Certified, sworn, notarized, apostille — the four are not interchangeable, and the office you are submitting to will accept only one of them. This page is the lookup: find your destination, see what it takes.
The four terms, briefly
In one line each. The full explanation of how they differ is here.
- Certified — a signed statement that the translation is complete and accurate. The standard for USCIS, UK Visas and Immigration, and most universities.
- Sworn — made by a translator registered with a court or ministry. Required where the translator’s oath itself carries legal weight.
- Notarized — a notary attests that the signature on the certification is genuine. It says nothing about the translation’s quality.
- Apostille — a government certificate authenticating a public document for use abroad. It attaches to the original, not to the translation.
By receiving authority
What follows is a guide, not a guarantee. Individual offices set their own practice and change it without notice — which is why we ask which office yours is before you order, and tell you if the answer differs from the row below.
| Receiving authority | Usually requires | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| USCIS and United States immigration | Certified | A complete translation with the translator’s signed statement of accuracy and competence. Notarization is not required, and paying for one buys nothing. |
| United States courts and state agencies | Certified, sometimes notarized | Practice varies by state and by court. Some clerks ask for the translator’s signature to be notarized; the federal immigration standard does not. |
| UK Visas and Immigration | Certified | Must carry the translator’s credentials, contact details, the date, and confirmation that it is a true rendering of the original. |
| IRCC — Canadian immigration | Certified, by an accredited translator | Where the translator is not certified by a provincial body, IRCC expects an affidavit sworn before a commissioner of oaths. |
| Universities and admissions offices | Certified | A signed certificate of accuracy is the norm. Some ask that the translation be sent directly rather than through the applicant. |
| Credential evaluators (WES, ECE and similar) | Certified, literal, complete | Evaluators publish their own formatting rules — word-for-word, matching the original’s layout, no interpretation of grades. We prepare to those published requirements. |
| Greek courts and ministries | Sworn, or certified for administrative use | Legal proceedings generally expect a sworn rendering; registries and administrative filings often accept certified. |
| Turkish courts, notaries and ministries | Sworn (yeminli) | Must be produced by a translator sworn before a Turkish notary, and is frequently followed by notarial approval (noter onayı). |
| German authorities and courts | Sworn (beglaubigte Übersetzung) | Made by a court-appointed beeidigter or vereidigter Übersetzer. A certified translation without that appointment is generally refused for registry and court use. |
| Italian courts and comuni | Sworn (traduzione giurata) | Sworn before a court clerk or notary, a procedure called asseverazione. Consular filings may additionally require a dichiarazione di valore. |
| Spanish authorities | Sworn (traductor jurado) | Only translators appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs may certify for official use in Spain. |
| French authorities | Sworn (traducteur assermenté) | Made by a translator listed with a Cour d’appel. |
| Consulates and embassies | Varies — ask before ordering | The consulate of a country often requires that country’s form of certification, regardless of where you are submitting from. |
| Any Hague Convention destination | Certification plus apostille | The apostille authenticates the original public document, not the translation. Obtain it in the country that issued the document, usually before translating. |
If your office is not on the list
Send us the requirement exactly as the office worded it — a screenshot of the page, a line from a letter, whatever you were given. We will tell you which certification it names and whether anything further is needed, before you order and before you pay for a step you do not need.
Frequently asked questions
The office just said "official translation". What does that mean?
In almost every case, a certified translation. "Official", "certified", and "translation with a certificate of accuracy" name the same deliverable in ordinary administrative use. Where an office means something stricter it says so explicitly — sworn, court-appointed, jurado, giurata, assermenté, yeminli, beeidigt. If the wording is bare, certified is what is wanted.
Do I need an apostille as well as a translation?
Only if the destination country is party to the Hague Convention and the receiving office asks for one. The apostille authenticates the original document rather than the translation, and it is issued by the competent authority in the country where the document was issued — never by a translation company. The distinction is set out here.
Can a certified translation be used where a sworn one is required?
No — and this is the substitution that costs people time. A sworn requirement is about the translator’s legal standing before a court or ministry, not about the quality of the work. If your office named sworn, tell us the country and we will say plainly whether we can arrange it.
The requirements changed between when I asked and when I submitted.
It happens, and it is why this page is a guide rather than a promise. If an office has changed what it accepts and our translation no longer fits the new form, send us its written reason within thirty days and we will correct it at no charge or refund the order.