Your civil status records, family record books, diplomas and criminal records translated from Arabic by a translator listed with a French Court of Appeal. Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, the Gulf states: every Arabic-speaking country.
Arabic is the second most frequently translated language into French for civil status procedures in France. With more than 2 million people from the Maghreb, the Mashriq and the Gulf living in France, requests for certified Arabic-French translations span a very wide range: naturalisation files, family reunification, binational marriage, transcription of records at the central civil registry office in Nantes, international inheritance, degree equivalence, and asylum applications.
The certified translation is produced by a sworn translator listed with a French Court of Appeal, specifically qualified for the "Arabic–French" language pair. These translators hold recognised linguistic expertise (university degrees, experience), a solid understanding of both the Arabic and French legal systems (Islamic law, personal status law, post-Ottoman common law in Lebanon, French law) and take an oath before the Court of Appeal of their jurisdiction.
We handle official documents issued in every country where Arabic is an official or co-official language — 22 Arab League member states — as well as Arabic-speaking diaspora communities:
The Arabic-speaking world is characterised by diglossia: two linguistic registers coexist. Modern Standard Arabic (MSA, in Arabic الفصحى · al-fuṣḥā) is the official language of administrative documents, media, books, literature and public debate. It is the language common to every Arab country, taught in schools, and derived directly from classical Quranic Arabic.
Alongside it, each region speaks one or more dialects in everyday speech, each only partly mutually intelligible:
Crucial point for certified translation: public, administrative and official documents are always written in Modern Standard Arabic, never in a dialect. Our sworn Arabic-French translators therefore translate every official document from every Arabic-speaking country regardless of dialect. Dialects only come into play in spoken communication (interpreting) or informal private documents (emails, text messages, recorded transcripts for court proceedings).
Arabic script has several particularities that call for specialist expertise:
Arabic names follow a different logic from Western naming conventions. A full Arabic name can have up to 5 elements:
The Latin transcription of the same Arabic name can vary considerably depending on the country, the era, and the language of transcription: محمد can become Mohammed, Muhammad, Mohamed, Mohammad, Mahmet depending on the convention used. This variability creates administrative difficulties: the same person may have different spellings across their passport, birth certificate and diploma.
In the certified translation, we follow this order of priority:
When several spellings coexist, we state this explicitly in the translation via a note, so that French authorities can establish identity without ambiguity.
A frequent question: "My Moroccan certificate is already in Arabic and in French. Does it still need to be translated?" The answer is yes, in full.
Three countries issue official documents in bilingual Arabic-French format:
French authorities (prefectures, the central civil registry office in Nantes, town halls) require a full certified translation of the Arabic part, including:
This is the only way to guarantee that all information has been passed on to the French authorities — the "French" part printed by the civil registry of the country of origin is often incomplete or inaccurate regarding marginal notes.
Our translators handle the following documents daily, in every format of issue:
We also translate school enrolment certificates (شهادة مدرسية), certificates of nationality (شهادة الجنسية), residence certificates, medical certificates, guardianship rulings (كفالة), death certificates (شهادة الوفاة), passports and national identity cards.
The situation varies considerably by country of issue. Here is the state of procedures in 2026:
| Country | Hague Convention | Procedure required before translation |
|---|---|---|
| Morocco | NOT a signatory | Double legalisation: Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Rabat) + French Consulate |
| Algeria | Signatory since August 2023 | Apostille from the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
| Tunisia | Signatory (1998) | Apostille from the Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Tunis) |
| Lebanon | NOT a signatory | Double legalisation: Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs + French Consulate in Beirut |
| Egypt | NOT a signatory | Double legalisation: Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs + French Consulate in Cairo |
| Syria | NOT a signatory | Complex context: cases assessed individually, often in an asylum context where legalisation is not required |
| Jordan | NOT a signatory | Double legalisation |
| Palestine | NOT a signatory | Legalisation by the Palestinian Authority, then the French Consulate in Jerusalem or Ramallah |
| Saudi Arabia | Signatory since 2022 | Apostille from the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
| United Arab Emirates | NOT a signatory | Double legalisation: UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs + French Consulate |
| Qatar | NOT a signatory | Double legalisation |
| Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia | Bilateral agreements with France: certain civil status records may be exempt from legalisation under specific agreements. Check with the receiving authority beforehand. | |
| Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Comoros, Djibouti, Mauritania, Somalia | NOT signatories | Double legalisation or a special exemption procedure (asylum, war situation) |
Some Arabic documents (notably Saudi, Yemeni, or older Moroccan and Algerian certificates) show dates in the Hijri calendar (هجري, AH · Anno Hegirae). This lunar calendar began on 16 July 622 of the Gregorian era and counts 354 days a year — so it progressively shifts by around 11 days a year relative to the Gregorian calendar.
The sworn translator carries out the conversion and shows both dates in the translation. For example, a birth date of 1415 AH corresponds to 1994-1995 in our era. This conversion is essential so the French civil registry can record the correct date of birth.
