Asseverated, sworn or certified translation: which one to order

In office requirements and online searches the three words get mixed up. This page explains briefly what each one means, what we sell and how to choose. For the full guide, with sources, see sworn, asseverated, certified or legalised translation.

In short

• Sworn translation (traduzione giurata): the translation signed and stamped by a sworn translator, who declares it faithful. This is what we sell: PDF at 25 € per page, VAT included, within 24 to 48 working hours.
• Asseverated translation (traduzione asseverata): strictly speaking, a translation sworn before the clerk of an Italian court, with an oath record and revenue stamps. In everyday language it is used as a synonym of giurata. We arrange it on quote.
• Certified translation (traduzione certificata): a generic expression, usually meaning a translation accompanied by the translator's statement.

Sworn translation: the most common form

A foreign document used in Italy is submitted with an Italian translation certified as conforming to the foreign text by an official translator or by the consulate: this is article 33 of Presidential Decree 445/2000. For public documents from European Union countries, Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 adds that a translation made by a person qualified under the law of a Member State must be accepted. Our sworn translation is made from a scan by official translators sworn and certified at the Courts of Appeal, signed, stamped and declared faithful to the document received. It is a translation with legal value: valid, recognised and accepted by consulates, embassies, Comuni (municipalities) and chambers of commerce, and used for applications to Prefetture, Questure and universities.

Who translates: official translators, with legal value

Our translations are signed by official translators, sworn and certified (asseverati) at the Courts of Appeal and recognised in their respective countries. For French, the translator is sworn at the Court of Appeal of Douai (France) and the Superior Court of Justice of Luxembourg, is listed in the national register of the FPS Justice in Belgium, is accredited with the Italian embassies and consulates in France, Belgium and Luxembourg, and is a member of the Associazione Esperti Tecnici Giudiziari in Milan: her translations are accepted in Italy, from France, Belgium and Luxembourg into Italy and from Italy into these three countries.

The online sworn translation is delivered as a PDF with a digital signature recognised in the 27 EU countries. These are translations with legal value: valid, recognised and accepted by consulates, embassies, Comuni (municipalities) and chambers of commerce, valid for self-certifications (autocertificazioni) at notarial offices across the EU, and recognised by the Agenzia delle Entrate, notaries, lawyers and the courts.

When an asseverazione in court is needed

An asseverazione before an Italian court is mainly requested for Italian documents going abroad, often followed by an apostille on the oath record, for some court documents and when the office says so explicitly. It takes longer and has its own official costs, such as revenue stamps. It is not included in the sworn translation in PDF: if your procedure requires it, ask us for a quote.

In Italy, the asseverazione requires an appointment at the court registry and revenue stamps (marche da bollo) of €16 (minimum, for 3 pages) up to about €40, plus the waiting hours the translator bills. So, when the office accepts the sworn translation, a translator whose translations are also accepted in Italy is the better choice.

Certified, conforming, legalised: the other words

• Conforming to the original: a translation certified against the paper original, which you send us by post. This is an on-quote service; a translation made from a scan conforms to the document received.
• Legalised or apostilled: legalisation and the apostille concern the signature of the authority that issued the document, not the translation. They are usually requested on the original, in the issuing country, before translation: see apostille and sworn translation.

To use the translation abroad: in Europe and the United States a certified translation is enough; in countries party to the Hague Convention an apostille is needed; in other countries (Middle East, Asia, Africa) legalisation is needed.

At a glance

How to choose

Ask the receiving office which form it accepts. If a sworn translation is fine, choose your document: birth certificate, criminal record, degree certificate, driving licence or other document. If you need something else, the which translation do you need page lists the options, and languages are on the sworn translation by language page.