Certified English-to-French translation by a sworn translator appointed by a French Court of Appeal. All your British, American, Canadian, Australian, Irish and South African documents translated into official French, accepted by every French authority.
A certified English-French translation is the official translation of a document written in English into French, produced by a sworn translator listed with a French Court of Appeal. It is required whenever you present an English-language document to a French authority — prefecture, town hall, university, court, notary, or consulate.
If you are moving to France from the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa or any other English-speaking country, almost all of your civil status documents, diplomas and judicial records will need to be translated by a French sworn translator before you can complete any procedure.
The use cases are numerous: putting together a long-stay visa application, applying for a residence permit, a naturalisation procedure, marrying a French national, registering a birth abroad with the French consular civil registry, having a degree recognised through ENIC-NARIC, an international inheritance matter, an adoption, or a court proceeding. In every one of these cases, a certified French translation is required — an informal translation or a document notarised in the country of origin will not be accepted.
English is the official or co-official language of around fifty countries. Our translators are trained in the different variants and in the corresponding administrative systems. Here are the main jurisdictions whose documents we handle on a daily basis:
The differences between British and American English go beyond spelling. They also involve legal vocabulary, administrative systems and cultural references. Our translators are fluent in these nuances so they can render the precise meaning in French.
Some classic examples: colour / color, centre / center, realise / realize, defence / defense, licence (UK noun) / license (UK verb, US noun). These variations do not affect the French translation, but they help identify the document's origin and respect source-country conventions for a reverse translation.
This is where the differences become critical. English-speaking legal systems are rooted in common law, built on case law, whereas French law follows the civil law tradition (the Napoleonic Code civil). This structural divergence explains why some concepts have no direct equivalent and must be adapted:
The term vital records (US) or civil registration (UK) corresponds to our "état civil". The Social Security Number (SSN, US) has no direct French equivalent. The National Insurance Number (UK) is often rendered as "numéro national d'assurance". The driver's license (US) / driving licence (UK) becomes "permis de conduire" — see our dedicated page on driving licence translation.
Here are the documents we translate most frequently from English. Each has its own formatting and terminology quirks depending on its country of issue.
We also handle passports (identity page), US Social Security cards, UK National Insurance Statements, tax returns (US W-2, UK P60), adoption orders, powers of attorney, last wills and testaments, affidavits, court orders, medical records, and employment contracts.
Almost all English-speaking countries are signatories to the 5 October 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, which greatly simplifies procedures. Here is the country-by-country detail, current for 2026:
| Country | Hague status | Apostille issuing authority |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Signatory (1965) | Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), Milton Keynes |
| United States | Signatory (1981) | Secretary of State of each state (state-issued documents) + U.S. Department of State (federal documents) |
| Canada | Signatory since 11 January 2024 | Global Affairs Canada + designated provincial authorities |
| Australia | Signatory (1995) | Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) |
| New Zealand | Signatory (2001) | Department of Internal Affairs, Authentication Unit |
| Ireland | Signatory (1999) | Department of Foreign Affairs, Consular Services |
| South Africa | Signatory (1995) | Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) |
| India | Signatory (2005) | Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi |
| Nigeria | NOT a signatory | Double legalisation: Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs + French Consulate |
The order to follow is always the same: (1) obtain the original document, (2) have it apostilled in the country of issue, (3) have the whole (document + apostille) translated by a French sworn translator. Some authorities also require the apostille of the sworn translator's own signature: this is rare, but possible for certain international uses — we handle this step on request.
For certain uses — particularly with European institutions, international organisations (the UN, UNESCO, the World Bank, the European Commission) or simultaneous procedures in several countries — our clients ask for a certified translation with a bilingual EN/FR endorsement. This means producing the certified French translation while adding an English-language note on every page ("Certified translation from English to French by a sworn translator registered with the Court of Appeal of [city]").
Note: this endorsement does not replace a certified translation into a third language. For official use in Spain or Germany, for instance, you would still need a separate certified Spanish or German translation. The bilingual endorsement simply makes the document easier to read for non-French-speaking parties. Additional fee: €15 per document.
