When should you request an official notarised translation?
A “notarised translation” (traduction notariée) is not a legal category in France. In everyday language, the expression refers to a translation intended to be presented to a notary. What the notary actually requires is almost always a sworn translation, produced by a translator registered as a court-appointed expert on the list of a court of appeal.
A notary does not certify the accuracy of a translation and does not replace the translator. A notary can, however, certify a signature, and now issues apostilles and legalisations. These three operations are distinct; they can be combined but never replace one another.
Do you need to use a French notarial deed abroad? See our guide Translating a notarial deed for use abroad: the steps to follow.
What is meant by a notarised translation?
In practice, the expression refers to a translation used before a notary or in connection with a notarial deed: a property sale, gift, estate, marriage contract, power of attorney or company formation.
When a foreign document is to have legal effect in France, the notary asks for an official translation, produced by a court-appointed expert translator or interpreter competent in the language pair concerned. The translation bears the certification statement, the expert’s stamp and signature, and a registration number identifying its author and their registration on a court of appeal list.
Key point — ask for a sworn translation, not a “notarised translation”. The latter term has no legal definition and is easily confused with the certification of a signature by a notary.
When does a notary require an official translation?
Notaries have a duty to verify and must be able to understand the documents in their file. As soon as a document is written in a language they do not master, or a foreign document determines the validity of the transaction, a sworn translation becomes necessary.
This applies to civil status documents used in an estate or a gift: birth certificate, marriage certificate, certificate of single status, certificate of custom, death certificate or adoption judgment. Binational couples often have to add a marriage contract, a divorce decision or proof of parentage.
In property matters, the documents concerned are usually a power of attorney drawn up abroad, a title deed, a land registry extract, company articles of association or an identity document whose details need to be checked. For a transaction involving a foreign company, the notary may request the translation of a registration extract, the signatory’s powers, financial statements or a corporate resolution.
Requirements vary from one file to another, however, and this is the main source of unnecessary translations among those submitted to the Directory of Sworn Translators of France. A multilingual document issued under an international convention is sometimes accepted without translation. Before placing an order, ask the notary exactly what format is expected.
Sworn translation, apostille, legalisation: what is the difference?
These formalities are often requested together, which adds to the confusion. Yet they answer different questions, and none of them replaces the others.
| Formality | Question it answers | Who issues it in France |
|---|---|---|
| Sworn translation | What does this document say in the required language? | A court-appointed expert translator registered on a court of appeal list |
| Apostille | Is the signature or seal on the document genuine? | Notaries, since 1 May 2025 |
| Legalisation | The same question, for countries not covered by the Hague Convention | Notaries, since 1 September 2025 |
| Certification of signature | Is this signature really that of the person named? | A notary or a town hall |
The sworn translation renders the content, stamps, signatures, handwritten notes and, where necessary, any items that are difficult to read. The expert translator does not alter the document and does not judge its validity.
The apostille is placed on the original document or on its official copy, depending on the applicable rules. Since 1 May 2025, it has no longer been issued by the public prosecutor’s offices at the courts of appeal but by the notarial profession, through fifteen regional councils and inter-departmental chambers of notaries, with no territorial restriction and online. Legalisations have followed the same route since 1 September 2025.
Key point — none of these formalities replaces the others. Check with the recipient whether the apostille must be placed on the original before translation, on the translation afterwards, or on both.
How can you recognise a translation that can be used in a notarial file?
An official translation must be complete, legible and unambiguously linked to the source document. The expert translator states their identity, capacity, the court of appeal with which they are registered, the language pair, the date and the registration number of the translation. The stamp and handwritten signature complete these details.
How the document is sent matters as much as linguistic competence. If your document includes a reverse side, an apostille, an administrative stamp, a marginal note or a numbered blank page, send everything. A translation made from a partial scan may be unusable, particularly when it has to be appended to an authentic instrument.
The translation follows the layout of the original: the same arrangement of blocks, tables and notes, on the same number of pages where possible. The notary can then compare the two documents line by line. Logos, coats of arms, stamps and signatures are not reproduced graphically: their presence is indicated in square brackets where they appear, for example [Stamp] or [Signature].
Spain: the order in which formalities must be completed
The notarial files handled by the Directory of Sworn Translators of France most often concern Spain, where notarial requirements are particularly strict. One rule comes up every time: any estate document coming from France must be apostilled on the French source document, and only then translated by an expert registered with a court of appeal.
This order follows from what an apostille is: it authenticates a signature, not a document. What the Spanish notary wants to be able to verify is the authenticity of the signature of the French notary who drew up the deed. The translator’s signature is of no interest to them: they simply require the translation to have been produced by a sworn expert.
In practical terms, having the document translated first and then apostilling the translation means starting all over again, since the apostille would then relate to the wrong signature.
Which expert should you choose for a Spanish notary? Whoever you like, provided they appear on an official French court of appeal list. The Spanish notary does not appoint the translator and does not require any particular jurisdiction. As the title of court-appointed expert is national, the translation has the same value whichever court of appeal the expert is attached to.
