Certified, sworn, notarized, apostille — the four are not interchangeable, and the office you are submitting to will accept only one of them. The lookup below finds your destination; the sections after it explain each term in full.
The four terms, briefly
In one line each. The full treatment of every term follows on this page.
- 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 drawn from published requirements and long practice. 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. |
What each term actually means
Certification
A certified translation is a translation accompanied by a signed statement from the translator or translation provider attesting that the translation is accurate and complete. At EnLatin, every certified translation includes the translator's credentials, a unique order number, and our contact information so the receiving authority can verify it.
Notarization
Notarization does not certify the quality of the translation. A notary public verifies the identity of the person who signed the certification statement and witnesses the signature. Some authorities require the translator's signature to be notarized; others do not.
Apostille
An apostille is an official certificate issued by a government authority under the Hague Apostille Convention. It authenticates the origin of a public document — such as a birth certificate, court order, or notarized signature — so that it can be recognized in another member country. An apostille is never issued by a translation company.
| What it proves | Who provides it | |
|---|---|---|
| Certification | The translation is accurate and complete. | EnLatin or a qualified translator |
| Notarization | The signature on the certification is genuine. | A notary public |
| Apostille | The public document or notarization is valid internationally. | A competent government authority |
Which one does your instruction ask for?
Look at what the receiving office actually wrote. That sentence decides everything, and the wording is more reliable than any general rule about countries.
| If your instructions say | You need | Because |
|---|---|---|
| "Sworn", traductor jurado, traduttore giurato, assermenté, beeidigt, yeminli | Sworn | The office wants a translator on its own national register. Nothing else substitutes, however well translated. |
| "Certified", "official translation", "translation with a statement of accuracy", "certificate of accuracy" | Certified | Three names for one deliverable: a complete rendering with a signed statement attesting to its accuracy and the translator's competence. |
| Nothing — the document is for reading, negotiating, or internal review | Uncertified professional translation | Nobody is attesting to anything, so you are paying only for the translation. Priced per word and the cheapest of the three. |
| "Notarised" or "apostilled" | Certified, plus a separate step you obtain elsewhere | Neither is a translation service. A notary attests to a signature; an apostille authenticates the original and comes from a government authority. |
If the letter is ambiguous — and consular instructions often are — send it to us. We read these every week and will tell you what the office means before you order anything.
Sworn vs. certified: where they actually differ
Both carry a signed statement of accuracy, both name the person responsible, both are produced to the same standard of care. Listing those as differences would be padding. What genuinely separates them is this:
| Question | Certified | Sworn |
|---|---|---|
| Who may produce it | Any competent translator. No licence exists in most countries, which is why who signs matters more than any badge. | Only a translator appointed by a court or ministry and entered on its register, under a number. |
| Where its authority comes from | The completeness and accuracy of the work, attested by a named philologist who can be held to it. | The appointment itself. The authority is conferred by the institution, not earned by the document. |
| Does it cross borders | Generally yes. A certified translation is judged on its contents wherever it is read. | No. The appointment is national, so a Spanish jurado translation has no standing before an Italian court. |
| Who asks for it | Universities, employers, credential evaluators, registries, immigration authorities including USCIS — the great majority of destinations. | Courts and certain ministries in civil-law jurisdictions: Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Poland, Türkiye, much of Latin America. |
| How long it takes | Most documents within a few hours, up to a day. Same-day available at checkout. | Longer, and not fully within anyone's control: it depends on an appointed translator's availability and, in Italy, on a court appointment for each document. |
| Who provides it here | EnLatin directly, with three readers and a verifiable order code. | Placed with an appointed translator in the destination jurisdiction. The register appointment your authority requires, confirmed before anything begins. |
The third option nobody mentions
Certification exists so that a stranger can rely on a translation. If no stranger will — you are reading a contract before signing, reviewing a counterparty's papers, working through a document in a language you do not have — then you are paying for an attestation nobody will read.
Uncertified professional translation is the same philologists doing the same work without the certification apparatus, priced per word rather than per page. We will tell you when it is the right answer, even though it is the cheaper one.
When you need each one
- Certified translation alone is enough for most university admissions, immigration applications, and general official use.
- Notarized translation may be required when an authority wants the translator's signature verified by a notary.
- Apostille is required when a document from one Hague Convention country must be used in another Hague Convention country. It usually applies to the original document or to a notarized copy, not to the translation itself.
