplicate certificate:

citizens who have a notarized power of attorney to perform actions;
heirs of those whose duplicate marriage document is required to be obtained;
persons who are official guardians of incapacitated citizens.

In addition to your passport and payment of the state fee, in this case you will need to present documents confirming the right to receive a duplicate of a third-party certificate.

Among them are:

power of attorney certified by a notary office;
document establishing guardianship;
paper confirming the right of inheritance;
a document proving relationship with the person whose duplicate is requested.

The marriage certificate received in place of the lost or damaged one has a new number, which is recorded in the civil register.

This document becomes valid, and the original loses its validity.

Sample form for obtaining a duplicate

If you want, you can go to our website using the link below and fill out all the fields at home.

And if you have difficulties entering data, then look at the sample filling. We have prepared it especially for you, just provide your details and not those written on the image.

How to get

There is a list of reasons when you can re-obtain a marriage certificate:

the original certificate is lost;
the document is damaged, maybe a child painted it with paints;
the text on the document has become unreadable, this happens if it is faded in the sun;
the seal on the document is smeared - this happens if you spill juice or tea;
lamination is torn or broken;

The following citizens can restore the certificate:

Each of the spouses;
Close relatives of the spouse, if he died;
Guardians of the spouse if he is declared incompetent;
Any person by proxy.

To restore, you need to come to the registry office where the marriage registration procedure took place. Take with you a passport that has a marriage stamp.

You can, of course, contact not only your registry office, but then the restoration procedure may take a long time.

In recent years, many companies have appeared that help restore documents. If you don't have time, you can use their services. The cost of intermediaries is usually 2000-5000 rubles. But be careful not to fall into the hands of scammers.

When you arrive, tell the registry office employee that the original certificate has been lost and you need to get a duplicate.

Sometimes spouses are afraid that they will issue a fine, as happens when they lose their passport. You don’t have to worry about this, there will be no fine, you only need to pay the state fee.

You will be asked to write an application to obtain a duplicate. In it, write down the passport details of the husband and wife and the date when your marriage was registered. They may also be asked to indicate the reason for the restoration.

A duplicate of the certificate is required in the following cases:

the husband or wife files a claim in court, but the second spouse refuses to give up the document;
a common child was born and he needs to be registered in his father’s name;
a dispute has arisen regarding the division of property between spouses;
spouses file an application for divorce in court or the registry office;
the wife wants to prove her last name, which was before marriage;
heirs want to prove their rights;
the bank requires a certificate to issue a loan or mortgage;
one of the spouses wants to receive benefits after the death of the second spouse;
the wife wants to get a meeting with her husband in prison;

For all such cases, the registry office has samples of filling out applications; you can ask an employee if you can’t fill it out yourself.

Once all the documents are ready, do not forget to make photocopies of them. Then give the registry office employee your application, proof of payment of the fee, your passport and a photocopy.

Most likely, your duplicate will be made within 30 minutes. If you were unable to come to your registry office, the procedure for creating a duplicate may take 10 days.

This period is obtained due to the fact that employees will need to contact the archive.

Remember that it is not necessary to go to the registry office with your spouse. You can restore your marriage certificate alone, just don’t forget to check the passport details of the second spouse.

When a duplicate is received, it will be marked accordingly. Upon delivery, you will be asked to sign in a special document record book. This completes the procedure; you can now use the document for its intended purpose.

Most often, the certificate disappears if the case goes to divorce, but one party does not want to give their consent. There is an interesting fact. If the marriage is declared invalid, then a duplicate certificate will not be issued.

Remember that once you receive a copy, you will no longer be able to use the original certificate if you happen to find it. The previous certificate loses its legal force. And an attempt to do something like this deliberately can be regarded extremely negatively.

Features of document recovery in different cases

As you know, it is difficult to fit a certain life situation into some kind of template. Therefore, any business has its own nuances.

Restoring a marriage certificate when parents have died

The list of documents in this situation will be slightly different:

the passport of a person who is a child of the people whose document he wants to restore,
statement of your desire,
death certificates,
a birth document that confirms the presence of family ties,
copies of passports of deceased parents,
inheritance documents (when a marriage certificate is obtained for this purpose),
paid state duty.

USEFUL INFORMATION: What is land encumbrance and why is it necessary?

Restoring a marriage certificate in another country or city

For this case you will need:

Write out a power of attorney from a notary for a person who has permanent residence in the city where the document was originally issued. It is worth clarifying that for this you need to choose a reliable person, because he will have to hand over the entire package of documents to receive a duplicate.
Appear at the registry office located at your place of residence. Civil registry office employees will submit a request to their colleagues from another city. Then the information is checked, a response is received and a duplicate is issued. This takes a lot of time.

Restoring a marriage certificate when the second spouse has died

If a widow (or widower) wants to restore the certificate, a death certificate is attached to the usual list of documents.

Restoring a marriage certificate if the archive burned down

Article 264 of the Code of Civil Procedure of the Russian Federation establishes the rules in accordance with which one must act if the archive burns down, or the registry office ceases to function for other reasons. First of all, you need to file a claim in court. The application must be accompanied by:

The court will consider the case and make a decision. If it satisfies the applicants' claim, the registration will be resumed, and the spouses will be issued a marriage certificate.