Key point — for an estate file intended for Spain: apostille on the French deed first, translation afterwards, by any expert registered on a court of appeal list.
How should you prepare your translation request for a notary?
To obtain a relevant quote and a realistic timeframe, send clear PDFs or scans of all pages. A photo taken at an angle, cropped or too dark means further details have to be requested and delays processing.
In your first message, state the source language, the target language, the recipient country or body and the deadline. Above all, specify that the document is intended for a notary: this information alone makes it possible to plan for a full translation, the presence of stamps and apostilles, the paper copy, the signed digital format and the number of originals required. If the notary has given you written instructions, attach them.
The documents most often entrusted to an expert for a notarial file are:
- birth, marriage and death certificates, and certificates of custom;
- divorce judgments, adoption decisions and estate documents;
- powers of attorney, marriage contracts and title deeds;
- articles of association, foreign trade register extracts and directors’ powers;
- identity documents, bank statements and tax documents.
Timeframes and prices for a notarial file
The price varies according to the language, the actual volume, the technical complexity, the quality of the source document, the number of copies and urgency. A dense page containing tables, seals or inheritance terminology is not handled like a simple certificate. As a guide:
- a standard one-page document in a common language costs around €60 for the first copy, processed within 48 hours;
- a divorce judgment costs around €65 per page in a common language, and €120 per page or more for a rare language;
- a complete file ranges from €65 to over €1,000 depending on the volume, the language and the legal complexity.
As for timeframes, allow 72 hours for a civil status document in a common language (48 hours in practice), at least 5 working days for a file of several dozen pages, and around a week for a rare language. The translation is delivered first as a signed and stamped PDF, then the paper copy is posted within 24 hours.
The quote is always drawn up after the document has been received. Be wary of a price given without examination: it often covers neither the appended pages nor the formalities requested later.
How can you find the right expert translator for a notarial file?
The search starts with the language pair, in the right direction. An expert registered for English into French will not necessarily be competent for a document written in Arabic, Russian, Japanese or a language using a non-Latin alphabet. Specialisation then comes into play, whether it is inheritance law, property law or company documents.
Geographical proximity is useful for collecting an original or handing over a paper file, but it should not limit your search. Many sworn translations are prepared remotely from scanned copies, then posted when the recipient requires an original copy.
The Directory of Sworn Translators of France lets you identify court-appointed experts by language, specialisation, department, region and court of appeal, based on the lists drawn up by the courts of appeal and in force for the current year. If a local search returns no results or time is short, submitting an express request makes it possible to organise a nationwide search.
Key point — search by language pair before city. For an uncommon language, go straight to a nationwide search: where the expert practises makes no difference to admissibility.
What should you check before sending the translation to the notary?
Before sending, compare surnames, first names, dates, places and reference numbers with the original document. A spelling variation between a passport and a birth certificate can have real consequences in an estate or a sale. Report any inconsistency to the notary and the translator, without ever asking for the content of the source document to be changed.
Also check the number of copies requested and the issue date of civil status documents. An accurate translation of a document that has become too old will not solve the problem: it is the document that must be renewed, then translated.
Finally, keep the file you sent, the translation and any originals together. The notary may need to consult them at several stages before signing.
The right approach comes down to two steps: send complete, legible documents, and have the notary confirm the exact requirement before placing any order.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a notarised translation?
- A “notarised translation” is not a legal category in France. In practice, the expression refers to a translation intended to be presented to a notary. What is actually required is a sworn translation, produced by a translator registered as a court-appointed expert on the list of a court of appeal.
- Can a notary certify a translation?
- No. A notary does not certify the linguistic accuracy of a translation and does not replace the sworn translator. A notary can certify a signature, which is a different operation, and has issued apostilles and legalisations since 2025.
- Will a Spanish notary accept a translation made in France?
- Yes, provided it was produced by a translator registered on an official French court of appeal list. The Spanish notary does not appoint the expert and does not require any particular jurisdiction. However, for an estate document coming from France, the notary requires the apostille to be placed on the original French deed, before translation.
- Is an apostille needed in addition to the translation for a notary?
- It depends on the country of origin of the document and on what the notary asks for. The apostille authenticates the signature or seal on a public document; it translates nothing and never replaces the translation. Since 1 May 2025, it has been issued in France by notaries rather than by the courts of appeal.
- How much does it cost to translate a document for a notary?
- Around €60 for a standard one-page document in a common language, and from €65 to over €1,000 for a complete file depending on the volume, the language and the complexity. The quote is drawn up after the document has been received.
- Must the translation reproduce the layout of the document?
- Yes. The translation follows the arrangement of the original (blocks, tables, notes) so that the notary can compare the two documents. Logos, coats of arms, stamps and signatures are not reproduced graphically but indicated in square brackets where they appear.
Sources
- Lists of court-appointed experts of the courts of appeal, centralised by the Court of Cassation
- Decree No. 2004-1463 of 23 December 2004 on court-appointed experts
- Decree No. 2021-1205 of 17 September 2021, amended by Decree No. 2024-1200 of 23 December 2024, on legalisation and the apostille
- Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents
