Locating a USSR birth certificate

A birth certificate serves as a confirmation of the birth place, time and circumstances. It’s a document that many of us don’t bother to keep, sometimes not being aware of its existence. That shouldn’t cause a problem if we never need to present it to another individual or an institution, especially if we possess a single citizenship throughout all our lives, never having to emigrate abroad. But providing a birth certificate (usually after a notary translation) is a basic requirement in various migration processes.

If you were born in Israel, an Israeli birth certificate can be requested free of charge at the website of the Administration of Border Crossings, Population and Immigration. But what if you no longer reside in the country of birth and possibly not even holding its citizenship? You will then have to locate a birth certificate issued abroad. This article deals locating a birth certificate from the FSU – former soviet union, aka USSR.

Here, the process gets a little more complicated, which requires familiarity with the relevant process as well as professional experience, which allows us to take prompt action. But before we explain about the actual process, why is it crucial to go through it with the experienced professionals that are intimately familiar with it? Such professionals at our law office, will be delighted to help you locate your birth certificate from USSR or any other state, so don’t hesitate to contact with us.

The challenges of locating a USSR birth certificate

Apart from Russia, USSR used to comprise 15 republics that were ruled by the Soviet government, which received their independence in the 1980s and 90s: Republics from which many citizens emigrated abroad, to Israel, the US and other countries, included Ukraine, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Lithuania, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova and more.

Those born between 1922 to 1990 in the USSR, received their birth certificates on the behalf of the Soviet state. But while birth certificates in many republics in the Soviet Union were conducted in Russian, or both in Russian and in the language of the same republic, those who received a birth certificate in one of the newly independent countries, would often receive a certificate exclusively in the language of said country. This makes it difficult to translate, particularly if dealing with one of the Asian former republics. We would be happy to help you get a notarized translation for such a certificate as well.

At present, if one has to locate a birth certificate issued by Soviet Government or the Commonwealth of Independent States, they need to approach the relevant institutions of each state. If an individual was born in Kazakhstan, they must contact the relevant organization of the country, if the place of birth is Ukraine, the process will be completely different, with completely different organizations, relevant for this country and so on.

Apart from that, many factors of influence should be considered, such if the client’s current name is the same as given at birth (if not, please provide certificate of the name change), if the birth certificate was issued years after the actual birth, if the given name or last name were altered in Israel or in USSR, etc.

Thus, the process can certainly be complicated and exhausting, it may require deep knowledge in the legislation of each specific country. In any case, if you require to obtain a birth certificate from USSR, we recommend that you contact professional services.

When is it necessary to locate a USSR-issued birth certificate?

To some of us this may sound like a rare requirement, but a request for a birth certificate from the USSR is quite common. Here are some frequently met cases where it’s needed:

Obtaining a passport of Lithuania, Poland, Hungary and other countries. All these states allow receiving a European Union citizenship if one of the applicants ancestors was a citizen of these countries. An applicant should also provide proof that their that their father grandfather great-grandfather was a citizen, and the family connection between the applicant and the citizen (based on the birth certificate)
In some cases, when the documents of the original ancestor are missing, it’s possible to prove both his nationality and family connection based on a birth certificate as a starting point.
Repatriation (Aliyah) to Israel: The Great Aliyah to Israel from the Soviet Union took place in the 1990s, but even today many Jews from various countries seek to immigrate to Israel under the Law of Return. One of the documents crucial for presentation under these circumstances, is the birth certificate, proving that the seeker is Jewish or the songrandson of a Jew.
Migration abroad: this is another case when a birth certificate should be presented by an individual looking to migrate, regardless of the destination country.

Why not locate a birth certificate on your own?

We need to mention here that every individual has the right (if not necessarily the ability) to locate their own birth certificate. However, the process is relatively slow and complicated.

It’s quite likely that if you need to locate a birth certificate, you are in the midst of important processes that you need to speed up. If you choose to acquire the help of our team of experts, the process will be faster, more efficient and more comfortable – the waste of time and your efforts will be minimized.

Contact our team of professionals

If you are interested in obtaining an Austrian passport, immigrating to Israel or emigrating abroad, we suggest that you contact us and we will be delighted to help you retrieve a birth certificate from the USSR.

03-3724722, 055-9781688