Replacing SNILS when changing your last name: is it necessary or not?

What is SNILS and what are its functions

SNILS stands for the insurance number of an individual personal account assigned to Russians in the pension system. Each citizen registered with the Pension Fund is assigned an individual insurance number, so it is unique and belongs to the person throughout his life. All information about the citizen and, in particular, about his insurance record and the insurance premiums transferred to him are attached to it, reflecting information about the generated pension rights. It is on the basis of the information reflected on the personal pension account that the pension of Russians is calculated.

The SNILS number is indicated on the pension insurance certificate, the form of which was approved by Resolution of the Board of the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation No. 2p dated January 11, 2017. It consists of 11 digits, 9 of which are the document number, and the last 2 are the verification number.

An insurance number may be required in the following cases:

employment – for transfer and accounting of insurance payments by the employer;
registration of various types of social benefits, compensations and payments;
obtaining a universal electronic card;
registration of pension savings in non-state pension funds;
registration on the State Services portal to receive government services in electronic form.

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It is also possible to change the certificate via the Internet from your home computer. Let's consider all the methods in more detail. State Services One of the easiest ways to change SNILS is to use the State Services website. To do this, simply select the appropriate section in the list of site services, after which the person will be asked to fill out an electronic application and also sign it using an electronic signature. The original document will need to be collected during a personal visit to the pension fund.

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And when the employer transfers insurance premiums, the funds simply will not go to the employee’s personal account, since his personal data will not match the SNILS data. As you can see, SNILS is an important document that must contain up-to-date data. And if you changed your last name (for any reason), do not forget to re-issue SNILS after your internal passport so that there are no problems with making insurance payments.

Do I need to change SNILS when changing my last name?

Now we suggest you figure out whether it is necessary to change SNILS when changing your last name after marriage. So, according to Part 4 of Art. 7 Federal Law “On individual (personalized) accounting in the OPS system”, if the insured person’s last name, first name, patronymic, last name at birth, date and place of birth, as well as gender changes, such information is reflected on the personal account in the manner prescribed by Art. 8-10 of the above law.

From the meaning of these articles, it follows that the obligation to report a change in personal data lies either with the citizen himself or with his employer. This depends on whether the citizen is employed or pays insurance premiums on his own. But regardless of this, the answer to the question of whether it is necessary to change SNILS in connection with a change of surname will be positive.

It is important that the data reflected in the insurance certificate coincides with the passport data and is up to date.

Otherwise, if there are contradictions, it will be difficult for citizens to prove the acquisition of pension rights for a particular period.

Changing the SNILS number when replacing a document

Now let’s try to figure out whether the SNILS number changes when you change your last name. The fact is that, according to Part 4 of Art. 7 of the Federal Law “On individual (personalized) accounting in the OPS system”, after entering the changed data into the insurance account, the insured citizen is issued a new insurance certificate (instead of the previously issued one) with his new data, including his last name.

However, the SNILS number itself, reflected on the front side of the certificate, remains the same as it was before; it is assigned once and for life. Thus, the insurance number itself does not change when the last name is changed - only the formal data reflected on it and the certificate that is issued to the insured citizen change.

Is a replacement necessary when obtaining citizenship?

What should a person do if he received an insurance number while being a citizen of another country, but after some time acquired Russian citizenship? It is necessary to figure out whether it is necessary to replace SNILS when obtaining Russian citizenship:

The account number itself, printed on the card, is issued once and cannot be changed. Replacing SNILS when changing citizenship is also not provided.
There may be nuances related to the passport. For example, if SNILS was issued using a foreign passport of a foreign state, then only the last and first name of the recipient of the number can be indicated in it. After receiving a Russian passport, it will also indicate the citizen’s patronymic. Because of this, discrepancies will arise between the data on the SNILS card and in the passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation. All this can lead to problems in the interaction of employers with the Pension Fund, which is fraught with consequences for the insured. In this case, it is necessary to visit the branch of the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation to replace the SNILS card (the number remains the same).

Where and how can you change SNILS

Exchange of SNILS in connection with a change of surname requires compliance with a number of formalities. Depending on the status and desire, a citizen has several options where to go to obtain an insurance certificate with a new last name.

The number of authorities that can help you change your insurance certificate number includes:

branch of the Pension Fund at the place of residence;
employer - in case of official employment and payment of insurance premiums for the employee;
multifunctional center at the place of registration (if an interaction agreement has been concluded between the Pension Fund and the MFC).

When contacting each of these authorities, citizens wishing to replace their pension insurance certificate due to a change in personal data must take into account some features. For a complete understanding, we suggest considering the specific procedure for each case, as well as dwelling on other significant details.

Replacement through employer

According to the general rule established by Art. 8 of the Federal Law “On individual (personalized) accounting in the OPS system”, information about persons insured in the OPS system is provided by the policyholder - that is, the employer of the person for whom insurance premiums are paid. According to Art. 7 of this law, it is the employer who is the body where SNILS can be changed in the case when a citizen is officially employed.