What documents are needed

Take your passport and receipt of payment of the state fee with you. We describe how to pay the fee below. If you left your passport at home, you can show your military ID or international passport.

If someone in your couple has died, be sure to prepare a death certificate for your spouse.

If a law firm is involved in obtaining a duplicate, they must provide a power of attorney certified by a notary.

Sometimes they ask for a divorce certificate. For example, when an ex-wife wants to confirm her maiden name. You can call the registry office and find out if anything else is required.

Once all the documents are ready, do not forget to make photocopies of them. Then give the registry office employee your application, proof of payment of the fee, your passport and a photocopy.

Obtaining a copy of the marriage registration certificate from the MFC

In cases where it is not possible to contact the registry office (the government agency simply does not exist or it is temporarily not working, for example, due to an employee’s vacation), a citizen can restore the document through the MFC. To obtain a duplicate, you will need the same steps and papers that are required when applying to the registry office. The Center’s specialists will accept and check the application and documentation from the citizen, hand him a receipt indicating the date of application for the completed certificate. Next, the package of papers will be transferred to the registry office to create a duplicate. At the final stage, it will be transferred to the MFC for delivery to the applicant.

The duration of production of a new document can be up to 10 days due to the transfer of a package of papers from the Center to the registry office and back.

Application for a duplicate

Did you know that registry offices are closed on Sundays and sanitary days? When you arrive, tell the employee that the original certificate has been lost and you need to get a duplicate.

Indicate the reason why you decided to get a duplicate. Most often they write a real one, for example - they lost the original or one of the spouses tore it up. But you can come up with any idea, they will still prepare the documents for you.

Obtain an application form from the registry office employees. It is sometimes called form No. 19, you can say so, they will understand.

As with any other documents, be extremely careful and avoid corrections. If you spoil the form or make marks on it, you will have to fill it out again.

If you live far from the city, in a village where there is no printer, then write the application by hand. It must be accepted in this form. A sample form is available on our website and at the stand at the registry office.

Since the most important person who is responsible for issuing documents is the manager, therefore the application is written in her name. Don't forget to sign and number at the bottom of the application.

Why do you need a marriage certificate?

A marriage certificate is usually needed for:

obtaining a visa to holiday abroad or live there,
registration of the child’s place of residence if the mother has a different surname,
changing surname after marriage,
termination of old relationships and registration of new ones,
conducting litigation with the participation of the second spouse,
confirmation of a diploma, certificate or other document confirming education, if the last name has been changed.

If the applicant receives a repeated document, the first one has no legal significance. Therefore, even when you find it, you should not use it, because... this may lead to undesirable consequences.

State duty

If you come to the registry office and decide to submit documents in person, then the employees will issue a receipt to pay the state fee. In 2021, it is 350 rubles, the same as for receiving the original.

For a second divorce certificate, you also need to pay 350 rubles.

Name of the fee	Regular fee	Amount of duty when paying for government services
Issuance of a repeated certificate (duplicate) of marriage registration	350 rubles	245 rubles
Issuance of a repeated certificate (duplicate) of divorce	350 rubles	245 rubles
Issuance of a certificate of registration or divorce	200 rubles	140 rubles

There are many ways to pay the fee. Some require more time, others are more convenient. Which one to choose is up to you. We offer the most common ones:

in the terminal, which is located in the registry office;
go to the nearest Sberbank branch;
make a payment in Internet banking;
pay via qiwi terminal;

Sberbank is the best option, since there is an electronic queue, and the procedure will take no more than 15 minutes. After you receive the check and receipt, go back and show the bank employees.

There is one small drawback - banks charge a commission of 20-50 rubles for their services. If you want to make copies of documents, they will charge you another 100 rubles.

State fee calculator for obtaining a duplicate marriage certificate:
Where will you pay the duty?
Who will pay the fee?

Benefits when paying state duty

The following are exempt from paying state duty:

Heroes of the Soviet Union, Heroes of the Russian Federation and full holders of the Order of Glory (subclause 11 of clause 1 of article 333.35 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation);
Participants and disabled people of the Great Patriotic War. The basis for granting benefits is a certificate of the established form.
Federal government bodies, government bodies of constituent entities of the Russian Federation and local government bodies (subparagraph 4 of paragraph 1 of Article 333.35 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation);
State authorities, local government bodies - for affixing an apostille (subparagraph 10 of paragraph 1 of Article 333.35 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation);
Individuals living outside the territory of the Russian Federation - for affixing an apostille on civil registration documents and certificates issued by archival authorities requested at the request of diplomatic missions and consular offices of the Russian Federation (subclause 12 of clause 3 of Article 333.35 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation);
Individuals:

for making changes to the birth record in connection with adoption, including the issuance of a new birth certificate;
for making corrections and (or) changes to civil status records and issuing certificates in connection with errors made during state registration of civil status acts due to the fault of employees performing state registration of civil status acts;
for the issuance of certificates of registration of acts of civil status for submission to the authorized bodies on issues of assignment or recalculation of pensions and (or) benefits;
for making corrections and (or) changes in the records of death certificates of unreasonably repressed and subsequently rehabilitated persons on the basis of the law on the rehabilitation of victims of political repression, including the issuance of death certificates, as well as for the issuance of repeated death certificates for persons of this category;
for issuing notices of the absence of civil status records for the restoration of lost civil status records in the prescribed manner;
for state registration of births and deaths, including the issuance of certificates (clause 1 of Article 333.39 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation).

