Find the story behind your Russian family history

Period
1830–1990: from the late Russian Empire through the Soviet era.
An earlier search may also be possible, depending on the region and the availability of archives.

Sources
Parish (metric) books: births, marriages, deaths;
Household books (pokhozyaystvennye knigi) of the 1930s and later;
Archive requests

How the search works
Genealogy is a step-by-step process: one clue leads to the next. Before we start, I'll tell you honestly what is likely to be found and what may not have survived.

For formal archive requests, a notarized power of attorney is usually required, apostilled (or consular-legalized, if your country isn't part of the Hague Apostille Convention) so it's recognized in Russia. I'll guide you through exactly what's needed — you can see a sample template here

The price covers the research work itself. Archive fees, copies, certified translation and apostille (when needed) are billed separately. I always confirm the amount and send an invoice before any such cost is incurred, so there are no surprise charges.

Bank transfer is the default. If international transfers are impractical for you, we can agree on another method, including cryptocurrency. Just mention it on the discovery call.

State archives usually reply within about 30 days. Most projects take three months or longer, depending on the number of archives involved and the complexity of the case.

No researcher can guarantee that a particular record still exists or is accessible. Records may have been lost, damaged, miscatalogued, restricted or never created. You are paying for the research process, not for a guaranteed discovery.

My focus is the former Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, mostly from the 18th century to the 1930s. How much can be found depends on whether your family stayed in one place, what happened to the territory in wars, and which records survived. I tell you honestly what is realistic on the free discovery call.