Translations for official use

Do you have documents that you need to have translated and submitted to an authority in another canton or country?

Depending on the country, the authority and the intended use of the translated document, there are different formal requirements for translation and certification. We will identify the relevant requirements for your project, advise you and implement the necessary measures.

Categories

We are well versed in the formal requirements, depending on the applicable legal system, for translations for official use and differentiate the following five categories:

1. Translation certified by the LT Lawtank company stamp

Upon request, we can provide a copy of any LT Lawtank translation bearing the LT company stamp and (if necessary) a signature by a company official.

 

LT translation -->

 

Certification -->

 

Public authority

2. Translation with an officially certified signature

For usage in Switzerland

The notarial legalisation procedure confirms the signature of the person making the declaration of translation accuracy, or of the enterprise bearing liability for the accuracy of the translation, and accordingly the binding status of the declaration of accuracy.

 

LT translation -->

 

Certification -->

 

Public authority

For usage abroad

Target authority situated in a state that has ratified the Hague Convention*

 

LT translation -->


 

Certification/Legalisation -->

1. The Notary Public certifies the signature as genuine and accordingly the binding status of the declaration of accuracy.


 

2. "Apostille" by the cantonal state chancellery

 

By the apostille the state chancellery of the canton in which the Notary Public practises confirms his/her signature and accordingly his/her status as licensed to practise as a notary within the territory of the canton.

 

 


Public authority

 


 

Target authority situated in a state that has NOT ratified the Hague Convention*

 

LT translation -->


 

Certification/Legalisation -->

1. The Notary Public certifies the signature as genuine and accordingly the binding status of the declaration of accuracy.


 

2. Supplementary legalisation by the cantonal state chancellery

 

By the supplementary legalisation procedure the state chancellery of the canton in which the Notary Public practises confirms his/her signature and accordingly his/her status as licensed to practise as a notary within the territory of the canton.


 

3. Supplementary legalisation by the Federal Chancellery (not necessary for certain countries)


 

4. Supplementary legalisation by embassy / consulate


Public authority

 


 

* Convention abolishing the Requirement for Legalisation of Foreign Public Documents of 5 October 1961.

3. Translation by a sworn translator

Within territories or before authorities that operate a system including sworn translators, translations are accepted – although in some cases not exclusively – from translators who have been included in a special register (based on a translation test or other proof of qualifications).

 

LT translation -->

 

Certification -->

 

Legalisation -->

 

Public authority

4. Affidavit by the translator

An affidavit is an enhanced version of a declaration of translation accuracy, with consequences under criminal law in the event that a false statement is made. In making a solemn declaration (affidavit) in relation to a translation the translator certifies under oath before a Notary Public that the translation is accurate.

 

This type of "enhanced declaration of translation accuracy" is particularly prevalent in common law countries.

 

LT translation -->

 

Certification -->

 

Legalisation -->

 

Public authority

5. Authenticated translations

An authenticated translation is carried out by a Notary Public on the basis of the document translated by LT Lawtank, and may include a foreign language report of authentication. This solution is only rarely used (e.g. for authenticated instruments concerning a declaration of status).

 

LT translation -->

 

Certification -->

 

Legalisation -->

 

Public authority

 

We advise you with respect to the required form, translate, certify / obtain certifications and provide you with the required documents together with

  • our partner notaries public,
  • the competent state chancelleries and offices,
  • other authorities (chancelleries, consulates, embassies), and
  • our logistics partners and courier services.

 


 

Examples of documents

Do you need translations of documents in connection with certain official acts or for official/formal submission to authorities and registry offices, such as:

  • Personal, marital and family law documents
    • Birth, recognition, marriage and death certificates
    • Marital agreements
    • Divorce settlements
    • Report cards/diplomas/certificates
    • Passports/visa
  • Register extracts
    • Criminal records extracts
    • Commercial register extracts
    • Debt collection register extracts
  • Estates
      • Wills
      • Inheritance contracts
      • Division of estate agreements
      • Probate
      • Inheritance proceedings
    • Other
      • Procedural, litigation and court documents
      • Appeals, complaints, court submissions
      • Articles of Association
      • Contracts
      • etc.

     


     

    We translate from/to:

    Group A
    Dutch
    German
    English
    French
    Italian
    Portuguese
    Spanish
    Group B
    Bosnian
    Croatian
    Czech
    Danish
    Norwegian
    Polish
    Romanian
    Serbian(Latin)
    Slovak
    Slovenian
    Swedish
    Group C

    Belarusian
    Albanian
    Bulgarian
    Greek
    Latvian
    Lithuanian
    Macedonian
    Russian
    Serbian(Cyrillic)
    Turkish
    Ukrainian

    Group D

    Arabic
    Bengali
    Chinese
    Estonian
    Finnish
    Hebrew
    Hindi
    Hungarian
    Japanese
    Koreanisch
    Marathi
    Tamil
    Thai
    Vietnamese

    *Other languages on request

     


     


     

    LT practice examples of certified translations

    Marriage

    A Swiss national marries a Russian woman in Switzerland. To this end he must have the Russian birth certificate of his future wife translated into French for the civil registry office. The competent civil registry office requires that the translator provide a declaration of due diligence, although the formal requirements vary from canton to canton. LT Lawtank performs the translation and provides the declaration of due diligence required in the target canton.


    Company formation

    For the establishment of a branch office of a Dutch company in Switzerland the Commercial Register extract and the Articles of Association must be translated into German and the translation must be certified. Generally, the competent Commercial Registry office requires the submission of the original or of a certified copy in accordance with the relevant formal requirements, including a certified translation.


    Joint venture

    A Swiss company wishes to do business through a joint venture in China and requires a certified translation of its Articles of Association and of the Commercial Register extract for this purpose. Since China has not ratified the Hague Convention, the following certification steps are required: notary public – state chancellery (canton) – federal chancellery – Chinese embassy. We translate the relevant documents and obtain the necessary certifications in a timely manner.


    Affidavit

    A court on the Cayman Islands (GB) requires an affidavit on the accuracy and professional execution of the translation of a witness statement. We are familiar with requirements of the target legal system and can issue the affidavit in a manner that achieves legal certainty.


     


      

    Enquiry

    We advise you with respect to the required form, translate, certify / obtain certifications and provide you with the required documents together with

    • our partner notaries public,
    • the competent state chancelleries and offices,
    • other authorities (chancelleries, consulates, embassies), and
    • our logistics partners and courier services.

    You can of course also send your query to us by email to info@lawtank.ch.

    CERTIFIED TRANSLATION
    When do you need to receive back the translated documents?*
    Language*
    Aim of the legalization*
    Upload your file(s).
    File formats accepted pdf, doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx, jpg, jpeg, png
    Comments concerning the translation project
    CONTACT DETAILS
    Data privacy provisions*
    This is a mandatory field Please provide a valid email address Please select at least one option Select files Only files in will be accepted.

    Follow us on