A growing share of our requests does not come from France. A client in Dubai needs a birth certificate accepted by a French préfecture. A family in London is settling an estate with a French notary. A Russian company is signing a contract with a partner in Nice.
The same question comes up each time: do I need to be there? The answer is almost always no.
French sworn translation is done remotely
Sworn translation concerns a document, not a presence. You send a legible digital copy, we produce the certified translation, and it is dispatched signed and stamped — wherever you are.
No travel is required, on either side. This is how most of our clients outside France work with us.
The direction of the procedure changes everything
Foreign document intended for France — civil status record, diploma, court judgment, criminal record extract: it must be translated by a translator registered with a French court of appeal. A translator sworn in their own country does not hold that status under French law, and the file will be rejected.
French document intended for abroad — the destination country sets the rule. Some accept a French sworn translation with an apostille; others require a locally accredited translator or consular legalisation. Check with the consulate or the receiving authority before commissioning the translation.
The apostille: the most expensive mistake
The apostille authenticates the original document, not its translation. It is obtained in the country that issued the document, and must be affixed before translation — since it must itself be translated.
Translating first means starting again. This is the most common ground for rejection among clients abroad, and the most avoidable.
The apostille applies between countries party to the Hague Convention. For others, consular legalisation applies: a longer procedure, to be anticipated by several weeks. See our article on certified versus sworn translation.
Remote interpreting
Video conferencing covers a wide range of needs: preparatory meeting, discussion with a lawyer, commercial negotiation, meeting with a wealth adviser. It removes travel time and often allows an assignment within 48 hours.
It has limits. Some notarial deeds and court hearings require physical presence — it depends on the deed and on the notary’s or registry’s position. We check this beforehand with the office concerned rather than letting you discover it on the day.
Time zones are not an obstacle: appointments with the Gulf, North America or Asia are arranged outside standard French hours.
Our languages and the clients concerned
- Arabic — all dialects: Gulf and North African clients, property acquisitions in France, civil status files, estates.
- Russian: Russian-speaking investors and residents, notarial deeds, wealth structuring.
- English: relocation, international law firms, yachting, commercial contracts.
What we will ask you
Three pieces of information are enough for a useful answer: the language, the destination country of the document, and the procedure involved. That determines whether an apostille is needed, which type of translation applies, and within what timeframe.
If your situation does not call for our involvement — it happens — we will tell you.
Request a quote, or read about our sworn translation and interpreting services.