7. Educational management bodies, guardianship and trusteeship and commissions for minors’ affairs and protection of their rights:

for the issuance of repeated birth certificates for children left without parental care, repeated certificates (certificates) of the death of their parents, of a change of name, marriage and divorce by deceased parents, as well as for the requisition of these documents from the territory of foreign states;
for making corrections and (or) changes in civil registration records compiled in relation to orphans and children without parental care, as well as in relation to their deceased parents, including the issuance of certificates (clause 2 of Article 333.39 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation).

Where to get it

If you have any doubts about how to obtain a duplicate, we will now dispel them. A duplicate can be obtained through:

Civil registry office - this method immediately comes to mind. It is chosen in 70% of cases. Most often they turn to the registry office where the marriage took place. But no one forbids choosing any other office in the country.
If you apply at the place where the marriage was registered, then repeat the certificate can be issued within 1 hour. The maximum period will stretch for 3 days if you applied on Friday. But if you choose some outside office, then the documents can be prepared within a month.
The period increases due to the fact that additional requests are made and the archive is searched. You can come to the registry office in person or send an application by mail. Postal services are used by those who live in another city or country.
Government services. The application is submitted via the Internet, which is reviewed within 3-5 days. Ready documents can be obtained in person at the branch you indicate when filling out the application.
Court - this option is used when other methods have not been successful. A statement of claim is filed by relatives on the side of the husband or wife when a dispute over property or inheritance is being resolved.
The judge makes requests on his own, but this requires serious reasons and evidence. Additional documents may be required to confirm the relationship.
With the help of law firms or a representative. To do this, you make a notarized power of attorney and draw up an agreement for the provision of services for obtaining a second marriage certificate. This option helps save time, but costs approximately 3,000 rubles.

If the document is needed electronically, it will be sent to your mailbox and an electronic signature will be provided.

Where to submit documents to restore your marriage certificate?

The application can be submitted in three ways:

At the registry office. This is the simplest option if the registry office is not regional and there are no long queues. Then issuing a duplicate will not take more than an hour. Upon receipt, you will need to sign in the document issuance book.
At the MFC. If a person is in a city where there is no registry office, it is best to obtain a document from the MFC. However, you need to keep in mind that the issuance deadlines in this case are also extended. The MFC will make a request to the registry office, and it will take time to send the document.
Through State Services. The procedure is completely simple. First you need to register on the portal and confirm your account. Then follow the link “Recovery of documents”, on the page that opens you need to find “marriage certificate”. Here you can find all the information on how to restore a document.
Electronically on the website of the Moscow Civil Registry Office. Only if the applicants live in Moscow and received their original document there.

How much is done

If you come to the registry office where your marriage was registered, then a duplicate will be issued on the same day. It usually takes 30-60 minutes to make.

But if you ordered from another city, then the process will take 20-30 days. This period is extended due to delivery of the letter by mail. It may be necessary to contact the archive if the registry office cannot restore it on its own.

If you send a letter with a request, check whether any additional copies need to be included. It is better to have the application certified by a notary if you want to receive a duplicate by mail.

Those citizens who want to obtain a second certificate in another country will have to wait the longest. There will be a lot of approvals and requests to the consulate. As a result, the procedure will take from 2 to 6 months.

The marriage certificate is reissued: if the original is lost or damaged

Clause 1 of Article 9 of the Federal Law “On Acts of Civil Status”

A duplicate of the marriage certificate is issued: on the day of application

Clause 4 of Article 9 of the Federal Law “On Acts of Civil Status”

State duty for issuing a duplicate marriage certificate: 350 rubles

clause 6 of Article 333.26 of the Tax Code

Where to go for a duplicate?

There are several options:

The registry office that registered the marriage.
The MFC branch, but you need to clarify whether it issues such documents. Not all MFCs provide such services.
Through the government services portal. You can order a duplicate of the document, pay the state fee, and come and pick it up on the day appointed by the registrar.

It happens that registration authorities refuse to issue a duplicate document. In this case, you will have to go to the magistrate's court.

Remember the main thing:

The easiest way to restore a certificate is to come to the registry office, write an application for a duplicate, pay a fee and receive a duplicate.
The fee for re-issuing a certificate is 350 rubles. When registering for public services - 245 rubles.
If the marriage was registered a long time ago, for example in 1980, then you will have to go to the city archive and restore it there.
Either spouse can receive the certificate.
If the certificate is needed for the court, he can make a request on his own.
If there is a dispute regarding inheritance, then any of the heirs can receive a duplicate.