Sworn Translation Services

Moving to Spain, marrying in Italy, applying for Italian citizenship or registering a company in Germany usually comes with the same request from the local authority, a sworn translation. If you live in the UK or the US, that request is harder than it sounds, because neither country has sworn translators. PoliLingua provides sworn translation services by translators officially appointed in the country where you will submit your documents, with offices in London, Madrid, Milan, Berlin and Paris. We check your documents before translating them, handle the apostille when it is needed, and deliver a sworn translation in the exact format the receiving authority expects.

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Why a UK or US Translation Is Usually Not Enough

If you are looking for a sworn translator in the UK or the US, you will not find one in the strict sense. Both are common-law countries, and as the Institute of Translation and Interpreting puts it, in the UK "there is no such thing as a sworn translator". UK and US authorities accept certified translations, sometimes with notarization. Civil-law countries such as Spain, Italy, France and Germany work differently, their public offices recognize translations by translators sworn or appointed under their own law. A certified or notarised translation made in London or New York is often refused there, and notarization does not turn it into a sworn translation. The safest route is a translation produced by a sworn translator of the destination country, which is exactly what we provide.

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Before Translating, Three Checks That Prevent Rejection

Before we prepare your quote, we check the three points where applications to consulates, town halls, civil registries and immigration offices most often stall.

Check	The Rule	What Happens if it is Wrong
1. Apostille first	UK documents are apostilled by the FCDO Legalisation Office, and US documents by the Secretary of State of the issuing state or the US Department of State. The apostille goes on the original document before translation. Whether the apostille itself must be translated depends on the receiving office.	A translation made before the apostille may not be accepted and may have to be redone
2. Issue date	Many authorities only accept recent certificates, especially criminal record checks such as an ACRO Police Certificate or an FBI Identity History Summary.	An expired certificate has to be reissued, apostilled and translated again
3. Names and details	A sworn translator reproduces names, dates and numbers exactly as they appear in each original, even when spellings differ between documents.	Differences cannot be corrected in the translation and must be explained with supporting documents

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Sworn Translation Requirements by Country

Each country has its own sworn translator system and its own delivery format. The table shows how we prepare sworn translations for the destinations our clients ask for most.

Destination	Who can Produce the Translation	What we Provide
Spain	A sworn translator-interpreter (traductor jurado) appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since March 2025, sworn translations can also be signed with a qualified electronic signature.	Traducción jurada by MAEC-appointed translators, as a digitally signed PDF or on paper
Italy	A translator who swears the translation before an Italian court clerk or notary (asseverazione). For applications filed at an Italian consulate abroad, the consulate checks the translation itself.	Traduzione giurata sworn at the competent Italian court, with the paper original sent by courier
Germany	A translator sworn or authorized by a German regional court (beeidigter or ermächtigter Übersetzer). Each authority decides whether to accept translations made abroad.	Beglaubigte Übersetzung by translators authorized in Germany
France	A sworn translator registered with a French court of appeal (traducteur assermenté).	Traduction assermentée by court-registered translators
United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia	No sworn translator system. Authorities accept certified translations, sometimes notarized.	Certified translation, or a US immigration translation

Ask us which format your authority accepts

Sworn Translations for Moving to Spain

Residence permits, non-lucrative and digital nomad visas, family reunification, Spanish nationality and marriage at a Spanish civil registry all require foreign documents in Spanish, translated by a sworn translator appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We translate police certificates, birth and marriage certificates, bank statements, pension and payroll documents, degree certificates and powers of attorney for property purchases. You receive the sworn translation as a PDF with a qualified electronic signature, ready to upload to Spanish online portals, and on paper with stamp and wet signature when the office requires the original.

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Sworn Translations for Italian Citizenship and Life in Italy

For Italian citizenship by descent or by marriage, residence permits, marriage in Italy and the recognition of qualifications, Italian offices require documents in Italian with a sworn translation, known as traduzione giurata or asseverata. Since Decree-Law 36/2025, converted into Law 74/2025, citizenship by descent is limited to applicants with a parent or grandparent who held exclusively Italian citizenship, so complete and consistent document chains matter more than ever. If you file through an Italian consulate abroad, the consulate checks the translations itself, and the Italian Consulate in Manchester, for example, sets its own rules for UK documents. If you file in Italy, we have the translation sworn at the competent Italian court and send you the complete file. Our guide to Italian document translation covers the most common cases.

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Sworn Translations for Germany, France and Other Civil-Law Countries

For marriage registration, residence, recognition of professional qualifications and company formation in Germany and France, we provide translations by translators sworn or authorized in those countries. We also handle sworn translations for other civil-law jurisdictions across Europe, where public offices rely on translators appointed by their own courts or ministries. Before starting, we confirm with you which format the receiving authority expects. For general business and personal documents in these languages, see our German translation and French translation services.

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Sworn Translations for Courts, Property and Inheritance Abroad

Buying property, settling an estate or taking part in court proceedings in Spain, Italy, France or Germany often involves English-language powers of attorney, wills, grants of probate, company documents and court orders. These usually need notarization and an apostille in the UK or US first, followed by a translation from a sworn translator of the destination country. We coordinate the full sequence with your solicitor or notary, using translators specialized in legal translation, and plan delivery around your completion or filing date.