Common sequence: translate the document → certify the translation → notarize the signature if required → obtain an apostille on the original or notarized document if required.
Digital apostilles
A growing number of authorities now issue apostilles electronically — a PDF carrying a digital signature and a QR code or reference number that the receiving side checks against a public register, rather than a stamped sheet attached to paper. They travel as files and they are verified by lookup, not by inspection.
Two things follow for translation. The certificate carries text of its own — issuing authority, register reference, date, the Convention's French heading Apostille (Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961) — and where a receiving office asks for the whole file translated, that text is translated with it. And the verification link or reference is carried into our translation unaltered, so the receiving office can still check the original at its source. We have handled both forms, paper and digital, for many years.
What EnLatin provides
- Certified translation with a signed statement of accuracy and unique order-linked verification.
- Sworn translation, placed with a translator appointed in the destination jurisdiction, for authorities that will not accept a certification statement alone. Certified translation is accepted by most authorities; if yours specifically requires sworn, tell us and we will say so plainly rather than sell you something else.
- Clear guidance on whether your receiving authority is likely to require notarization or apostille, based on the document type and destination country.
- Secure handling and human review for every document.
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.
What you can count on
That any of these levels guarantees acceptance. Institutions set their own rules and change them, sometimes by department. What we can promise is that the translation will not be the reason for a refusal — and that if it is, we correct it or refund you.
That you need the more expensive one. If your instructions say certified, we will not sell you sworn; if they say nothing at all, we will ask what the document is for before taking your money. We also do not issue apostilles, and we do not recommend paying for notarization or apostille services unless your receiving authority actually requires them.
If you are unsure what you need, contact the receiving authority directly or send us their requirements. We will tell you honestly whether our standard certification is sufficient.
Before you order
- Send the instruction letter, or the page on the authority's website stating the requirement. Its wording answers the question.
- Name the country and the specific office — not "for Spain" but which consulate, court, or registry.
- Send the complete document: every page, stamp, seal and marginal note, including anything printed on the reverse. A clear scan of the original is enough.
- If sworn turns out to be required, allow longer than for certified work.
- If an apostille is required, plan extra time to obtain it from the relevant government office in the country that issued the document — usually before translation rather than after.
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 notarization or an apostille as well as a translation?
Only if the receiving authority asks for one. Some accept certified translation alone; some require the translator's signature to be notarized; some require an apostille on the original document or on the notarized translation. An apostille is needed only when the destination country is party to the Hague Convention and the office asks for one — it 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. Always confirm with the receiving authority before ordering.
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.
Is sworn better than certified?
No — it is different, not higher. Sworn confers legal standing before a particular institution; certified attests to accuracy and completeness. Where an office wants certified, a sworn translation is not "extra safe", merely slower and dearer. Where an office wants sworn, the finest certified translation in the world is refused.
Can EnLatin provide both?
Certified we produce ourselves — rendered by a specialist, checked by a reviser, certified by a senior philologist. Sworn we place with a translator appointed in the destination jurisdiction, because the appointment belongs to the destination jurisdiction's own register. Either way we confirm which you need before anything begins.
Will a certified translation be accepted abroad?
In most places, yes: certified translation is the international default, and it is what USCIS, universities and credential evaluators require. The exceptions are the civil-law courts and ministries listed above. Tell us the destination and we will say which you are dealing with.
I have been asked for a "notarised translation". Which is that?
Usually certified, plus a notary's attestation of the signature — and often it is not needed at all. USCIS does not require notarisation, and neither do most consulates. A notary confirms who signed, not whether the translation is right. Send us what you were told and we will tell you what it actually means.
Does EnLatin provide apostilles?
No. Apostilles are issued by designated government authorities, never by a translation company — anyone offering to sell you one is selling an intermediary service, not the certificate. EnLatin provides certified and sworn translation. If your receiving authority requires an apostille, you obtain it from the competent authority in the country that issued the document, usually before translation rather than after.
What does EnLatin's certification include?
Every EnLatin certified translation includes a signed statement of accuracy, translator credentials, and a unique order number that allows the receiving institution to verify the translation with us directly.
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.
Read next
EnLatin is certified to ISO 17100:2015 for translation services (TÜV SÜD, certificate No. 9931000357) and to ISO/IEC 27001:2022 for information security management (TÜV NORD, certificate No. 44121231258).
Send the letter, not the guesswork.
Forward what the office told you, with the document, and you will have a straight answer about which level you need before you order. salve@enlatin.net