How can you check that a translator is sworn?

By Keran Chaussard, administrator of the Directory of Sworn Translators of France — updated on 2 October 2026

The three checks to make before ordering

Ask for the court of appeal and the year of registration. A sworn translator will answer this question without hesitation. A provider who remains vague on this point should raise a red flag.

Check the language. A sworn translator’s registration covers specific languages and, sometimes, only one direction of translation. An expert authorised for Portuguese cannot certify a translation from Polish.

Check the stamp on the document you receive. A sworn translator’s stamp must show their name, the wording “expert traducteur-interprète près la cour d’appel de…” (expert translator-interpreter attached to the court of appeal of…), the languages concerned, a handwritten signature, a date and a unique registration number. This number must appear both on the translation and on the source document attached to it.

Key point — the court of appeal list for the current year is the only proof. Everything else is self-declared.

Words that prove nothing

Several expressions circulate without having any legal value in France. “Approved translator”, “official translator”, “certified true translation”, “qualified translator”: none of these expressions is protected, and anyone can use them.

The fact that an agency is ISO 17100 certified does not change anything either. This standard concerns how a translation process is organised, not the judicial authorisation of the person who signs. Similarly, membership of a professional association reflects an ethical commitment but is not the same as sworn status.

What “probationary” and “five-yearly” mean

On the court of appeal lists, each expert is given a status. A sworn translator’s first registration is for a three-year probationary period. At the end of this period, and on a new application, the expert may be re-registered for renewable five-year periods.

Both statuses correspond to a valid registration: an expert in the probationary period is a fully-fledged sworn translator, whose translations have the same value.

What to do if you notice a problem

If a provider presents themselves as a sworn translator without appearing on any court of appeal list, you can report them to the public prosecutor’s office at the court of appeal they claim to belong to. If a translation has been rejected by an authority for this reason, keep the document and the invoice: you will need them for any refund request.

Is a sworn translation made in another EU country accepted in France?

This is the most frequent case submitted to us. The Directory of Sworn Translators of France is regularly contacted by people whose translation was rejected because it was not made by an expert attached to a French court of appeal, but by a sworn translator from their own EU country.

These rejections raise a real question in the light of Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 2016 on promoting the free movement of citizens by simplifying the requirements for presenting certain public documents in the European Union, applicable in all Member States since 16 February 2019. Article 6(2) states:

“A certified translation made by a person qualified to do so under the law of a Member State shall be accepted in all Member States.”

In practice, French authorities — prefectures, town halls, OFII (French Office for Immigration and Integration), consulates — very widely require translations to be made by an expert attached to a French court of appeal, even when a translation validly certified in another EU country is presented. This restrictive practice, which is not unique to France but is particularly widespread there, obliges European citizens to have a document translated again even though it already complies with the law of their State of origin.

The exact scope of the Regulation

One clarification is needed before relying on this text with an authority: Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 does not cover all documents. It applies to public documents whose primary purpose is to establish birth, that a person is alive, death, name, marriage and capacity to marry, divorce, legal separation, registered partnership and its dissolution, parenthood, adoption, domicile or residence, and the absence of a criminal record.

A diploma, a transcript, a driving licence, a contract or a trade register extract do not fall under this regime: for these documents, the requirement for a French expert remains fully justified.

Another limitation: the Regulation concerns the authenticity of documents, not the recognition of their content or effects, which remains subject to the national law of each Member State.

What to do in practice

If your document falls within the scope of the Regulation and your translation was made by a translator authorised in another Member State, you can invoke Article 6(2) in writing with the department that rejects it, citing the reference of the Regulation and its date of application.

First, however, check whether a multilingual standard form exists for your document: the same Regulation created them precisely to avoid any translation. And bear in mind that an appeal takes time: if your file has an imminent deadline, having the translation redone in France is often still the quickest route, even if you challenge the decision afterwards.

Key point — for civil status documents and documents covered by Regulation (EU) 2016/1191, a translation certified in another Member State must be accepted in France. For diplomas, licences and company documents, a French expert can still be required.

Frequently asked questions

Is a sworn translation made in another EU country accepted in France?

For documents covered by Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 — birth, marriage and death certificates, divorce, parenthood, residence, absence of a criminal record — a certified translation made by a qualified person in another Member State must be accepted in France, under Article 6(2). In practice, French authorities very widely require an expert attached to a French court of appeal. For diplomas, driving licences or company documents, which fall outside the scope of the Regulation, this requirement remains justified.

Can a translator who has been removed from the list still certify a translation?

No. Only current registration on the list of court-appointed experts of a court of appeal gives a translator the capacity to certify a translation.

Is a translation made by an expert who has since been removed still valid?

It was valid on the day it was made. In practice, most authorities require a recent translation, which makes the question largely theoretical.

Can I translate a document myself and have it certified afterwards by an expert?

No. The sworn translator takes on legal responsibility and cannot certify a text they have not produced or fully revised.

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
• Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 2016, applicable since 16 February 2019 — Article 6(2)