Admkarasuka letter that gets an answer: a guide to written appeals

An independent guide to written appeals and applications. It is not a public authority, administration or institution, does not accept appeals and is not connected with the former website on this domain.

Guides

Practical guides

Most letters that get a brush-off reply suffer from the same problem: the text does not make clear what the author wants. The guides below help you structure an appeal so it can be reviewed on the merits, send it with proof of delivery, and calmly take the next steps if the answer falls short.

Write as if your letter will be read by someone who knows nothing about your story. That is usually exactly what happens.

— Editor’s note

These guides describe the general procedure and do not account for the specifics of any particular case. If important rights are at stake or the dispute could have serious consequences, it makes sense to show the letter to a lawyer before sending it.

Guides

Four tasks that come up in almost any correspondence with public bodies and organizations.

Write an appeal

Start with the addressee and your details, then set out the facts in order and finish with a specific request. Make sure the reply address, signature and date are included.

Basics

Send it and keep proof

Send it in a way that leaves proof: a receipt stamp on a second copy, a return receipt, or a confirmation from the electronic form on an official website.

Documents

If the reply falls short

Reread the reply and note which questions it leaves unanswered. Then decide where to appeal: a higher body, the prosecutor’s office or the court. A complaint is never sent to the one whose decision you are challenging.

Examples

A claim to a company

Put the demand in writing, refer to the contract, receipt or certificate of work, enclose copies and keep a copy for yourself. The reply deadline depends on the law or the terms of the contract.

FAQ

How to write an appeal people will understand

  1. Start with the header

    In the top right corner, state who the letter is addressed to: the name of the body, or the position and surname of the addressee. Below that, give your full name and the postal address for the reply, and for an electronic letter, your e-mail address.

  2. Name the type of appeal

    The word “application,” “complaint” or “proposal” in the heading immediately signals how to handle the letter. If in doubt, simply write “appeal”: the content matters more than the label.

  3. Set out the facts in order

    What happened, when and who was involved. Write in short paragraphs, without judging people’s character and without retelling old events that have nothing to do with the issue.

  4. State your request

    In a separate paragraph, write what you are asking to be done: carry out a check, fix a violation, give an explanation, reconsider a decision. The request should be doable and clear without rereading the whole letter.

  5. List the enclosures

    If you are enclosing copies of documents, photos or earlier correspondence, list them at the end. That way the addressee can see everything arrived, and you can check the set before sending.

  6. Sign and date it

    A personal signature and date are required for a written appeal. Before sending, read the text aloud: that makes it easier to catch ambiguous phrases and missing words.

What to avoid in the text

  • Emotions instead of facts. Indignation is understandable, but only what is described specifically can be reviewed: dates, events, documents.
  • Several unrelated topics in one letter. If the issues are not connected, it is better to send separate appeals so that each one reaches the people responsible for it.
  • Original documents as enclosures. Send copies and keep the originals: they are easy to lose during forwarding and review.
  • Threats and insults. They do not speed up the review, distract from the point and sour the tone of all further correspondence.
  • No address for the reply. If the letter lacks the author’s surname and a postal or e-mail address, no reply is given, and all the work on the text goes to waste.
  • Basics

    Types of appeals — proposal, application, complaint, request and a claim to a company — and the details the law requires a written appeal to include.

  • Documents

    Which papers to keep after sending, how to check the receipt stamp and registration number, and what deadlines the law sets.

  • Examples

    Sample situations: no reply for over a month, a brush-off instead of an answer, forwarding to another body, a silent store, adding to a letter.

Sources

  • Federal Law No. 59-FZ of 2 May 2006 “On the Procedure for Considering Appeals of Citizens of the Russian Federation” (Russia) — Arts. 7, 8, 11, 12
  • Official Internet Portal of Legal Information (Russia) — texts of laws

This guide summarizes the general rules of Russian Federal Law No. 59-FZ “On the Procedure for Considering Appeals of Citizens of the Russian Federation” as of the date the material was prepared. Laws change, so before an important step, check the wording against the current version on the official legal information portal.