Also watch for the impact of Ramadan on administrative timelines in source countries: during the holy month, authorities operate on reduced hours (often 9am-2pm), which extends the time needed to obtain apostilles, legalisations or duplicate certificates. In 2026, Ramadan is expected to run from 17 February to 19 March.
Arabic-French translations are mainly requested in the following contexts:
Despite the technical complexity of Arabic (RTL, transliteration, Hijri calendar), Transdoc applies a standard ×1 rate for this language · identical to English, Spanish or Italian. Our high volume on this language pair lets us keep prices competitive.
| Document | Turnaround | Price (all-inclusive) | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth Certificate شهادة الميلاد | 48 working hours | €59 | PDF + paper original |
| Marriage Certificate عقد الزواج | 48 working hours | €59 | PDF + paper original |
| Family record book (8 pages) | 72 working hours | from €59 | Depending on pages filled in Popular |
| Criminal Record الصحيفة العدلية | 48 working hours | €59 | PDF + paper original |
| Diploma + transcript | 72 working hours | from €59 | PDF + paper original |
| Naturalisation pack (4 documents) | 72 working hours | €129 | -17% on the complete file |
| Express 24h | 24 working hours | +€20 | Optional on any document |
Official Arabic documents are always written in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA, fusha), never in a dialect. Our sworn Arabic-French translators therefore translate every administrative document from every Arabic-speaking country without difficulty: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, etc.
Dialects (Moroccan/Algerian/Tunisian darija, Levantine chami, Gulf khaliji, Egyptian, Iraqi) only come into play in speech or in informal private documents (emails, text messages, recorded transcripts). For these cases, we also offer dialect translation and interpreting services through our native-speaker experts.
Yes, in full. Moroccan, Tunisian and Lebanese documents are often printed in bilingual Arabic-French format, but the French version is considered a courtesy administrative translation, with no legal value in France. The Arabic part remains the authentic version.
Prefectures, the central civil registry office in Nantes, and notaries all require a full certified translation of the Arabic part, including stamps, seals, handwritten marginal notes (marriages, divorces, deaths) and register numbers. This is the only way to guarantee that all information has actually been transmitted — the printed French part is often incomplete regarding marginal notes.
No. Morocco is not a signatory to the 1961 Hague Convention. Moroccan documents must therefore undergo double legalisation before translation:
1. A legalisation stamp from the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (in Rabat, or via local consular delegations).
2. Legalisation by the relevant French Consulate General (Rabat, Casablanca, Fez, Marrakech, Tangier, Agadir).
This procedure must be carried out in the country of origin, before translation. We can guide you through it if needed. See our apostille & legalisation page.
Yes. Algeria deposited its instrument of accession in 2022, and the Convention entered into force for Algeria on 14 August 2023. Since that date, a simple apostille issued by the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is enough for Algerian documents to be accepted in France.
For Algerian documents dating from before 2023, double legalisation may have been necessary. In practice, French prefectures today accept Algerian documents with an apostille even for older certificates, provided the apostille itself is recent.
Arabic is classed as a standard language at Transdoc — the same rate as English, Spanish or Italian (×1 multiplier), despite its technical complexity (RTL, transcription, date conversions). This pricing policy reflects our high volume on this language pair.
Rates: €39 for a birth certificate, €49 for a marriage certificate, €59-89 for a family record book depending on the number of pages, €89 for a diploma + transcript, €129 for a 4-document naturalisation pack.
The Latin transcription of an Arabic name can vary by source and era. For example, محمد can become Mohammed, Muhammad, Mohamed, Mohammad. To avoid inconsistencies between documents, we follow this order of priority:
1. The transcription shown on your current biometric passport;
2. The transcription on your source certificate;
3. Standard transcription recommendations (ISO 233).
If several spellings coexist across your documents, we note this in the translation so French authorities can establish your identity without ambiguity. Specify the spelling used on your passport when you place your order.
Yes, it's one of our most requested documents. We translate in full:
Moroccan family record book (دفتر العائلة): cover page, identity of the head of family, spouse, children, marriages, divorces, deaths, address changes.
Algerian family record book (دفتر العائلة): hardback A5 format, similar to the Moroccan one.
Tunisian family record book (الكتاب العائلي): soft A4 format.
Price: €59 per page depending on how many pages are filled in. For a naturalisation or family reunification file, the record book is almost always required.
Yes. Some documents (notably Saudi, Yemeni, or older Maghreb certificates) show dates in the Hijri calendar (هجري, AH). The sworn translator converts these dates into the Gregorian calendar and shows both in the translation.
For example: born on 15 جمادى الأولى 1415 هـ will read as "born on 20 October 1994 (15 Jumada al-Awwal 1415 AH)" in the French translation. This conversion is essential so the French civil registry records the correct date of birth.
Sworn translators listed with the French Courts of Appeal, certified AR-FR expertise. Delivered in 48h, 100% online, accepted by every French authority.