My boyfriend and I were planning to get married but we can't do it as my passport was stolen. Can we first wed and then register our marriage in a Civil Records Office on the basis of passport theft and shall I present a document certifying passport loss to a priest?
According to Art. 10 of the Family Code of the Russian Federation a marriage shall be concluded in Civil Records Authorities. Rights and liabilities of spouses originate at the date of state registration of the marriage by Civil Records Authorities. You have to obtain a new passport for the purpose of marriage registration. Religious marriage is not acknowledged in Russia and doesn't have validity.