FAQS

The following information has been verified and cross-checked whenever possible. Please let us know about any corrections, suggestions or additional information you find useful.

1. What documents require an official or certified translation?
2. What is a certified translation?
3. What is an accredited translator?
4.What is a sworn translation?
5. What's the difference between a French notaire and a U.S. notary public?
6. Will my translated document need to be notarized?
7. What is an apostille?
8. How to get an apostille?
9. What is the legalization of a signature?
10. How do you register a divorce in France?
11. Do you translate grade transcripts & diplomas?
12. Do you provide any student assistance?

1. What documents require a certified translation?

Vital records (birth, marriage, death, nationality certificates), criminal records, judicial acts (judgments of adoption, divorce, name change), affidavits, written declarations and documents registered or deposited in legal courts, diplomas and grade transcripts, driver licenses, documents from French notaires such as powers of attorney and sales agreements, patents and many other legal or official documents require a certified translation.

 

2. What is a certified translation?

In the US, a certified translation is a translation which is followed by a statement of completeness and accuracy (called an Affidavit of Accuracy or Translator's Certification) signed by the translator along with his or her contact information. If requested, it can be signed before a notary public. The notary seal assures that the signature is that of the person whose name is listed as the translator and who has appeared before the notary. As accredited translators of the French Consulate, our certified translations fulfill requirements both in the US and France.

Please note that official translations of documents to be produced in France must be done by a translator accredited by the French Consulate.

 

3. What is an accredited translator?

Unlike many other countries, in the United States there is no federal or state licensing, certification or accreditation for translators. A translator accredited by the French Consulate is a translator chosen for his/her competence and experience (see the list of the accredited translators under Useful Information / Translators on the website of the French Consulate in New York at http://www.consulfrance-newyork.org/spip.php?article756 ).

The Consulate expects this translator to provide accurate and complete translations true to the original documents submitted. The translation is followed by an affidavit or certification stating that the translator knows the source and target languages, and that the translation is complete, accurate and true to the original to the best of his/her knowledge. The translation is printed on paper with a header and footer providing the address and contact information of the translator and must bear his/her stamp. This meets the requirements of the U.S. State Department for visa, immigration and citizenship purposes, university application requirements, and for use in legal proceedings. Unless it is specifically requested, the translation does not need to be notarized by a notary public.

Please note that all official translations of documents to be produced in France must be done by a translator accredited by the French Consulate or a sworn translator in France.

4. What is a sworn translation?

A sworn translation (traduction assermenté) is done by a sworn translator. In France, the title of sworn translator is protected by law and can be used only by translators registered on a list drawn up by the Cour de cassation (highest court in France) or a Cour d'appel (court of appeals).

Outside of France, French translations, which would be done by a sworn translator in France, are done by a translator accredited by a French Consulate.

 

5. What's the difference between a French notaire and an U.S. notary public?

The legal training and authority of a notaire in France and a notary public in the United States are quite different. A notaire is part of the French legal system. Notaires follow legal studies much like American lawyers do. They receive and draft legal instruments, contracts, and other important documents to give them the official weight that is often required by the receiving party.

In the United States, many lawyers are also notaries but few notaries are lawyers. Notaries public have a more limited role than the French notaires. They administer oaths, attest to the authenticity of signatures and perform certain other acts varying from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Most banks, county offices, insurance companies, and credit unions have a notary public on staff.

 

6. Will my document need to be notarized?

That will depend on the type of document and the party and location of the person to whom the document will be presented. If a notarization is required, it is usually specified by the requesting party. Should you need or wish a notarization of our signature, we can have it done for a reasonable charge. Please note that the notary’s seal assures only that the signature is that of the translator as stated in the translator’s certification. Since a copy of our stamp and signature have been deposited at the French Consulate, our French translations do not need to be notarized.

 

7. What is an apostille?

In the United States, France, and sixty-seven other signatory countries of the Hague Convention, legalization is accomplished by apostillation, which is meant to be a “simplified" certification procedure for public documents. Under the Hague Convention, signatory countries have agreed to recognize public documents issued by other signatory countries if those public documents are accompanied by an internationally recognized form of authentication known as an "apostille". The apostille ensures that public documents issued in one signatory country will be recognized as valid in another signatory country.

The sole function of the apostille is to certify the authenticity of the signature on the document, the capacity in which the person signing the document acted and the identity of any stamp or seal affixed to the document. The Convention applies only to public documents: documents emanating from an authority or official connected with a court or tribunal of the State, diplomas issued by public institutions, administrative documents and notarial acts.

U.S. vital records (birth, marriage, death) submitted to the French Consulate to be transcribed and registered, must be accompanied by an apostille. The apostillation of a judgment of divorce or a will is often requested by French notaires.

