Certificate of Previously Issued Passports, or Adventures of Russian-Speaking Pensioners in the USA

“Certificate of previously issued passports” - this scary phrase stuns even seasoned professionals.

“Karina, good afternoon. Can you please tell me if they issue something like a certificate of previously issued passports in the US? We are thinking with the notary about how to confirm that the person in the power of attorney and in the Rosreestr are the same person,” the notary’s assistant wrote to me, racking her brains over the upcoming transaction for which I had drawn up the power of attorney.

Photo by the author

Russian pensioners were stunned en masse by the requirement to provide a certificate of previously issued passports. Because Sberbank, refusing to issue money to a pensioner and requiring this mysterious certificate, does not explain what it should look like and which agency issues this certificate. By the way, the consulate does not provide such a service, and getting into the embassy is a real quest.

So, many Russian pensioners living abroad have faced a refusal to issue them a pension. It would seem that all the documents are in order: the passport has been changed, the power of attorney is valid, and the certificate of survival has been submitted to the Pension Fund on time. But no, something is always missing.

If such a certificate is not enough in your case, then it can be issued as an affidavit in our officeTo do this, you need to come to us with your current and all previous passports, on the basis of which I will draw up an affidavit, which Sberbank readily accepts.

What should you do if you don't have your old passports or you thoughtlessly shredded them? Of course, you can contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but, in our experience, you have to wait a long time for a response from these bodies, and it is not always comforting. A response (after eight months of waiting) with the wording “information not saved” is unlikely to console anyone. Therefore, you can hope that the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will provide you with information about previously issued passports if there is absolutely no way out. But there is always a way out.

Old passport data is usually found in home archives: in previously issued powers of attorney, in an agreement with Sberbank, in photographs, in ordinary copies, carefully made at one time and hidden away for a long time.

Therefore, if you collect and provide the data, I will make a candy out of them that will please Sberbank, and your pension payment will be restored. Although the best solution is to store the passports themselves. Get yourself a separate box for old documents and store them forever - you never know when confirmation will be needed.

Let me remind you that in addition to the certificate of previously issued passports, our office you can apply:

• certificate of being alive;
• power of attorney to receive a pension;
• any other powers of attorney;
• documents for deregistration in Russia;
• a certificate of absence of tax arrears for subsequent renunciation of citizenship.

In addition, we help to formalize inheritance or renunciation of it and resolve many other legal issues at the highest professional level.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Copyright and inheritance: who and how can manage the creative legacy of deceased loved ones

How an immigrant or foreigner can manage property in Russia: advice from a lawyer

How to Accept an Inheritance from the USA in Russia: Advice from a Notary

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.