Frequently asked questions about sworn translation in Rome

The cost depends on the language combination, the length and the complexity of the document, plus stamp duty of €16 for every 100 lines of translation, the record of oath included, except in the cases of exemption provided by law. We do not publish price lists: each instruction is assessed on the document and its purpose, with a free quotation and no obligation.

One €16 revenue stamp for every 100 lines, counting the lines of the record of oath as well, as laid down in the Revenue Agency circular applied by the Court of Rome. Any annexes attract a further fixed charge. The count is made by the translator before the oath and checked by the court officer at the counter.

Translations for adoption, scholarship, employment and social-security proceedings, separation and divorce and the other matters listed in Presidential Decree 642/1972 and in special legislation are exempt, with the relevant provision stated in the record. The exemption must be declared by the client and recorded by the translator. The full list is on the stamp duty exemptions page.

Yes. The quotation is free and without obligation and includes a preliminary assessment of the form required: sworn, certified, with or without an Apostille. It is requested through the form, by e-mail to info@traduzionigiurateroma.it or by telephone, with a legible copy of the document.

The official translator attends the counter of the Sworn Translations Office of the Court of Rome with the document, the translation and the record of oath, already completed and bearing the revenue stamps. The court officer checks the file, receives the oath and affixes the chronological number and the stamp. The file thus formed, consisting of the original or copy, the translation and the record, is a single indivisible document.

The translation is sworn at the Expert Reports and Translations Office of the Court of Rome, Viale Giulio Cesare 54/b, with direct access at the counter during opening hours. It is the official translator who attends the Court: the client's presence is not required.

For short documents, such as certificates, driving licences, diplomas and civil-status records, the sworn translation is normally ready within one or two working days. For long or technical documents the timing is stated in the quotation. Urgent instructions are assessed case by case according to the opening hours of the Court counter.

No. Visits to the office are by appointment, but in most cases the procedure is started and completed on the documents sent by e-mail. We recommend sending your request in advance to info@traduzionigiurateroma.it, attaching a copy of the documents, or contacting the office: you will then receive precise guidance on the form of the documents to be handed in, if at all.

No. The translator attends the counter and takes the oath. The client is required only to provide the document in the correct form.

Yes. For urgent requests the firm is available on public holidays as well: simply write to info@traduzionigiurateroma.it or on WhatsApp to +39 335 6792461, attaching the document and stating the deadline. The oath at the Court follows the counter's opening hours, but translation, certification and the organisation of the file proceed without waiting for the next working day.

Yes. The request, the quotation, the sending of documents and payment all take place remotely. The oath remains an act the translator performs in person at the Court: there is no such thing as a remote oath. The sworn file, which is an original paper document, is collected at our office or sent by courier.

The sworn translation is an original paper document bearing the court officer's stamps and signatures. On request we also provide a PDF scan, useful for starting the procedure, but the receiving authority normally requires the original. A certified translation, by contrast, is delivered as a PDF with the translator's signature and stamp.

The oath is taken in person by the translator who produced the translation, before the court officer. Our translators are registered with the Register of Court-Appointed Experts of the Court of Rome and listed as official translators on the Ministry of Justice portal, where the registration can be verified publicly.

No. By taking the oath the translator assumes criminal liability for the accuracy of the translation and must be independent of the document: a translator cannot swear translations of documents concerning themselves or their relatives. The Court of Rome refuses the oath in such cases.

An official translator is registered with the Court's Register of Court-Appointed Experts, after verification of qualifications and competence, and appears in the national list of the Ministry of Justice. Registration is required by the Court of Rome for the oath and is the basis on which institutions, consulates and embassies accept the translation.

The list of official translators is available on the Ministry of Justice portal, where each translator is identified by a registration number. MMW S.r.l. is registered with the Court of Rome's Register of Court-Appointed Experts under number 15556 and on the giustizia.it portal under number 1404.

A sworn translation has no expiry of its own. What may expire is the translated document: a criminal-record certificate, for example, is normally accepted within six months of issue.

Yes. There is no territorial restriction: an oath taken at the Court of Rome is valid throughout the national territory and is accepted in every country once the procedure has been completed, where required, with an Apostille or legalisation according to the country of destination.

