Entries by Karina Duval


How to receive a Russian pension in America, and why you should not save this money in Sberbank accounts

Some countries pay pensions to their citizens even if they live abroad. Russia is one of them. For pensioners, this is a very important and pressing issue, because so many years have been spent for the benefit of their former homeland, and many people want this money...


Bulgakov's stories about death and inheritance from a Russian-speaking lawyer in the USA

Man is mortal, but that would not be so bad. The bad thing is that sometimes he is suddenly mortal, that’s the trick! (Mikhail Bulgakov) Since I opened my office in New York, I had to change my specialization: to replace international divorces, disputes about ...


Annexation and family status: why you shouldn’t formalize divorce or marriage in Crimea

Recently, my office has been frequently contacted regarding the issue of divorce in Crimea, so I decided to clarify the situation somewhat with the help of this column. Not everyone knows that divorces filed in Crimea annexed by Russia after March 26, 2014 are not recognized...


Here's how to get military service exemptions to live and work in the U.S.

It is a rare parent who is not concerned about the fate of his child, even an adult. Today we will talk about serving in the Russian army. This issue is especially relevant for Russians living abroad. In this column I will talk about what grounds exist for exemption from service...


Claiming an Inheritance in Russia: A Complete Guide

Among the most popular questions that clients contact our office with is inheritance abroad. This is very relevant for many citizens of Russia and Ukraine, where few can and want to return in light of the political situation. But to enter into an inheritance...


How to transport the ashes of a deceased relative from the homeland to the US

Emigration breaks and separates many families: parents remain to live in Russia, and children move to America. And when parents die, children bury them, and then don’t know how to separate themselves between family and work in the USA and visiting the graves of relatives on...


The Adventures of the Yellow Suitcase: How to Assert Your Rights When an Airline Wreaks Havoc on Your Vacation

By coincidence, this story really happened with a yellow Samsonite suitcase, and with its owner - my mother. I decided to share this story because I believe it will be useful to many. In August 2023, my entire family, including...


How and why people renounce Russian Citizenship

Renouncing Russian citizenship is a complex and multi-stage process that requires a lot of effort, documents and time. My office gets this request quite often, so let's break it down in order. The first and indispensable condition for starting the exit process...


Inheritance, immigration, divorce and marriage: how to get important registry office documents and why they are needed

All people on the planet encounter civil registry offices: from birth to death. And between these two starting points, many events occur that are subject to state registration: marriages, divorces, name changes, births of children - and so on in a circle, from generation to...


Marriage, birth and divorce certificates: what to do with important documents issued by another country

The reason for writing this column was the ruling of one of the Moscow courts - it left our claim for divorce without progress. The court demanded that the original marriage certificate be submitted to the case file, although this requirement does not comply with the law. Eventually…

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