Apostille and Translation: What Your Document Actually Needs

The language of the apostille vs. the language of the document

The Hague Conference's Apostille Handbook treats these as 2 separate questions. An apostille can't be rejected just because it isn't in the destination country's language, and the Convention doesn't require it to be translated. The destination country can, under its own law, refuse the document itself if it comes without a translation into its language.

The California Secretary of State doesn't provide translations, and its website says so. A translation is ordered separately.

What to ask before you order a translation

• Will they accept a translation done in the U.S., or does it have to be done by a translator in their country?
• Does the translation need to be notarized, and where?
• Should only the document be translated, or the whole set, apostille included?

Apostille first, translation second

If the recipient wants the whole set translated, it's easier to translate after the apostille is issued, so the attached apostille is translated too. Still, confirm the order with the recipient in advance: requirements differ from country to country and from one institution to another.

If the document is already in the destination country's language, such as a power of attorney for Ukraine written in Ukrainian, only the English parts are left to translate: the notarial certificate and the apostille.

An apostille on a translation vs. on the document

A translator can sign a statement before a notary attesting that the translation is accurate. The apostille then goes on the notary's signature under that statement. The Apostille Handbook lists this among the ways a translation can go through the apostille process.

That apostille covers only the notarial act on the translation. If the recipient needs the origin of the document itself certified, such as a birth certificate, the apostille has to go on that document, and one on the translation won't take its place.

What we can do

A California apostille is $120 with the state fee included and takes 1-3 business days. Translations from English are quoted per document because formats vary. A notarized copy with an apostille is $170. If the copy is going to Ukraine or to a country that accepts documents in Russian, such as Russia, Belarus, or Kazakhstan, a translation of the apostille into the language of your document is included in that price. For other countries, we don't translate the apostille.

Send us a scan and the recipient's answers to the questions above. We'll tell you in what order we can handle the apostille and the translation, what it will cost, and how long it will take.