A birth certificate is an official document that registers the civil status act of a person's birth. This document contains information about the child's name, date of birth, and the names of their parents. Typically, a birth certificate serves as the primary and sole form of identification for an individual until they reach an age when a general citizen's passport is issued (in the Russian Federation, it is at the age of 14). In the earlier Imperial period in Russia, it was also referred to as a 'Metric Certificate of Birth and Baptism.'
In the Russian Empire and Imperial Russia, during the imperial period, records of all newborn children were maintained in parish books kept in the churches (temples) of the parish where their parents resided. Later, after the Moscow Ecclesiastical Council of 1666-1667, metric books were introduced in the parishes, in which entries were made about births, and, upon request, a corresponding certificate was issued to the child's parents. The issued certificate was called an 'Extract from the Metric Book,' later 'Metric Certificate,' or 'Metrica' - a parish list of births, deaths, and marriages, as well as a birth and baptism certificate, officially known as a 'Metric Certificate.’
In Soviet Russia, the church was relieved of its responsibility for keeping records of citizens' births and deaths. According to the decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (VTsIK) and the Council of People's Commissars (SNK) titled 'On Civil Marriage, Children, and the Maintenance of Civil Registration Records,' dated December 18, 1917, the state of the Workers' and Peasants' Soviets took over this function entirely. Birth certificates for children were issued by the Department of Civil Registration of the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs of Soviet Russia, and later of the USSR. The metric books were extracted from the churches and placed in archives under the Civil Registration Office (ZAGS)
By the resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR dated November 2, 1935, a unified format for birth certificates was approved, and their mandatory issuance by local authorities was introduced. The birth certificate in the USSR served as the primary document determining a person's age and was provided:
a) when enrolling in school and higher education institutions;
b) when joining the Red Army;
c) when obtaining a passport;
d) in all other cases requiring age determination.
Previously, a birth certificate took the form of a small format booklet with a binding. It later evolved into a sheet measuring 181 by 252 mm, and currently, it is a standard A4-sized sheet, measuring 210 by 297 mm, adorned with watermarks. The certificate includes a series and a number.
The insert form is prepared in the Russian language. In the event that a republic or subject of the Russian Federation - Russia - establishes its own official language, the insert form may be produced in both the Russian language and the official language of the republic, according to a template approved by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.
How to obtain birth records in Russia
- ZAGS (Civil Registration Offices) in Russia maintain civil records. If you know the specific place of birth, you can visit the local ZAGS office to request birth certificates. Keep in mind that this can be more challenging if you don't speak Russian fluently, so consider seeking assistance from a local translator or researcher.
- The Russian State Archive (GARF) and regional archives may have records from the past. These archives are more likely to have older records, especially from the pre-Soviet and Imperial periods.
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