CERTIFIED/SWORN TRANSLATIONS
As an expert appointed by the Court of Appeal of Bastia, I translate and certify documents from French into English. Certification is required when translating official documents intended to be transmitted to government authorities such as:
- Birth certificate
- Marriage certificate
- Divorce certificate
- Death certificate
- Degree & Diploma
- Contract
- Driving Licence
- Insurance certificate
- Bank statement
- Passport & ID card
- Other official documents
The translation is produced using either the original document or a certified true copy of the original document (“copie certifiée conforme”), which can be obtained free of charge from the town hall (“mairie”) in France. You must then send these originals to me by post to Bennett Translations, 48 Lotissement Campo Meta, 20600 Furiani, France. The originals must be stamped and signed by myself, then attached to the sworn translation.
If you cannot send me the original by post (for example if your deadline is too short), I can produce the translation using a high-quality (legible) scanned pdf copy of the document. In this case however, the translator’s declaration appended to the translation will specify that the original provided is a scanned document or photocopy. If you cannot send me the originals for any reason, please check that the intended recipient accepts non-certified copies.
LEGALISATIONS
In some cases, a certified translation of your documents is not sufficient. A process known as « légalisation » is sometimes required if the translation is intended to be transmitted to foreign authorities. Legalisation consists in authenticating the sworn translator’s signature. To do this, the translator is required to sign the certified translation in the presence of a notary public or at the town hall. The latter will add its stamp to the translation, thereby “legalising” the translator’s signature. This procedure must be undertaken by the sworn translator.
Apostilles
An Apostille is a certificate that authenticates the origin of a certified and legalised translation intended to be used in a country that is a party to the Hague Convention. The request must be submitted to the “apostille” office of the Court of appeal to which the person having signed the document is attached. The apostille request for the original document must therefore be sent to the Court of Appeal nearest the place of residence or registered office of the person having signed the original document. The apostille request for the translation must be sent to the Court of Appeal nearest the residence or registered office of the sworn translator.
I am able to carry out all necessary formalities to obtain the legalisation and apostille for my translations on request.
Do you need to translate an official document from French into English?
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