A certified translation is a translation accompanied by a formal statement of accuracy, certified before a notary, lawyer, solicitador or other competent authority. It is the format required by most Portuguese and foreign public bodies. Sometimes called a sworn or official translation, it is what you need to use a foreign document in Portugal or a Portuguese document abroad.
When you need a certified translation
Residence permit and citizenship applications, diploma recognition, marriages at a civil registry office, property deeds, court cases, company registration, job applications abroad and driving licence exchanges are the most common situations. If the receiving authority asks for a “certified”, “official” or “sworn” translation, this is the service you need.
How we make sure it is accepted
Every translation is produced by a professional translator who is a native speaker of the target language and reviewed by a second linguist. Certification follows Portuguese rules, with the translation bound to the original document or its copy. Before starting, we check where the document will be used so we can tell you whether an apostille or legalization is also required.
Paper or digital delivery
Certified translations are delivered on paper by registered post or in person, and digitally when the receiving authority accepts it. We work with clients in every district of mainland Portugal and in the Azores and Madeira.
Documents we translate most often
- Birth, marriage and death certificates
- Criminal record certificates
- Diplomas, academic certificates and transcripts
- Driving licences
- Powers of attorney and deeds
- Contracts and commercial agreements
- Court judgments and legal documents
- Company registry extracts and articles of association
- Medical reports
- Tax and bank statements
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a certified and a sworn translation?
In Portugal the term is certified translation: the translator declares the translation accurate before a competent authority. Sworn translation is the term used in Brazil and several other countries. In practice, when a Portuguese authority asks for a sworn translation, a certified translation is what you should provide.
How much does a certified translation cost?
The price depends on the language pair, the number of pages, the complexity of the text and the deadline. Send us a scan of the document and we will reply with a fixed quote, with no obligation.
How long does it take?
Simple personal documents are usually ready within a few working days. An urgent service is available; tell us your deadline in your request.
Do I need to send the original document?
In most cases a clear scan is enough to quote and translate. We will tell you if the receiving authority requires the certification to be made on the original.
Available languages
- Arabic
- Bengali
- Bulgarian
- Chinese
- Croatian
- Czech
- Danish
- Dutch
- English
- Finnish
- French
- German
- Greek
- Hebrew
- Hindi
- Hungarian
- Indonesian
- Italian
- Japanese
- Korean
- Nepali
- Norwegian
- Persian (Farsi)
- Polish
- Romanian
- Russian
- Serbian
- Slovak
- Spanish
- Swedish
- Tagalog (Filipino)
- Thai
- Turkish
- Ukrainian
- Urdu
- Vietnamese