Apostille and Sworn
Translation

An apostille is a certificate attached to a public document so it can be used in another country without consular legalisation. Under the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 it certifies three things: the authenticity of the signature, the capacity in which the person signing the document has acted, and the identity of the seal or stamp which the document bears. That is the complete list. It says nothing at all about whether the contents of the document are accurate or true.

No. They are two separate things, and this is the single most common misunderstanding we are called about. The authenticating office authenticates a signature and seal; it does not translate. The California Secretary of State states the point directly in its own Apostille guidance: "The Apostille does not validate the contents of the document." Asked whether it provides certified translations, the same guidance answers no and suggests consulting the American Translators Association. So if the receiving authority abroad needs the document in its language, you need a certified translation alongside the apostille.

The Convention applies to public documents executed in a contracting state, which it describes as documents emanating from an authority or official connected with the courts, administrative documents, notarial acts, and official certificates placed on documents signed privately. It expressly does not apply to documents executed by diplomatic or consular agents, or to administrative documents dealing directly with commercial or customs operations. A private contract is not a public document by itself, which is why a notarial act is often what gets apostilled rather than the agreement.

It is a difference between legal systems rather than a difference in quality. Many civil-law countries appoint sworn translators who are authorised by a court or ministry and whose seal carries official status in that country. The United States has no federal sworn-translator register, so the American equivalent is a certified translation: a complete translation delivered with a signed certificate of accuracy naming the translator. When a foreign authority asks for a sworn translation, tell us which country is receiving it, because sometimes the answer is a certified translation plus notarisation and sometimes the document genuinely has to be translated in the destination country by one of its own sworn translators. We will tell you which, rather than sell you a file that gets rejected.

Yes, and the two pieces answer different questions. The apostille shows that the foreign signature and seal are genuine; it says nothing about the language. The translation requirement comes from the court's own rules. For motions in California civil cases, Rule 3.1110(g) of the California Rules of Court says: "Exhibits written in a foreign language must be accompanied by an English translation, certified under oath by a qualified interpreter." So a foreign judgment, civil record or corporate document offered as an exhibit goes into the court filing with a sworn English translation that covers the document and its apostille together. When the document is going into a court record here rather than abroad, our certified legal translation page covers the court side in more detail.

Usually the apostille goes on the original public document first, and the translation then covers the document and the apostille together, so the receiving authority can read both. It is not universal: some authorities want the translation attached and notarised before authentication. Tell us who is receiving the file and what they asked for in writing, and we will lay out the order before any work starts rather than after.

No, and anybody who says otherwise is describing a courier service rather than a legal one. Only a competent authority can issue an apostille, which in the United States means the Secretary of State of the state that issued the document, or the federal Department of State for federal documents. We prepare the certified translation and tell you which office is the right one for your document, so you are not sending a county-issued record to the wrong desk.

Then the apostille route is not available and the document goes through consular legalisation instead, the older process in which the destination country's diplomatic or consular agents certify the signature and seal. The Convention exists precisely to remove that step between its own contracting states, so where one side is not a party the step comes back. The translation requirement is usually stricter on this route, so confirm the consulate's wording before the file is prepared.

Over 200, with the highest volume into and out of Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Arabic, Korean, Armenian, Farsi, Russian, French, German, Italian and Japanese. See document translation for the wider service, and certified legal translation when the document is going into a court record rather than abroad. Documents coming the other way, such as apostilled court and civil records from Ukraine or Romania, are covered on our certified Ukrainian translation and Romanian translation pages.

Quoted per document rather than from a published rate, because the language, the length, the certification format and the receiving authority all change it, and confirmed in writing before any work begins. Request a quote or call (833) 547-7770.