Sworn Translation of School Documents: What Each Country Accepts

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

Universities and consulates do not accept a translation you made yourself, nor one from an ordinary agency with a stamp. They want a translation by someone the state has authorised, and each country defines that person differently. This guide lists who counts in each of the seven countries we cover.

Who is an authorised translator

Spain. A sworn translator-interpreter (traductor-intérprete jurado) appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ministry publishes the list by language. Translations made abroad are accepted if certified by a Spanish consulate or by the foreign country's consulate in Spain.
Germany. A translator sworn or authorised by a German court. The justice administration runs a public database of them. Many universities and uni-assist also accept sworn translations made abroad, and translations into English.
France. A translator approved by a court of appeal (traducteur agréé or assermenté). Each court of appeal publishes its list of experts.
Italy. A translation certified in one of three ways: sworn before an Italian court, certified by the Italian consulate in the country of origin, or made by an official translator there and legalised.
Portugal. There is no profession of sworn translator. A translation is certified by a notary, a lawyer or solicitor, or a consulate, who attests the translator's declaration.
Czechia. A court translator (soudní překladatel) with a round stamp, who binds the translation to the document. Authorities require documents in Czech, with rare exceptions for Slovak.
Switzerland. No federal system. Universities accept translations by officially recognised translators and state in which languages they take originals: usually German, French, Italian and English.

Which language to translate into

Translate into the language of the destination country unless the institution says otherwise. English is widely accepted by German and Swiss universities and by many English-taught programmes elsewhere, but not by Spanish, Italian or Czech public authorities for visa and recognition procedures.

What gets translated

the school-leaving certificate and the transcript of grades
the apostille or legalisation stamps on them
the grading scale, if it is printed separately
for visas: the criminal record certificate, bank letters, and sometimes the birth certificate

The translator works from the original or from a certified copy, and the translation is attached to a copy of the source so that the two cannot be separated.

How to avoid paying twice

Apostille first, then translate. The translation must include the apostille. See apostille and legalisation.
Ask each recipient what they accept before ordering. A translation sworn in your home country may be fine for a German university and useless for a Czech regional office.
Order several originals. Sworn translators charge little for additional copies issued at the same time, and much more later.
Check names and dates. The spelling of your name must match your passport. Ask the translator to follow the passport transliteration.
Keep digital versions. Some translators issue a qualified electronic signature, which uni-assist and several universities accept by upload.

Multilingual EU forms

For some civil status documents issued in the EU, such as birth certificates, you can ask the issuing authority for a multilingual standard form that removes the need for a translation in another EU country. This does not apply to school diplomas.

How long and how much

Prices are set per page or per line and depend on the language pair. A school certificate with a transcript normally runs to a few pages. Online services that work with sworn translators deliver in a few days. Rare language pairs take longer, because few translators are sworn for them: in that case a two-step translation through English may be the only option, and the recipient should confirm in advance that they accept it.

Where to look next

Do you need a student visa? Rules compared
Recognition by country: Spain, Germany, Italy, Czechia

Official sources

Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.