At a glance
The table answers two questions per country: who certifies the translation, and whether a law or an official instruction fixes the wording of the statement. Details, sample wording and primary sources are in the guide for each country below.
| Country | Who certifies | Prescribed wording? |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | Generally sworn and court-certified interpreter (§ 190 AußStrG) | No fixed wording; date, signature and round seal are mandatory |
| Belgium | Sworn translator with a VTI number | Yes — Art. 555/11 § 4 Judicial Code and circular 292, six elements in fixed order |
| Czech Republic | Court translator (Act 354/2019) | No fixed wording; Decree 506/2020 sets the required contents |
| France | Expert Translator on a court of appeal or Cour de cassation list | No; the wording is free but must attest conformity |
| Germany | Translator authorised or publicly appointed under state law | No federal wording (§ 142(3) ZPO sets minimum form); Bavaria and NRW prescribe one |
| Hungary | OFFI; qualified translators only for company extracts | Not covered in the article |
| Italy | Any translator who swears before the court clerk | No written formula; the sworn statement (verbale) gives the translation official value |
| Liechtenstein | Translator admitted by the Government | No; the title to be used is set by law |
| Luxembourg | Sworn translator appointed by the Minister of Justice | No |
| Netherlands | Sworn translator in the Rbtv register | No; the Quality Institute Wbtv gives a recommendation |
| Poland | Sworn translator | No fixed wording; repertory number and source document are mandatory (Art. 18) |
| Portugal | Notary, lawyer, solicitor, registrar or chamber of commerce certifies | No fixed wording; Art. 172 Notarial Code requires a declaration of faithful translation |
| Romania | Translator authorised by the Ministry of Justice | Yes for notarial use — Art. 320(1) of the Notarial Regulation |
| Slovakia | Translator in the Ministry of Justice list | Yes — contents set by Act 382/2004, text in Annex 9 of Decree 228/2018 |
| Spain | Sworn Translator appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Yes — model in Annex I of Royal Decree 724/2020 |
| Switzerland | No federal status; Geneva has sworn translators (LTJ); in Ticino a notary authenticates the translator’s signature (LN art. 68) | No; in Geneva seal and initials on every page |
| Ukraine | Notary certifies the translator’s signature or the translation itself | No |
| United Kingdom | Any translator; GOV.UK lists what to confirm | No statutory wording; true and accurate, date, name and contact details |
| Ireland | Any translator; Immigration Service Delivery rules | No fixed wording; four required elements |
| United States (USCIS) | Any competent translator; no notarisation required | No fixed wording; 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) requires two statements |
| Canada (IRCC) | Member of a professional translation association, or affidavit | No fixed wording; stamp with membership number or affidavit |
| Australia (Home Affairs) | NAATI in Australia; any qualified translator outside | No; translator details and qualification required |
| New Zealand (INZ) | Person competent in both languages, independent of the applicant | No fixed wording; six conditions in A13.5 |
Guides by country
Austria — Beglaubigungsvermerk: Muster und Pflichtangaben (German)
Belgium — formule de traduction jurée (French)
Belgium — waarmerkingsformule (Dutch)
Czech Republic — překladatelská doložka: vzor (Czech)
France — traduction certifiée : mentions et formule (French)
Germany — Bestätigungsvermerk nach Landesrecht (German)
Hungary — a hiteles fordítás szabályai (Hungarian)
Italy — asseverazione in tribunale (Italian)
Liechtenstein — zugelassener Übersetzer und Vermerk (German)
Luxembourg — traduction assermentée (French)
Luxembourg — beeidigte Übersetzung (German)
Netherlands — waarmerkingsformule (Dutch)
Poland — formuła poświadczająca: wzór (Polish)
Portugal — tradução certificada: requisitos (Portuguese)
Romania — traducere autorizată: cerințe și formula (Romanian)
Slovakia — úradný preklad: náležitosti a doložka (Slovak)
Spain — traducción jurada: requisitos y fórmula (Spanish)
Switzerland — beglaubigte Übersetzung: Muster (German)
Switzerland, Geneva — traducteur-juré (French)
Switzerland, Ticino — traduzione autenticata dal notaio (Italian)
Ukraine — нотаріальний переклад (Ukrainian)
United Kingdom — certified translation requirements (English)
Ireland — certified translation for immigration (English)
United States — USCIS translator certificate (English)
Canada — IRCC requirements (English)
Canada — exigences d’IRCC (French)
Australia — translations for visas (English)
New Zealand — INZ certified translation (English)
Apostille, rates and terms
Apostille by country: who issues it and what it means for sworn translators
Official sworn translation rates in the EU
Document terms for sworn translators: one glossary, 12 languages
Where Lingverra comes in
Lingverra knows the profile of your country: the certification statement for it is already in the document, with the source language, place and date, and it says what you translated from — the original, a certified copy, a copy or a scan. The layout of the original is rebuilt, names are transliterated, and uncertain passages are flagged. What remains is to check those and sign. Quotes and invoices for your client are prepared in the same place. The first 5 pages of translation and 5 quotes are free.