An apostille is issued by the Secretary of State. It is a one page document embossed with a seal and showing the facsimile signature of the official issuing the certificate. (For more information see Useful Links - Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement for Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents)

 

8. How to get an apostille?

The procedure for getting an apostille varies depending on the document and the state or county of issue. The four offices involved, the Bureau of Vital Records, the Marriage Bureau, the County Clerk's Office and the New York Department of State accept walk-ins and provide service by mail. To obtain an apostille for a birth or a death certificate in New York (all five boroughs), you must first request a long form copy of the vital record with a letter of exemplification. ( Application for a Birth Record)( Application for a Death Record). See sample: ( Letter of Exemplification for New York).

You then bring or send the document to the County Clerk's Office where the signatures are verified. Finally, go (or mail the document) to the Department of State where the apostille is issued for a fee of $10. For an apostille of a marriage certificate, you must obtain a certified copy of the vital record with an original signature of the City Clerk, then bring or send the document to the County Clerk's Office where the signatures are verified. These different offices are walking distance from each other.

The whole process can be time consuming. We can handle the process for you for a reasonable fee. If you choose to do it yourself, see a summary of the procedure ( Obtaining an Apostille).

 

9. What is the legalization of a signature?

We are sometimes asked to have the signature affixed on our translation legalized by the French Consulate. The Consulate, in view of our stamp and signature, will add its stamps and the signature of the delegated consular official. If you are a French citizen registered with the French Consulate, the fee is around $14.00, if you are not registered at the Consulate, the fee is $28.00 (fees fluctuate based on dollar-euro exchange rate). If you would like to have the signature on a translation legalized but cannot get to Manhattan, we can do it for you for a very reasonable charge. This process is sometimes done for translations that are to be used in France, and is often requested by a French notaire.

 

10. Registration of a Judgment of Divorce

When one party in a U.S.-granted divorce is a French citizen, the divorce must be registered and officially recognized in France as well. The Consulate General of France may not register a second marriage until the divorce has been registered and mentioned in the margin of the birth and marriage certificate. To do so, the parties must obtain a certified translation of the divorce and a translation of the Certificate of Non Appeal, also called “Certificate of Divorce Absolute or Search Certificate. The Certificate of Non Appeal stipulates that the divorce is irrevocable and that the time for filing notice of appeal has expired. This document is issued for a $5 fee at the court clerk's office where the judgment of divorce took place. (  County of N.Y. specimen: Search Certificate or Certificate of Non-Appeal). You may obtain this document at the county clerk's office in the county were the judgment was filed:

This document can also be obtained from a lawyer.

Many of our clients, who called the Superior Court of New Jersey (609-292 4822) to ask for a certificate of non-appeal, were told that such a document does not exist. This document does exist. It is delivered by the Appealant Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey (see  New Jersey Certificate of Non-Appeal). You can obtain this document by mail. Write a letter requesting it, include a self-addressed stamped envelop or your return address, attach a copy of your judgment of divorce, along with a $5.00 check payable to the Treasurer of the State of New Jersey to the following address:

Attn John Grant
Superior Court of New Jersey
Appellant Division
P.O Box 006
Trenton NJ 08625

Once again remember that your divorce attorney can write a short letter stating that no appeal was filed.

These documents, along with a  Letter of request to the Procureur de la République (in French) must be sent to one of the following adresses:

If the marriage took place in the US or outside of France:

Monsieur Le Procureur de la République
Tribunal de Grande Instance de Nantes,
Quai François Mitterrand
44921 NANTES Cedex 9
France

If the marriage took place in France:

 

Monsieur Le Procureur de la République
Près le Tribunal de Grande Instance de .......
(Fill in the jurisdiction where the marriage took place and find the address at the following link: Tribunal de Grande Instance in France)

 

11. Grade Transcripts & Diplomas

We translate grade transcripts and diplomas for American students applying to schools in France and French students applying in the US. Contact us for free estimates and look at the following information for FAQ no.12 regarding student assistance.

France has no universally applicable system for determining the equivalence of French and foreign diplomas. Each French institution sets its own admission requirements, and makes its decision regarding the value of the student’s American diploma on a case-by-case basis. Typically a student is admitted if prior academic work has sufficiently prepared him/her for the demands of the program to which he/she seeks admission. In Europe, recognition of degrees and diplomas is assured through a common credit system known as the European Credit Transfer System, or ECTS. The uniformization of the European higher education system (LMD) should make comparisons easier. Please note that not all French institutions have adjusted yet to the European system. They will be in compliance by 2010.

 See our table French and American Degree Studies

 

12. Student Assistance

If you are a bilingual student on a limited budget, you can do your own translation. Follow the layout of the original document, submit the originals in pdf or fax them along with your e-mailed translation in a Word doc. We will edit and proof your translation, print it on our letterhead and certify it. This will save you money. When you pick up the translation, you will be asked to show us the original transcripts and diplomas for comparison purposes.

Planning to Study Abroad? See Useful Links, Education