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Sworn Translation Prices

Document up to 3 pages	Approximately €160, including translation, review and sworn certification in the destination country
Urgent service	+20% on the standard price
Longer documents and full files	Custom quote

Sworn translations are produced and certified in the European country where you will use them, so we price them in euros. Most personal documents, such as birth and marriage certificates, police certificates, passports and diplomas, fall within the price for documents up to three pages. Apostille, legalization and courier delivery of paper originals are added only when needed. The price can vary with the destination country, the language pair, complex layouts and multi-document files such as citizenship chains, and your free quote, sent within 15 minutes, shows the exact amount.

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How Our Sworn Translation Service Works

Upload a clear scan of each document through the form on this page or our client portal, and tell us the destination country and the receiving authority. We check the apostille, dates and names, and within 15 minutes during business hours you receive a quote with the delivery date. A sworn translator appointed in the destination country translates the document, a second linguist reviews it under ISO 17100, and the translation is certified in the format required locally: a digitally signed PDF for Spain, a court-sworn paper file for Italy, or a stamped paper translation for Germany and France. Short documents such as birth or marriage certificates are often ready within 24 to 48 hours, longer files within two to five business days, and urgent service is available for a 20% surcharge. Courier delivery of paper originals is added to the translation time.

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Sworn Translations for Law Firms, Relocation Agencies and HR Teams

Law firms, notaries, relocation and immigration consultants and HR teams managing international transfers get a dedicated account manager, a client portal with the full history of every translation, periodic invoicing and agreed rates. We handle translation, sworn certification, apostille and delivery in a single order, with names and terminology kept identical across every document in a case file.

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Why Choose PoliLingua for Sworn Translation

Since 2002 PoliLingua has served private and corporate clients in more than 80 countries, with offices in London, Madrid, Milan, Berlin and Paris. Our process is certified to ISO 17100:2015, and we are members of ELIA, the ATC and the ATA. Our Cyber Essentials certification covers the security measures we use for passports, certificates and financial records in line with GDPR. Every sworn translation is covered by our acceptance guarantee: if the receiving authority rejects it for a reason attributable to us, we correct and reissue it at no cost.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The cost of sworn translation services varies depending on the country in which the sworn translator is registered, the document type, language pair, and length. Sworn translations are typically priced per page or per word. PoliLingua's sworn translation services offer competitive rates with transparent pricing, contact our team for a tailored quote based on your specific document and target jurisdiction. Factors such as urgency and notarisation requirements can also affect pricing. We provide fast quotations and can advise on the full cost of your sworn translation, including any ancillary services such as apostille processing if required.

Sworn translations can be delivered digitally as certified PDF documents or as physical originals by post, depending on the requirements of the receiving authority. At PoliLingua, we offer both digital and physical delivery of sworn translation services. For most immigration and official purposes, a digitally certified document is accepted, however, some courts or authorities in certain jurisdictions require a physical original with the sworn translator's stamp and wet signature. Our team will advise you on the delivery format required for your specific use case and country. Fast turnaround and tracked delivery are available for urgent sworn translation requests.

A sworn translation itself does not technically expire, it is a fixed translation of a document at a specific point in time. However, many receiving authorities impose their own validity periods, typically requiring sworn translations to have been completed within the past 12 months for official submissions. If the original document is updated or reissued, a new sworn translation will be required. We recommend checking with the authority or institution to which you are submitting your documents to confirm their specific validity requirements. Our sworn translation services team can advise on best practice for your jurisdiction and purpose.

Sworn translations are jurisdiction-specific, a translation sworn before an authorised translator in one country may not be automatically accepted in another. Each country has its own rules about which translators are authorised to produce legally valid sworn translations. For documents intended for use across multiple jurisdictions, PoliLingua recommends notarisation or apostille alongside the sworn translation to increase international acceptance. Our sworn translation services team can advise on the appropriate level of certification for each target country and help coordinate any additional legalisation steps required for your documents to be internationally valid.

Standard Sworn translation services at PoliLingua are typically completed within 2–5 business days, depending on document length, language pair, and the availability of the authorised sworn translator. Short documents such as birth certificates or marriage certificates can often be delivered within 24–48 hours. For urgent requests, express Sworn translation services may be available at an additional cost. Physical delivery by post will add transit time on top of the translation turnaround. Contact us with your document details and required delivery date, and we will confirm the fastest available turnaround for your Sworn translation.

A sworn translation is required when an official body, such as a court, government ministry, immigration authority, or notary, demands that a translated document carries the legal authority of a qualified, authorised translator. Common use cases include immigration applications, court proceedings, marriage abroad, academic credential recognition, and business registrations in foreign jurisdictions. Requirements differ by country, some mandate Sworn translations only from translators registered with their courts, while others accept certified translations. PoliLingua's Sworn translation services team can advise whether a Sworn, certified, or notarised translation is appropriate for your specific situation.

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Request a Quote UK: +44 20 3807 5500