Translating a birth certificate: each country has its own rules

Within the EU: the multilingual standard form

Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 removes the translation requirement where a public document concerning birth «is accompanied, in accordance with the conditions set out in this Regulation, by a multilingual standard form, provided that the authority to which the public document is presented considers that the information included in the multilingual standard form is sufficient for processing the public document» (Article 6(1)(b)). The receiving authority decides.

Article 6(2) adds: «A certified translation carried out by a person qualified to do so under the law of a Member State shall be accepted in all Member States» — for the documents the Regulation covers.

Czech Republic: official translation for the register office

Under § 57(1) of Act No. 301/2000 Coll., documents issued by foreign authorities that serve as the basis for a register entry «předkládají s úředním překladem do českého jazyka» — are submitted with an official Czech translation, unless a multilingual standard form is part of the document.

Czech: Ověřený překlad rodného listu: na čem záleží

Germany: translation on request of the authority

Under § 23 VwVfG the authority asks for a translation of foreign-language documents; a certified one only on grounds: «In begründeten Fällen kann die Vorlage einer beglaubigten oder von einem öffentlich bestellten oder beeidigten Dolmetscher oder Übersetzer angefertigten Übersetzung verlangt werden.»

German: Geburtsurkunde übersetzen lassen: Worauf es ankommt

France: translation for legalisation

Décret n° 2024-87, art. 5: foreign public documents in another language must, to be legalised, be «accompagnés d'une traduction en français effectuée par un traducteur habilité» — a translator authorised in France, another EU or EEA state, Switzerland or the state of residence.

French: Traduire un acte de naissance : l’essentiel

Italy: certified translation or consulate

DPR 445/2000, art. 33(3): foreign documents in another language must carry «una traduzione in lingua italiana certificata conforme al testo straniero dalla competente rappresentanza diplomatica o consolare, ovvero da un traduttore ufficiale».

Italian: Tradurre un certificato di nascita: cosa conta

Poland: who translates for the civil registry

Art. 31(1) of the Polish civil-status act: foreign-language documents «przedkłada się z urzędowym tłumaczeniem na język polski» made by a Polish sworn translator, a sworn translator authorised in an EU or EEA state, or a consul.

Polish: Tłumaczenie aktu urodzenia: na co zwrócić uwagę

Slovakia: official translation, with one exception

Under § 37(2) of Act No. 154/1994 Coll., foreign documents for the register are submitted with a Slovak translation made under the translators act; «Povinnosť predložiť preklad do slovenského jazyka sa nevzťahuje na listiny podľa prvej vety vydané v Českej republike» — documents issued in the Czech Republic need no translation.

Slovak: Preklad rodného listu: čo hovorí zákon o matrikách

Same everywhere: the document itself

Whatever the country, we recommend translating every field — including empty ones, marked as such — and describing stamps and signatures where they appear. Names should match the person’s identity document; ask the receiving authority if the spellings differ.

Where Lingverra fits

Birth certificates are tables with a fixed structure. Lingverra reproduces the fields, keeps empty ones and describes the stamps; names, certificate and stamp stay with the translator.

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