Yes. From any Italian city or from abroad, documents are sent to our office by e-mail or courier; the sworn or certified translation is delivered to the address given by express courier. Where a document issued in another city must be legalised at the competent Prefecture or Public Prosecutor's Office, we arrange it through our network of partners.

It depends on the procedure. Citizenship procedures require the original. Others accept a certified copy. The Court of Rome also allows photocopies to be sworn, provided the nature of the document is stated in the record; final acceptance rests with the receiving authority.

No. Document, translation and record are bound and stamped together so as to form a single file. Separating the pages deprives the translation of its effect. For this reason, when the original must remain with the client, we first consider whether to swear a certified copy or a photocopy.

No. The Court of Rome admits oaths only from or into Italian. A translation between two foreign languages requires two steps: from the source language into Italian and from Italian into the target language, each with its own oath.

The record states the translator's particulars, any registration with the Court's register, the source and target languages, a description of the translated document, the oath formula, the number of pages, the chronological number and the court officer's signature. The official form is published by the Court of Rome and is referred to on the Court rules page.

A sworn translation acquires legal effect through the oath taken at the Court, recorded with a record and a chronological number. A certified translation is a statement of accuracy signed and stamped by the official translator, without attendance at the Court, accepted in several countries and deliverable as a PDF. A certified translation may subsequently be sworn.

Yes. Asseverazione is the Italian legal term and giuramento the everyday one: both denote the same act performed before the court officer. A legalised translation, by contrast, is a sworn translation to which a legalisation or an Apostille has been added for use abroad.

No. The form required depends on the country and the receiving authority. For the United Kingdom, for example, a certified translation by an official translator recognised by the British State, such as Dr Michela de Julio, is sufficient. A first contact with our office identifies the correct form and avoids unnecessary costs.

It is a sworn translation on which the Public Prosecutor's Office at the Court has attested the signature of the officer who received the oath. Between countries party to the Hague Convention of 1961 abolishing the requirement of legalisation, that attestation takes the form of the Apostille; with other countries it is followed by legalisation at the competent diplomatic or consular mission.

An Apostille is required when a document must be valid in a country other than the one in which it was formed and both countries have acceded to the Hague Convention of 1961 abolishing the requirement of legalisation for foreign public documents. For a foreign document intended for Italy, the Apostille is affixed in the country of origin, before translation. For an Italian document intended for use abroad, it is affixed after the oath, on the officer's signature, at the Public Prosecutor's Office.

It depends on the nature of the document. Judicial and notarial documents and sworn translations receive the Apostille from the Public Prosecutor's Office at the Court of Rome. Administrative documents, such as civil-status certificates, academic qualifications and criminal-record certificates, receive the Apostille from the Prefecture of Rome. On request, the service covers the whole procedure.

To both, depending on the case. The original document receives the Apostille in the country that issued it. The sworn translation, to be valid abroad, in turn receives an Apostille on the court officer's signature. Many foreign authorities require both Apostilles together: it is advisable to check with the receiving authority before starting.

For certain civil-status documents, such as birth, marriage, residence and absence of a criminal record, Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 dispenses with the Apostille and allows the use of the multilingual standard form attached by the issuing authority. For other documents, and whenever the receiving authority requires it, the ordinary rules of the Hague Convention apply.

In the United Kingdom and the United States a translation certified by the translator, without an oath in court, is normally accepted. In Canada and other countries the requirements vary by authority and by province. In every case the Italian document must bear an Apostille to be used abroad. The correct form is stated in the quotation.

The document must first be legalised or apostilled in the country of issue, then translated into Italian and sworn in Italy by an official translator. A translation made abroad is accepted only if legalised by the competent Italian consulate. The order of the steps matters: a translation sworn before the Apostille often has to be redone.

As a rule, the birth certificate and the criminal-record certificate of the country of origin, in the original, bearing an Apostille or legalisation and a sworn translation into Italian. For citizenship by marriage, the marriage certificate and any divorce decrees are added. Some consulates accept translations made locally; for applications lodged in Italy the sworn translation is made at the Court.

Yes, if you drive in Italy on a non-EU licence without an international driving permit: article 135 of the Italian Highway Code requires an official translation of the licence. The sworn translation is ready for collection at our office within 24 hours on working days. The same sworn translation is required to convert the licence at the Motor Vehicle Office.

