Sworn Translation FAQ: Short Answers for Every Country

Upload a scan or photo of your document, tell us the language and which office it is for, and you get a fixed price. After payment, one of our partner translators sworn by German courts translates it. You receive the PDF by email and the signed original by post. Read every step in how online ordering works.

Upload every page, front and back, including pages with only a stamp or a note. That means both sides of an Afghan Tazkira, all pages of a Turkish e-Devlet PDF and the apostille if your document has one. Some offices want the translator to see the original, so check your letter. You can upload your document as a PDF, JPG or PNG.

For a standard certificate you receive the PDF in 3 working days. The signed original then comes by post, usually in 1–3 working days. Longer documents take more time, and express is available; see the delivery times and steps.

The PDF lets you check the translation early and stays with you as a copy. Many offices want the signed paper original, or a digital version with a qualified electronic signature if they accept files. What a sworn translation contains explains the difference.

We post it to your address in Germany, and postage is included in Standard and Express delivery. Post to another country costs extra. The options are on our prices page.

A standard certificate in English costs from €39. Documents in Turkish, Arabic, Ukrainian, Russian, Dari, Pashto, Kurdish, Persian or an Indian language cost from €49. Long documents, express delivery and extra copies cost more. See the price overview.

No, the fixed price you accept is the price you pay for that order. Extras like express delivery or an additional paper copy are only added if you choose them. The details are in our terms and conditions.

You can pay by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal or SEPA bank transfer. You pay after you accept the quote and before the translation starts, and you receive an invoice by email. See payment terms for details.

That depends on how far the work has gone. You get a full refund before the translator starts. Your consumer rights, including the right of withdrawal, are explained in our terms.

Only a translator authorised under German state law. Depending on the state, they are called beeidigt, ermächtigt or öffentlich bestellt. Our guide on what a sworn translation is explains the terms and the certification note.

No. A translator authorised in one German state can translate for offices in every other state. A sworn translation is valid throughout Germany. The office makes the final decision.

The Ausländerbehörde, the Standesamt, the Einbürgerungsbehörde, the Führerscheinstelle and the Familienkasse are common examples. Courts, notaries and some employers or universities can ask too. Find your situation in all our translation services.

Usually not. German offices want a translation by a translator authorised in Germany, and they cannot check translators from abroad. A translation made in Turkey, Ukraine or India, even with a notary stamp, is normally not enough.

That depends on the issuing country. The apostille or legalisation confirms the document; the sworn translation shows its content. Many offices want the apostille translated too. Country rules are in the next group of questions.

Send us the office's note or letter, so the translator sees exactly what it wants changed. If your office asks for a change to our translation, we correct it free of charge. You can reach us through the contact page.

Only if your office accepts electronic documents by upload or email. A digital sworn translation with a qualified electronic signature is valid only as a file, not as a printout. Read paper or digital before you choose.

Usually not. According to the German Embassy in Turkey, the multilingual extracts Formül A (birth), B (marriage) and C (death) need neither a translation nor an apostille. Other Turkish documents, such as the Nüfus Kayıt Örneği, need an apostille and a sworn translation.

Yes. Many Soviet-era Ukrainian documents are in Russian, and we translate both languages. Ukraine issues apostilles through its ministries, but not for documents issued in Crimea after 17 March 2014.

The office decides. The German Embassy in Beirut legalises extracts from the Syrian electronic civil register that the Syrian Foreign Ministry certified after 1 January 2012; appointments go through VFS Global. Otherwise German offices decide case by case. We translate the extract from Arabic either way.

Many Afghans use the Tazkira, often with an affidavit, instead. We translate the Tazkira or e-Tazkira from Dari or Pashto. Legalisation of Afghan documents is not possible, so the German office decides whether it accepts them.

Currently not. According to the German Embassy in Baghdad, legalisation of Iraqi documents is suspended, and German offices decide at their discretion. We translate the Unified National Card, nationality certificate and court documents from Arabic or Kurdish.

Usually yes. Germany and Russia are both parties to the Apostille Convention, and Russian justice authorities and civil registry offices (ZAGS) issue the apostille. Ask your office whether it needs one.

Germany does not accept Indian apostilles. When an office needs to check an Indian document, it asks the German mission in India for a verification, and you cannot start this yourself. Read the document verification guide.

No. A sworn translator writes names exactly as on your document. Names in Arabic, Cyrillic, Persian or Devanagari script are transliterated. If your passport spells a name differently, we add the passport spelling in a translator's note.

Birth and marriage certificates, civil registry extracts, divorce judgments, criminal record certificates, driving licences, diplomas and transcripts, ID documents like the Tazkira and many more. If your document is not listed, send it for a quote. Browse the documents we translate.

Turkish, Arabic, Kurdish (Kurmanji and Sorani), Dari, Pashto, Persian, Ukrainian, Russian, English, Hindi and other Indian languages. A document in two languages is translated in full, in one translation. See the Indian languages in detail.

The translator translates everything that can be read. Parts that cannot be read are marked, for example as "[illegible]", and are never guessed. Send the clearest scan you can when you get a quote.

Usually yes. Licences from Turkey, Russia, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and India cannot simply be exchanged: you need a theory and a practical test. Ukrainian licences follow special rules. Ask your Führerscheinstelle which translation it accepts and read about converting your driving licence.

Yes, for a move to the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, Ireland or New Zealand. These are certified translations by our own translators, not German sworn translations. See all countries we translate for.

Only the people who need them for your order: our team and the partner translator sworn by a German court. Your files are transferred encrypted. Our privacy policy lists every service provider and the legal basis.

We delete your document files 30 days after delivery. Invoice data is kept longer where the law requires it. The exact periods are in our privacy policy.

For documents, please use our encrypted upload form, so everything stays together with your order and reaches the translator directly. Chat and email are best for quick questions. Other ways to reach us are on the contact page.