Do you need a translation before an apostille, or after?

If your document needs both an apostille and a translation, you will soon face a simple question with no single answer: which comes first? People ask it because doing them in the wrong order can mean doing one of them twice.

This article explains how the two relate, the two common orders, and how to find out which one your receiving authority wants. The short version: the apostille is on the original public document, the translation is separate, and the order depends on the receiving authority. Check with them first.

What the apostille covers

An apostille authenticates a public document for use in another country that is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention. It is attached to the original public document, such as a birth certificate or a court decision. It is not a translation and does not certify a translation. Our apostille guide explains it in more detail.

A translation, on the other hand, turns the content of the document into another language. A certified translation adds a signed statement that it is complete and accurate. These are two separate things that often travel together.

Order one: apostille first, then translation

Here the original document is apostilled first. The translator then translates the document and the apostille together. The receiving office gets one translation that covers everything on the paper, including the apostille text.

Many receiving offices prefer this, because they can read the apostille in their own language. If you are not sure, this order is often the safer one to ask about first.

Order two: translation first, then apostille

Sometimes the translation itself needs to be authenticated. For example, a translator's statement might be notarised, and that notarisation might then be apostilled. In this case, the translation is made first and the authentication comes after.

Remember that a notary in this case certifies the translator's statement, not the translation itself. Our article on the difference between certified, sworn, notarised and apostilled translations explains this step.

When the order does not matter

Some offices only need the apostilled original and a separate certified translation of it, and do not mind which was done first. That is common, but it is not universal. Ask before you assume.

How to check with the receiving authority

• Does the original document need an apostille?
• Should the translation include the apostille text?
• Does the translation itself need any authentication?
• Does the translator need to be sworn or accredited in your country?

Write the answers down. If the office says the translation should cover the apostille, get the apostille first. If it says the translation needs its own authentication, plan for the translation first.

Countries outside the Hague Convention

An apostille only works between Hague Convention countries. The United Arab Emirates is one example of a country that is not a member, so documents for use there cannot be apostilled. Our guide on legalising documents explains the difference between apostille and legalisation.

Avoiding double work

The most common problem is translating the document, then getting an apostille, and then learning that the office wanted the apostille translated too. The fix is simple: ask the order question at the start.

Another tip: keep a clear scan of the document after each step. If you get the apostille first, upload a scan that shows the apostille so the translator can include it.

Getting both in one place

You can book a notary meeting for notarisation and apostille, and order the translation from our translations page. Our country pages, for example Spain and Germany, describe what is usually expected for the translation.

An example

Say you are moving abroad and the receiving office wants your birth certificate. It asks for an apostille on the original and a certified translation that covers the whole page. In that case you would get the apostille first, then upload a scan that shows the apostille, and order the translation so it covers both the certificate and the apostille text.

If the same office had said the translator's statement must be notarised and apostilled, the order would be different: translation first, then the notarisation of the translator's statement, then the apostille on that notarisation. Same documents, different order, because the receiving office asked for something different. This is why the question is worth asking before you start.

Next step

Ask the receiving authority which order it wants. Then either book the apostille first, or open the translations calculator and upload your document.