Sworn translation: your questions answered

A standard translation conveys the meaning of a text but has no legal status. A sworn translation is produced by a translator registered in the Register of Sworn Interpreters and Translators (Rbtv), bound to a copy of your source document and carrying a signed, stamped statement of accuracy. Only the sworn version is accepted for official submission in the Netherlands.

In the Netherlands the legally recognised form is the sworn translation. "Certified" and "official" are simply the English labels most international clients use for the same product. What gives the translation legal weight is that a sworn, Rbtv-registered translator produced it and attached a signed, stamped statement, whatever label the request happens to use.

Only a translator who has taken the oath before a Dutch district court and is entered in the Register of Sworn Interpreters and Translators (Rbtv) may produce one. Not every translator qualifies, and a translation you make yourself or a machine translation will not be accepted. We work exclusively with Rbtv-registered sworn translators.

In the Dutch context, yes. Both refer to a translator registered in the Rbtv. Requirements differ from country to country, so a "certified" translation made abroad may rest on a different legal basis. For documents used with Dutch authorities, what applies is a sworn translation by an Rbtv-registered translator.

From €39 for the first page for Dutch ↔ English and Dutch ↔ French; from €59 for the first page for other languages; €75 per following page. The base price covers the translation, the sworn statement, the official stamp and our acceptance guarantee. A digital copy, registered shipping and an apostille are optional and priced separately.

Standard delivery is 5–7 working days. Need it faster? Express (2–3 working days, +50%, minimum €55) and same-day (+100%, minimum €75, Dutch ↔ English/French only, ordered before 12:00) are available as options in the order form. You choose the speed you need when you place your order.

The Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) requires foreign-language documents in a residence or naturalisation application to be translated by a sworn (Rbtv) translator into Dutch, English, French or German. A sworn translation meets that requirement. Common examples are a birth certificate, a marriage certificate or a criminal-record extract.

Both confirm that a document is genuine for use abroad. An apostille is a single certificate used between countries that signed the Hague Apostille Convention. Legalisation is the longer route, used for countries outside that convention, and it involves several authorities. The destination country and the document determine which one you need.

It depends on what the destination authority asks for. Sometimes the original document is apostilled first and then translated; sometimes the apostille is placed on the sworn translation itself. Tell us the destination country and the document, and we will confirm the right order before you order, so nothing has to be redone.

Within the Netherlands a sworn translation is accepted by default. For use abroad you may also need an apostille on the translation under the Hague Apostille Convention, or legalisation for countries outside it. The requirement comes from the destination country, and we can arrange the apostille together with the translation.

In most cases a clear scan or photo is enough to start, and the sworn translator binds the translation to that copy. A few authorities insist on a translation bound to the physical original; that is the exception. We will tell you when it applies before you order, so it does not catch you out.

An apostille is an official certificate that confirms a document, or its sworn translation, is genuine for use in another country that signed the Hague Apostille Convention. In the Netherlands it is issued by a district court. With us an apostille is €99 per document, optional, all-in, with the court fee and court application included.

Dutch ↔ English and Dutch ↔ French are our most-requested pairs, and we cover more than sixty other languages. We translate in both directions: a foreign document into Dutch for use here, or a Dutch document into another language for use abroad. Pricing starts at €39 for Dutch ↔ English/French and €59 for other languages.

It means your translation is accepted by the Dutch authorities that requested it. We work only with Rbtv-registered sworn translators, so the work meets their standard. If a body rejects a translation we produced on quality grounds, we correct it free of charge until it is accepted. The guarantee is included in the base price.