Death Records In Russia

Main contributor: Alina Borisov Rebel

Death certificates play a pivotal role in providing insights into the lives and legacies of past generations. In Russia this process involves navigating through the complex bureaucracy of government offices, particularly the Civil Registration Offices (known as ZAGS in Russia).

Research your ancestors on MyHeritage

History and forms of death certificates in Russia

The history of civil registration documentation can be conventionally divided into two main stages: before and after the October Revolution of 1917. In pre-revolutionary Russia, the registration of marriages, births, and deaths was carried out by the church, while after the 1917 revolution, these processes became the responsibility of the Civil Registration Offices (ZAGS).

In pre-revolutionary Russia, the primary documents were metric and inspection books. The metric book was a collection of chronological records of births, marriages, and deaths.

In the post-revolutionary period, all activities related to civil registration came under the control of the state. Since 1917, new government agencies were established in Russia to handle civil registration. The post-war legislation established unified formats for marriage, birth, and death certificates, and these certificates were now printed on official paper with a state emblem.^[1]

In 1917, it was decided to confiscate the metric books from the churches and relocate them to the archives of the future Civil Registration Offices (ZAGS), which had not yet been established at that time. In rural areas, district ZAGS departments were to be created under the district executive committees of local Soviets, and it was in these departments that civil registration records were to be registered.

By the end of 1919, ZAGS authorities became more actively involved in consolidating the metric church books, collecting the relevant books from churches within their respective territories. The destination ZAGS for a metric book depended on the administrative-territorial division at the time of confiscation. Typically, when there were changes in the administrative-territorial division, all relevant records were transferred, but some of them might have remained at the old location. In such cases, finding them could only be done by examining the inventories, as ZAGS offices usually respond to requests by stating that the location you're interested in falls within another region and redirect the request.

During the World War II, civil registration records were not registered in many places at all. In several regions affected by the war, there are gaps in civil registration records spanning 10, 20, or more years. Between 1945 and 1950, due to the passport exchange, the number of cases for restoring civil registration records and making amendments in ZAGS offices sharply increased. This means that a significant portion of civil registration records were restored, possibly with different information compared to the original records. Additionally, on September 8, 1943, a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR regarding adoption was passed, allowing adopted children to be recorded as biological children. Civil registration records were amended accordingly.

According to the legislation, civil registration books, compiled from the original records of civil registration acts, and metric books are transferred to permanent storage in state archives after one hundred years from their creation. Not all civil registration records are transferred to archives in a timely manner, and some metric books are still kept locally in ZAGS offices. If they are not found in the regional archive, you can send a request to the local ZAGS office. Civil registration books from local offices are transferred to the corresponding ZAGS office of the subject of the Russian Federation to compare them with their duplicate copies and then to the state archive.

When you contact the Civil Registration Office (ZAGS) regarding a death record, you can also inquire about the cause of death, which is often indicated for genealogical research. Additionally, you can find out who received the death certificate and where they were living at the time. Since it is highly likely that the person receiving the death certificate was a relative, this information can be useful for expanding your family tree.

How to obtain a death certificate in Russia

If your goal is genealogical research and you are looking for death certificates to explore your family tree, you should follow these steps:

Information about Deceased Relatives: Gather all available information about the deceased relatives you want to research. It's essential to know their names, surnames, place and date of death, and any other details that may be useful for your search.

Contact the Civil Registration Office (ZAGS)

Get in touch with the Civil Registration Office in the region where you believe the deaths of your relatives occurred. Inquire about what documents and information you need to provide for genealogical research.

Confirm Data Access

Explain that your goal is genealogical research and find out what restrictions and rules apply to accessing death records in your region.

Prepare Required Documents

You may need to provide documents confirming your relationship. This could include certificates of kinship, family trees, and other supporting documents.

Fill Out an Application

You may be asked to complete an application where you will specify the purpose of your request and provide information about your relatives.

Pay Fees (if necessary)

Check whether any fees are required for accessing the information. In some regions, genealogical requests may entail additional charges.

Wait for Request Processing

Wait for the Civil Registration Office to process your request. This may take some time.

Obtain Death Certificates

Once your request is processed, you will receive death certificates for your relatives.

Please note that the information obtained during registration is considered confidential, has limited access, and is not disclosed to the general public. ZAGS offices do not provide information to just anyone but rather to the individual for whom the record was made, and after their death, to their relatives, legal guardians, or someone with a notarized power of attorney from any of the aforementioned parties. You will need to provide proof of your relationship to the person for whom you are making the request. ZAGS may refuse to disclose information from the civil registration records, claiming that it is only provided in legal cases (such as a court request), even though this is not necessarily the case.