After finishing the Imperial Lyceum in Tsarskoye Selo Neratov joined the Foreign service around 1890.[2] Between 1906 and 1910 he was vice-director of the 1st department of the Russian foreign ministry[3], from 1910 on until 1917 he then was Permanent Under Secretary of State resp. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.[3][4] Although Neratov has never been abroad during his long service[2] he temporarily became acting foreign minister four times[4]: