US citizenship entitles you to get a marriage visa to marry your Russian spouse and sponsor his/ her application for marriage immigration to America. Applying for a marriage visa and preparing for marriage immigration can be a time consuming task and you will need to be organized particularly with your US documents. To qualify for a spouse visa you must fulfill these basic criteria:

• You must be an American citizen or legal permanent resident aged 18 years or over

• You must be able to prove that you are financially independent and able to support your Russian spouse and any dependent children

• You must be able to prove that you have adequate housing where you, your Russian spouse and any dependants can live

When you get married to your Russian fiancé(e) you can legalize your Russian marriage in the USA.

Getting Ready for Marriage Immigration

Before you leave the US, you need to prepare for your marriage immigration. You should obtain a Single Status Affidavit. This certificate can be prepared by the American citizen services at the US Embassy in The Russia.

You will also need an original or certified copy your Birth Certificate.

If you have been married before you must produce one of the following documents to support the Single Status Affidavit:

• If divorced, you will need your Divorce Decree
• if widowed you will need your Certificate of Marriage and Death Certificate of your previous spouse

Changing Your US Documents

When official documents issued in the USA are to be used in Russia, they need to be “authenticated” and “legalised “in order for them to be valid there.

The first thing you need to do is get your documents “authenticated” by the Russian Embassy in the US . The purpose of the authentication process is to prove the validity of the documents issued in the US. If not previously authenticated by a Russian Consul in the U.S., your U.S. documents must be legalized in Russia by the Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The last thing to do is to get your documents translated into Russian and “legalized” by the US Embassy in Russia. After that your documents acquire legal validity in Russia.

Documents in Need of Legalization for Marriage in Russia

• Single Status Affidavit
• Divorce Decree (if relevant)
• Former spouse’s Death Certificate and previous marriage certificate (if relevant)
• Your Birth Certificate
• Name change certificate (if relevant)
• Your US passport cannot be legalized as it is already an internationally recognized document. You must however have photocopies of the ID and bio page notarized as true copies of the original.

Russian Visa Requirements

As a US citizen you need a visa to visit Russia. You can apply for a Private Visa, which is the appropriate visa for a visit to friends and relatives. It is valid for up to three months, but you must produce an official letter of invitation to support your visa application, which your Russian fiance can get by applying to the Russian Federation Migration Service. They must present a photocopy of your passport. Your passport must be valid for at least six months after the visa expiry date and have at least two blank pages.

It is also possible to travel on a one month tourist visa; however you need to obtain a tourist voucher and a tourist confirmation document, which have been stamped and signed by an authorized person, to support your Russian visa application. These documents are available from approved travel agents and hotels. When you arrive in Russia you have three days in which to register yourself with the local branch of the Russian Migration Service. If you are staying in a leading hotel, this will be done for you on your arrival.

Once you have prepared all relevant documents and you have a valid US passport, you may make arrangements to fly to Russia to join your intended spouse.

Getting Married in Russia

You may decide to marry your Russian spouse in the US, however, getting married in Russia is an inspiring experience and relatively straight forward providing you are organized and ensure that you and your Russian spouse have the correct documentation.

Under both US and Russian Marriage Law, only the civil registration of your marriage will be recognized as legal and only a legal marriage will allow you to bring your Russian spouse back to the US.

The legal age for marriage in Russia is 18. Russians can marry at 16 in special circumstances and with parental consent.

To register the marriage legally with the Russian authorities takes a lot of work for you both to register your documents and you should not underestimate the time or work involved.

The first step in planning your wedding in Russia is to go to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Legalisation Department in Moscow with your Russian fiance to get your Affidavit of Marital Status legalised by a Consular Officer. It costs approximately 100 rubbles and takes 5 working days to complete. You should take your passport and all of the documents you brought with you from the US. Your Russian spouse needs to present a Affidavit of Marriage Status, as well as her passport, birth certificate and proof that they are no longer married.

Document Check: US Spouse

• Original Single status Affidavit issued in the US or by the US Embassy in The Russia. It must not be older than three months from the date of issue
• Original valid US passport
• Original Birth certificate
• Original death certificate of deceased spouse if widowed
• Original divorce decree or annulment papers if divorced

Document Check: Russian Spouse

• Original Single status Affidavit.
• Original Passport or ID card
• Original birth certificate
• Original death certificate of deceased spouse if widowed

• Advisory of Marriage Record and Marriage Certificate on NSO Security paper with proper annotation declaring the marriage null and void and a Certificate of Finality and court decision/documents if you are divorced
• If s/he is under 25 years of age, written consent from his/her parents.

Once you have collected this document you can arrange your civil wedding ceremony at the Registry Office in the district where your Russian spouse lives. Marriage to your Russian spouse does not automatically qualify you for Russian nationality; you should also be aware that Russia is not a country that recognises dual citizenship.

Permanent Resident Application

It is the responsibility of the American spouse to file an immigration petition as the sponsor of their Russian spouse to come to live in the United States as a legal permanent resident.

The first step in the visa process is for the American spouse to establish that your relationship qualifies for a green card with USCIS. This is done by submitting the application ‘Petition for Alien Relative’ known as Form I-130. This form notifies USCIS that you want to apply for their green card; if they are applying for your dependent children you must fill out a separate I-130 for each child.

If you are a US citizen your application will be given priority over all other sponsorship applications because there is no waiting period for foreign spouses and their children (under 21 years of age) in the US immigration system. Spouses and dependents of lawful Permanent Residents are next in line. The American spouse must provide documentary evidence of their status as a US citizen or permanent resident and of your relationship to you such as a marriage certificate.

Form I-130 should be submitted to the Chicago Lockbox relevant to the state you live in unless submitting it with an application for permanent residence. USCIS then direct the I-130 petition to the appropriate USCIS Service Center . If the I-130 is sent to the wrong Chicago Lockbox, or to another USCIS address, it will be rejected. The fee for filing Form I-130 is $355.

Once your I-130 is received, USCIS send you Form I-797 known as a ‘Notice of Action,’ to acknowledge receipt of your application. You will also receive Form I-864 ‘Affidavit of Support’ which the US spouse must fill out to prove that they can financially support their Russian spouse. They must attach supporting documents to this form e.g. a letter on company letterhead detailing their employment status, where they live and photocopies of your Internal Revenue Service-issued transcript of their federal income tax return for the most recent tax year. They should also include their W-2s and/or 1099 forms.

If the US spouse is unable to prove that they can support the foreign spouse and any dependent children the application will be denied.

If the sponsorship application is incomplete or does not contain relevant supporting documents it will be rejected and the sponsorship process will be further delayed. Keep copies of all immigration documentation in a safe place in case the visa petition gets lost or mislaid.

Applying for a Green Card if you reside legally in the USA

If you are legally resident in the USA e.g. if you have a non-immigrant visa permitting you to live and work or study there, you can apply for an ‘Adjustment of Status’ by filing Form I-485 at the same time as your spouse files Form I-130. Form I-485 will adjust your status to that of permanent resident, more commonly known as a green card holder. Both forms should be submitted to a single Chicago Lockbox. The fee for filing Form I-485 is $1,010 (includes the $80 fingerprint fee).

Around a month after your green card application is received, you will both be required to attend a fingerprint interview where ink-free digital scans of your fingerprints will be taken. Your American spouse may also have to attend a visa interview with you.

Whilst your green card is being processed, you will be able to travel, work and / or study freely according to the terms of your non-immigrant visa or you can apply for ‘Employment Authorization’ using Form I-765. There is no fee for filing for Employment Authorization if you submit this form with your application for permanent residence.

Applications are refused if any documentation provided is false.