The procedure for replacing a certificate through an employer involves:

Notifying management about a change of name and other personal data that needs to be replaced.
Submitting an application to the authorities in form ADV-2, approved by Resolution of the Board of the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation dated January 11, 2017 N 2p.
Providing the necessary documents, the set of which is reflected in the inventory according to the ADV-6-1 form.
Forwarding the application and submitted documents to the territorial division of the Pension Fund.
Processing of documents at the Pension Fund of Russia, production of a new certificate and sending it back to the employer.
Transfer of a new certificate to the employee within a week after receiving it from the Pension Fund of Russia, about which the employee signs in the ADI-5 statement.

A similar procedure is also used when a replacement insurance certificate is needed if there is a mistake in the last name.

Let us pay special attention to the deadlines. Thus, the terms for exchanging SNILS when the employer changes his last name will be slightly increased in comparison with the general terms when applying to the Pension Fund. The fact is that additional time will be taken by sending correspondence between the employer and the Pension Fund both back and forth. As practice shows, obtaining a new certificate through an employer takes one, maximum 2 weeks longer.

Replacement through the Pension Fund

If a citizen carries out his insurance independently (he pays insurance premiums for himself, working, for example, as an individual entrepreneur), then, according to Art. 10 of the Federal Law “On individual (personalized) accounting in the OPS system”, and he also provides information about changes in personal data to the Pension Fund independently. Taking this into account, a citizen changing his last name on the insurance certificate must:

Contact the territorial office of the Pension Fund at the place of registration (including temporary) or place of actual residence.
Submit an application in form ADV-2 and present an identification document, as well as the required package of documents.
Wait for the request to be processed and a new document is produced.
Get a new certificate.

It is recommended to carry out these actions within a month from the date of changing your personal data. However, if a citizen does not apply for a replacement SNILS within the specified time frame, no sanctions are provided.

Replacement via MFC

Another option for making changes to the pension certificate is to contact the multifunctional center at the citizen’s place of residence or place of registration. However, not every MFC provides these services. Whether it is possible to change SNILS at an MFC when changing your last name depends on whether an interaction agreement has been concluded between a particular MFC and the Pension Fund.

If concluded, the citizen must:

Contact the MFC at your place of residence or registration.
Fill out and submit an application in form ADV-2.
Wait for it to be transferred to the Pension Fund and reviewed.
Receive a new insurance certificate from the MFC with a new name and old SNILS.

Replacement through the State Services portal

As follows from the information posted on the official website, the exchange of an insurance certificate is included in the number of non-electronic services, therefore it is not possible at the moment to change SNILS when changing a surname through State Services step by step. In fact, only three options remain relevant: independently through the Pension Fund, through the MFC or through your own employer.

Package of documents

To complete and correctly process the SNILS exchange, you must submit a package of documents. Regardless of which body the documents are submitted through to make changes to the insurance number, the first thing you need to change your pension certificate is an application in form ADV-2, approved by Resolution of the Board of the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation dated January 11, 2017 N 2p.

It reflects the following data:

SNILS number;
personal data that is subject to change (which are indicated in the certificate);
new personal data – in this case, a changed last name;
floor;
Date of Birth;
Place of Birth;
citizenship;
residential address;
passport details with details;
telephone;
date of filling out the form and signature of the applicant.

Next, we will look at what documents are needed to replace SNILS in 2017 in addition to the application - they traditionally include:

an identification document (usually a passport, driver’s license or other document);
a document confirming the change of surname (marriage certificate, name change);
old insurance certificate subject to exchange.

Reasons and methods of replacement

The SOPS system displays all changes that may be associated with changes in the citizen’s personal data specified in the passport. If the card is simply lost, then it should be restored, but no information on it is changed, it is simply reissued as a duplicate. The individual insurance number will always remain unchanged, under any circumstances, since it is issued to a citizen once in a lifetime.

For example, due to the loss of a passport or theft, when a new copy is issued with a different series and number, there is no need to change the “green card”. There is no need to do this if the citizen’s permanent registration has changed or he has registered a marriage. In these cases, there will be no problems with the transfer of insurance premiums.

In the pension certificate itself, a citizen may find an error in the data, i.e., it does not correspond to the passport data, then he will also have to write an application for the issuance of a new copy with reliable information. If the age at which a passport is subject to change changes, a replacement certificate is not provided.

The pension certificate (PS) is valid throughout the Russian Federation. Since 2003, it has been issued according to a new state model, so citizens must replace previously received copies.

There are several options for how a citizen can replace a PS issued by the State Pension Fund of Russia. To do this, you need to go there yourself, which any citizen has the right to do. Personal appeal is possible. You can also submit an application through your employer, which is only possible for officially employed citizens.