Diplomas, degrees and transcripts receive a sworn translation after the Apostille or legalisation affixed in the country of issue. For university enrolment, public competitions and professional recognition the institution also requires the declaration of value or the statement of comparability. The page on recognition of foreign qualifications sets out the steps.

Yes, with a sworn translation, for citizenship, residence permits, employment and professional registration. The certificate must be recent, normally no older than six months, and bear an Apostille or legalisation from the country of issue.

The birth certificate and the certificate of no impediment, or certificate of freedom to marry, issued by the country of origin and bearing an Apostille or legalisation, with a sworn translation into Italian. Divorced or widowed persons add the divorce decree or the spouse's death certificate. The municipality where the marriage takes place provides the exact list.

Yes, for the foreign documents attached to the application: birth and marriage certificates, family-status certificates, criminal-record certificates and academic qualifications. The documents must be legalised or apostilled in the country of issue and translated under oath in Italy, or translated and legalised at the competent Italian consulate.

Company registry extracts, articles of association, by-laws, powers of attorney and financial statements of foreign companies receive a sworn translation for registration with the Companies Register, public tenders, notarial transactions and litigation. Notarial and corporate documents intended for use abroad follow the reverse route: oath at the Court and Apostille at the Public Prosecutor's Office.

Yes. Foreign divorce, adoption, custody and civil judgments are recorded or recognised in Italy with a sworn translation, after an Apostille or legalisation in the country of issue. Divorce judgments from EU Member States circulate with the certificate provided for by Regulation (EU) 2019/1111.

Sworn translations are available in more than 150 languages, with official translators registered with the court's register. The list is on the Languages page.

The requirement set by the Court is registration with the Register of Court-Appointed Experts, which attests competence in the language combination. Our practice is to entrust translations into a foreign language to native speakers or translators of equivalent competence and to have them revised before the oath.

A sworn translation reproduces the whole document, including stamps, seals, annotations, signatures and handwritten parts, with the bracketed notes required by practice. Illegible parts are marked as such. The copy sent must therefore be complete and legible, front and back.

The translator, who has assumed responsibility for the accuracy of the text by taking the oath, corrects the translation and swears it again at no cost to the client where the error is attributable to the translation. Errors in the original document cannot be corrected in translation: an official translation reproduces the text as it was written.

No. The oath is a personal act of the translator, who is civilly and criminally liable for the accuracy of the text. An automated system takes no oath, is registered with no professional register and assumes no liability: its output cannot be sworn before the Court or certified with official effect. At most, an official translator may fully revise a machine-translated text, but then answers for it as for a translation of their own and normally redoes most of it.

No. Prefectures, police headquarters, municipalities, universities, the Motor Vehicle Office and the courts require a sworn translation made by an official translator, bound to the document and to the record of oath bearing the revenue stamps. A machine translation, with no signature and no record, is rejected and the procedure must be started again.

No, where the receiving authority requires an official translation. Consulates, embassies, universities, immigration offices and foreign courts require certification by a recognised translator, in many cases with legalisation or an Apostille. It is the official translator's signature that makes the document usable, not the apparent correctness of the text.

Automated systems produce fluent text even when they are wrong: they transpose dates and figures, confuse legal concepts that have no equivalent in the other legal system, translate proper names, omit stamps and annotations and flatten formulae that have different effects in the original. For a civil-status record, a judgment or a contract the error goes unnoticed until the authority rejects the document or until it produces legal effects. The dedicated page sets out concrete cases.

No. The oath gives the status of a public document only to the record drawn up by the court officer, which is conclusive evidence of the translator's identity, the date and the declaration made (art. 2700 of the Civil Code). The content of the translated document remains confidential: it is not entered in any public register, cannot be consulted by third parties without a legal title and, after the oath, the original, the translation and the record are returned to the client.

Only the translator in charge and the court officer at the moment of the oath. The firm processes documents under Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and does not disclose them to third parties: a sworn translation produced in administrative or judicial proceedings is accessible only to the parties to those proceedings, within the limits set by Law 241/1990 and the procedural codes.

Yes. For corporate documents, litigation, expert reports and medical records the firm signs a confidentiality agreement on request before receiving the documents. Working copies are deleted at the end of the assignment, subject to tax record-keeping obligations.