In Portugal, unlike any other country, there is no such thing as a “Certified Translator” or a “Sworn Translator”. “Certified Translations” or “Authenticated translations” are a notarial document that aims to identify the translator, assure the translation is a faithful and complete version of the original and, above all, give the translated document the same legal validity of the source document.

Certifying a translation does not guarantee its quality, but rather placing it at the same legal level as the original document. In our country, it is possible to use the following entities to perform the “certification” or “authentication”:

  • Portuguese Notarial Office;
  • Central Registry Office;
  • Civil Registry Office;
  • Portuguese consulate in the country where the document was passed;
  • The Chambers of Commerce and Industry, recognized pursuant to Decree-Law n. 244/92 of 29 October;
  • Lawyers and Solicitors;
  • It may be also performed by a suitable translator and be certified by any service or entity previously mentioned;

In this sense, the service that a translator and/or a company provides is not the certification itself, but they send it to one of the entities previously mentioned, to proceed to the proper certification.

Since one solution may not apply to all customers, it is also important to consider the several existing types of certification:

Certified translation by a notary, in Portugal

This type of certification is only valid in Portugal and it may not be accepted in other countries.

 

Certified translation by a notary, in Portugal, with the certification translated into the target language or into English

The document from the notary may be translated into other language. However, not all the notaries provide this service.

 

Certified translation by a notary, in Portugal, with Hague Convention Apostille

The Hague Convention Apostille can be solicited to the Attorney General’s Office and this entity ensures the legality of the document, alongside the entities who signed the Hague Convention. Attention: if the document to be translated is an official document that requires the apostille, it may be necessary to request two apostilles, one for the translation and other for the original.

 

Certified translation by the embassy of the target country

This process is necessary for countries that did not sign the Hague Convention Apostille. In some cases, the countries require the certification by a notary, an intermediary certification by the Chamber of Commerce or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and, also, the certification by the Embassy (or the combination of this steps).

Source: “Certas Palavras”, http://www.certaspalavras.net/duvidas-sobre-traducao-certificada-em-notario/

If you have any doubt or specific request, don´t hesitate in contacting us. It’s our pleasure to help you in any way we can!

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