Sample receipt for payment of state duty for issuing a passport

On one's own

Independent replacement of SNILS is more suitable for citizens who officially have the status of unemployed. It is better for employed people to do this through an employer, but they are also allowed to do it independently. If a child is under 14 years of age and the parents have changed their first or last name on the birth certificate, then they must also submit an application to the pension fund.

To obtain a new PS you must:

Collect the required package of documents.
Contact them with the Pension Fund or another government agency that has the right to provide such services at the place of actual residence. Today, the legislator allows citizens to change personal documents to new ones not only at the place of permanent registration, as was the case before, but also for temporary stay or at an address where there is no registration at all.
To write an application.
Get a new document.

Until the new PS is issued, you will have to use the old one, so it is better to make a copy of it. But in fact, the insurance number itself is requested from various authorities. Therefore, it is possible to urgently present a new passport and an old document with an insurance number.

You can also receive a certificate through a representative if a power of attorney is issued for him. The representative, for example, can be the administration of a medical institution, if a citizen has been staying there for a long time, a relative or a trusted person.

Sample passport photo

Through the employer

For the insured person, the employer is the policyholder, who transfers contributions to the Pension Fund for him. The citizen must be registered with him under a civil contract or contract, an employment contract. At the request of the employee, the employer is obliged to replace his SNILS in the Pension Fund.

In this case you will need:

Collect the necessary documents.
Contact the company's HR department.
Write an application to replace the PS and submit your personal documents, a list of which the employer makes in a statement in the ADV-6-1 form.
Receive a new PS from the HR department on time.

Obtaining a passport through State Services significantly saves a citizen’s time, but only if he already has an account on the portal. How to replace a passport when changing your last name - read here.

It is the employer’s responsibility to transfer the employee’s documents to the Pension Fund through its representative. Upon receiving the finished document, the employee signs a special statement of the ADI-5 form. The period for receiving a new PS through an employer is slightly longer than when applying in person.

Sample certificate of family composition

Replacing a certificate in another city

The issue of making changes to SNILS not at the place of registration deserves special attention. Many people believe that changes can only be made at the place of official registration, which is wrong. Thus, the law allows for the replacement of a pension certificate when changing a surname in another city. According to information posted on the official website of the Pension Fund of Russia, an application for exchange of an insurance certificate is submitted not only at the place of registration, but also at the place of temporary registration.

Moreover, the Pension Fund also accepts applications from citizens at the place of their actual residence, which means that it is possible to re-issue an insurance certificate in another city only on the basis of the fact of residence. The procedure for contacting the Pension Fund regarding the replacement of SNILS in another locality will be similar to the above.

Required documents

Replacing a card in case of a change in passport data does not pose any special problems. To do this, you must provide the following documents to the local branch of the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation:

Application for card exchange. Form ADV-2 for filling it out can be downloaded from the Pension Fund website.
Passport or other document according to which changes will be made to the card.
A document confirming the fact of the change (marriage or divorce certificate).

Replacing SNILS for children

Interestingly, not only adult citizens, but also children have the right to receive an insurance number. However, the fact that SNILS has been assigned does not mean that the child must have an insurance certificate - it is issued only after the first official employment. And it, according to the general rule established by Art. 63 of the Labor Code, possible only after 16 years.

If the child’s surname changes before the date of first employment, the SNILS assigned to him does not need to be changed, since there is no insurance certificate yet - at the time the document is received, the new surname will already be indicated on it.

However, there may be cases when the law allows the employment of children under 16 (light work), and sometimes even 14 years old (employment in the circus, theater, cinema, and so on). In this case, if the child changes his last name, the insurance certificate must also be replaced. Such a replacement is carried out in the general manner, by contacting the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation or directly to the employer of the child’s legal representatives.

Certificate replacement period

How long it takes to complete SNILS depends on the specific features of the situation and the place where documents are submitted. According to the information posted on the Pension Fund website, as a general rule, the replacement of an insurance certificate is carried out within a month from the date of submission of the application for exchange. However, this period is general and will differ significantly when submitting documents to the MFC or through an employer.

Thus, when contacting a multifunctional center, additional time will be spent on forwarding the request to the Pension Fund. A similar amount of time (or even more) will be spent when submitting the application through the employer. Due to established practice, changing SNILS through the MFC takes about 35-40 days, through an employer – 40-45 days.

Replacing SNILS through the MFC: Is it possible to change the TIN and SNILS through the MFC?

A citizen changing SNILS must prepare the required list of documents and appear at the local Pension Fund at the place of permanent or temporary registration. Alternatively, you can first go to the official portal of the Pension Fund (.), fill out an application and send a request. A ready-made SNILS card can be obtained from the Pension Fund branch at your place of residence.

If you need assistance of a legal nature (you have a complex case and you don’t know how to fill out documents, the MFC unreasonably requires additional papers and certificates or refuses them altogether), then we offer free legal advice:

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