Translation

Translation of legal, notarial and business documents

Between English, Portuguese and German — certified whenever the receiving body requires it.

Documents

What I translate regularly

If your document is not on this list, do ask: the list is a sample, not a limit.

Public deeds (escrituras)

Wills

Powers of attorney

Tenancy agreements

Promissory contracts of sale (CPCV)

Loan-for-use agreements

Company registration certificates

Birth certificates

Marriage certificates

Death certificates

Criminal record certificates

Statements of claim and defences

Court judgments

Land registry certificates

Commercial registry entries

Articles of association

Probate and inheritance documents

Bank documents

Paperwork for AIMA (immigration and asylum agency)

Legal correspondence

Certification

Certification and the Apostille are not the same thing

Submitting documents to official bodies often requires the translation to be certified. In Portugal that certification can be carried out by a lawyer, solicitador, notary, registry office or chamber of commerce: the translator signs a declaration confirming that the translation faithfully reflects the original, and that declaration is then certified. The original, the translation and the declaration are bound together into one set that cannot be separated without losing its validity.

A word of warning for British readers: a solicitador is a Portuguese legal professional with its own regulated role. Despite the resemblance, it is not the same as a solicitor in England and Wales.

The Apostille is something else entirely, and does not replace certification. It is a stamp provided for under the Hague Convention, issued in Portugal by the Public Prosecution Service, confirming the authenticity of the underlying public document so that it takes effect in another signatory country.

Many matters require both — and in a particular order. Getting that order wrong means starting again, with the cost and delay that entails.

Sequence

The order that saves you doing it twice

Apostille on the original

If the document is Portuguese and will be used abroad, the Apostille goes on the original first, obtained from the Public Prosecution Service. If it is a foreign document for use in Portugal, it should already carry an apostille from its country of origin.

Translation

Only then is it translated — so that the translation covers the wording of the apostille as well.

Certification

The declaration of accuracy is certified by a lawyer, solicitador, notary, registry office or chamber of commerce.

Delivery

You receive the bound set, ready to submit, plus a digital copy for your records.

When you first get in touch, always tell me the body and the country the document comes from and is going to. That is what determines whether you need certification, an apostille, or both — and it is what the quote has to reflect. Without it, any figure I give you risks being wrong.

Have a document to translate?

Send a digital copy. The original is not needed for the quote — only later, at the certification stage.

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