Half of Russian Marriages Are Now Initiated Through Digital Services
In 2025, more than 400,000 couples applied online to register their marriage.
In Russia, couples can submit a marriage application to a registry office in any city from anywhere in the country. In 2025, more than 400,000 couples used the Gosuslugi (government digital services platform) to do so—about every second couple getting married. Since the service was launched, more than 1.6 million couples have registered their marriage through the platform.
Couples must select a registry office and submit their application at least one month before the planned wedding date. The marriage can be registered at any convenient registry office in the country. However, the ceremony itself still requires the couple to appear in person, as marriages cannot be officially registered online.
Civil Registry Data Exchange Goes Digital
Earlier reports noted that a new law in Russia has moved the exchange of civil registry data—including marriages, births, deaths, and divorces—between courts and registry offices into a digital format. The law was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Previously, such data had been exchanged only on paper, which slowed court proceedings.
Under the new rules, judges can now send requests directly to the Unified State Register of Civil Status Records (ZAGS). The change is expected to speed up cases that require access to registry data.
