Sworn vs Certified Translation in Ireland

The Short Answer for Ireland

Ireland does not have a state 'sworn translator' system. The words 'sworn translation' and 'certified translation' get used interchangeably in everyday conversation in Ireland, but for most purposes only one of them describes what Irish authorities actually ask for, and it is the certified translation.

What Irish authorities need is a translation from a qualified translator that carries a signed Statement of Accuracy, the translator or provider's name and contact details, and the date. Every certified translation we issue carries the translation, the signed Statement of Accuracy, our name, contact details and the date. Because the state keeps no sworn-translator register, there is no state-appointed 'sworn' status to buy in Ireland. For the cases where an authority does ask for a sworn translation, we offer Sworn: the translator's declaration of accuracy is sworn before a solicitor or Commissioner for Oaths. It costs €99.99 per page and takes 24 hours longer than a certified translation.

If someone in Ireland tells you a document 'needs to be sworn', what they almost always mean is one of two things. Either the document is being sent out of Ireland to a country whose authorities require a sworn translator from their own system (Spain, France, Poland, Germany, Italy). Or the document arrived in Ireland already sworn (say, a Spanish Traductor Jurado translation) and they are asking what the Irish authority expects on top of that. Both cases are handled below.

What 'Certified' Means in Ireland

A certified translation for Irish use is a translation that the receiving authority can rely on as an accurate rendering of the source. The three elements are:

• Full and accurate translation of the source. Every stamp, seal, marginal note, handwritten correction, and signature block on the source is described in the translation.
• Signed Statement of Accuracy. A statement, in English, in which the translator or provider certifies that the translation is a true and accurate rendering of the source.
• Translator or provider identity. The name of the certifying translator or provider, contact address, email, and date.

Every certified translation Tatkowski issues is signed by the translator, with our Irish contact address and the date.

What Ireland does not require is that the translator be personally sworn in front of a court or listed on a Ministry of Justice register. Ireland has never built that system. Anyone who tells you otherwise is confusing Ireland with the continental European jurisdictions covered next.

What 'Sworn' Means in Continental Europe

Five continental European jurisdictions have state-appointed sworn translators. If you are dealing with a document coming from one of them, or going to one of them, the sworn concept becomes real.

France — Traducteur Assermenté (Traducteur Expert)

A Traducteur Assermenté is registered with a Court of Appeal (Cour d'Appel) after being appointed as a court expert. The translator's stamp and signature give the translation legal weight in French administrative and judicial proceedings. Any document going to French authorities (préfecture, tribunal, université, consulate) is typically expected in French through a Traducteur Assermenté. A UK or Irish certified translation is not accepted as a substitute for most French administrative uses.

Spain — Traductor Jurado

The Traductor Jurado is appointed by the Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores (MAEC) after passing state examinations. The translator's stamp and signature make the translation an 'official' document in Spanish law. Documents going to Spanish authorities (Extranjería, MAEC, Registro Civil, Ministerio de Educación, universities, notaries) are expected through a Traductor Jurado.

Poland — Tłumacz Przysięgły

The Tłumacz Przysięgły is registered with the Ministry of Justice (Ministerstwo Sprawiedliwości) after passing a state examination and being sworn in. The translation carries a unique registered number (numer w rejestrze) and a specific stamp. Polish authorities (USC, sąd, uniwersytet, notariusz, MSZ) require Tłumacz Przysięgły translations for administrative and judicial use.

Germany — Beeidigter or Vereidigter Übersetzer

Appointed by a state court (Oberlandesgericht). Each federal state (Bundesland) maintains its own register. The translation carries a specific certification formula and the translator's court-appointed stamp. German authorities (Bürgeramt, Amtsgericht, Universität, Standesamt) expect German translations through a beeidigter Übersetzer for administrative use.

Italy — Traduzione Giurata (Asseverazione)

Italy is different from the other four. There is no state register of sworn translators as such. Instead, an ordinary translator produces the translation and then formally swears (asseverazione) before a judge, court officer, or notary at the local tribunale. The sworn oath, translator's signature, and the court or notarial stamp on the record book give the translation legal weight.

When You Actually Need Sworn

When an authority asks you for a sworn translation

Some recipients, in Ireland or abroad, specifically ask for a sworn translation. Choose Sworn. We translate and certify the document as usual, and the translator's declaration of accuracy is then sworn before a solicitor or Commissioner for Oaths. It costs €99.99 per page and adds 24 hours to delivery: within 48 hours for 1 to 3 pages, 60 hours for 4 to 6 pages, and 72 hours for 7 pages or more. Priority is not available at a fixed price on a sworn translation; we quote it individually before you pay. Where a foreign authority requires a translator from its own state register, that is a different requirement, covered next.

Documents going FROM Ireland TO a continental European authority

Here the receiving country's rules apply. If the receiving country is Spain, France, Poland, or Germany, a sworn translator from that country's system is usually required. For a document going to Poland or Spain, we have it translated and signed by a sworn translator in that country. Without a translation by that country's own sworn translator, the document may not be accepted by the foreign authority even with an Irish apostille attached.

Documents arriving in Ireland that were already sworn abroad

Where the foreign sworn translation is into the origin language (say, Spanish into Portuguese for Spanish authorities), and the document needs to work in Ireland, we produce an additional certified Irish translation into English so the Irish authority can act on it.

How the Hague Apostille Fits In

The Hague Apostille Convention of 1961 legalises the origin of a public document for use in another Convention country. It does two things and does them clearly:

1. It confirms that the signature or stamp on the source public document is genuine and issued by an authorised body in the origin country.
2. It removes the need for the destination-country embassy or consulate to legalise the document separately.

What Hague does not do is say anything about the translation. Whether the translation is certified in Ireland or sworn in Spain is a matter for the receiving country's rules, not for the Hague Convention.

In Ireland the Department of Foreign Affairs (Consular Section, Dublin) issues apostilles on Irish public documents and on translations produced in Ireland when a foreign authority asks for one. We do not provide or arrange apostilles. If your document needs an apostille, get it apostilled first and we translate it, including the apostille.

Non-Hague countries (or countries where a specific reservation applies) require full embassy legalisation instead, arranged with the embassy or consulate concerned.

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