A modern marriage certificate (in contrast to the "crusts" issued in Soviet times) is just a sheet of stamped paper. It wears out quickly at the folds, the corners are jammed, the sheet is inconvenient to store and carry with you. And the desire to laminate this important document seems quite natural. But can this be done?
Lamination reliably protects the paper from damage - they do not wrinkle, are not afraid of moisture, they cannot be accidentally torn. And for long-term documents, it looks like a great option. Especially when you consider that some of their varieties are issued already laminated in whole or in part (for example, rights, SNILS card, passport page with a photo). However, for documents issued by the registry office - such as certificates of birth, marriage, death, change of surname, etc. - this does not apply. In this case, rolling into film will be equated to damage to the document.
Why you can't laminate a marriage certificate
The ban on lamination of papers issued by the registry office is spelled out in Federal Law No. 143 "On Acts of Civil Status". The ninth article of the law is devoted to situations in which the registry office is obliged to issue a certificate again - and along with the dilapidation, illegibility of the text and other defects that make the use of the document impossible, lamination is also listed.
Why is tape believed to spoil a marriage certificate? There are several reasons for this.
- When developing the marriage certificate blank, the reverse side of the sheet was left blank - including so that, if necessary, it was possible to put marks on it (for example, apostille). Lamination makes this impossible.
- It is believed that if a document is falsified, the film can "mask" the traces of forgery, so it becomes impossible to accurately establish the authenticity of the laminated marriage certificate.
- When scanning or photocopying, the shiny glossy surface reflects, which will have the worst effect on the quality and legibility of the finished copy.
What is the risk of document lamination
The lamination process is irreversible, and if you laminated the marriage certificate, it will not be possible to return it to its original appearance. This means that an invalid document cannot be used - it will not be accepted in any of the state bodies, while not a single notary will undertake to issue a notarized copy of the damaged document (remember the impossibility of establishing the fact of the authenticity of such papers).
The only way out of this situation is to contact the registry office again and fill out an application for a duplicate.
How to keep a marriage certificate
Fortunately, a marriage certificate is not one of the documents that you need to carry with you all the time - it is only required "in special cases" (for example, registration of maternity capital, joint purchase of an apartment or its sale, the need to put stamps on marital status in a new passport or filing for divorce). Moreover, in any of these situations, it will be necessary to collect a whole package of documents - and it is best to use a folder or a plastic envelope to carry them. In this case, the marriage certificate will not be wrinkled or frayed in the bag.
A similar envelope can be used to store a certificate, combining it with other personal documents not intended for daily use (such as education documents, certificate of assignment of TIN, etc.).
You can also purchase a special folder - "crusts" for a marriage certificate, exactly the same size. In this case, the document will definitely not get lost among other pieces of paper and will not wipe along the folds.