Here are some of the equivalences most frequently needed. Our translators know several thousand such correspondences and systematically add an explanatory note whenever no perfect equivalent exists.
| English term | Meaning / system | French equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Common-law marriage | A de facto union with legal recognition (in some US states, and in Canada) | Mariage de fait / concubinage notoire |
| LLC (Limited Liability Company) | A limited-liability company (US) | SARL / SAS (approximate equivalent) |
| Probate | The court procedure for validating a will | Homologation / procédure successorale |
| Power of Attorney | A mandate or proxy (UK, US) | Procuration / mandat de représentation |
| Decree Absolute | A final divorce judgment (UK) | Divorce définitif / jugement de divorce irrévocable |
| Affidavit | A written statement made under oath | Attestation sur l'honneur / déclaration sous serment |
| Estate | The totality of a deceased person's assets | Succession / patrimoine du défunt |
| Trust | A common law institution with no direct equivalent | Fiducie (a partial equivalent) · the English term is kept, with a note |
| Guardian ad litem | A guardian appointed for a specific proceeding | Administrateur ad hoc / tuteur ad litem |
| Bachelor of Arts / Science | An undergraduate degree (3-4 years) | Licence (bachelor's degree, with an explanatory note) |
| Juris Doctor (JD) | An American law doctorate (a 3-year post-bachelor's programme) | Docteur en droit / JD with a note (not to be confused with the French doctorate) |
English is classed as a standard language on our price grid: a ×1 multiplier, the same rate as other common European languages (Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, Dutch). No premium for rarity — the prices shown are the final prices.
| Document | Turnaround | Price (all-inclusive) | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth / Marriage certificate (1 page) | 48 working hours | €54 | PDF + paper original |
| Long form / Certified copy (2 pages) | 48 working hours | €108 | PDF + paper original |
| Degree + Transcript (diploma + transcript) | 72 working hours | from €54 | PDF + paper original Popular |
| Divorce decree / Court order | 72 working hours | from €54 | Depending on page count |
| Bilingual EN/FR endorsement | +0h | +€15 | Optional on any document |
| Express 24h | 24 working hours | +€20 | Optional on any document |
Some documents issued in the United Kingdom or Ireland may be partly or wholly drafted in an official Celtic language:
These languages are rarer and can add a slightly longer turnaround (+24 to 48h) when they are the document's main language, but this remains exceptional.
If you need a French document translated into English to send abroad (a university application to Harvard, a wedding in Scotland, a visa for Australia…), the choice of dialect has little legal bearing: the French sworn translator certifies the translation, and that certification is recognised in countries that accept translations issued outside their own jurisdiction.
That said, we recommend:
You can specify your preference when you place your order. By default, our translators use standard British English for translations intended for Europe and the Commonwealth, and American English for US destinations.
No. English-French sworn translators are qualified to translate from every variant of English: UK, US, Canadian, Australian, Irish, South African, New Zealand. What matters is their registration with a French Court of Appeal for the "English–French" language pair.
That said, experienced translators know the specifics of each jurisdiction (names of authorities, certificate formats, legal terminology particular to a given US state, for example) and reflect these nuances in the translation.
The rate starts at €39 for a one-page document (birth certificate, simple marriage certificate, short statement). Expect €49 for a full 2-page copy, €59 for 24h express delivery, and €89 for a degree together with its transcript.
English is classed as a "standard language": no language surcharge. For a complete file (naturalisation, long-stay visa), the 4-document family pack at €129 is the most economical option.
No. In the United States, a notarized translation is simply a translation whose translator's signature has been certified by a notary public. This notary public has no legal equivalent in France: it is a plain certifying officer, not a notaire in the French sense of the term.
French authorities systematically require a translation produced by a translator listed with a French Court of Appeal. We can re-translate your document from the original American source within 48h.
Yes, for most official procedures: naturalisation, civil marriage, adoption, civil status transcription, court proceedings. The United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and India have been signatories to the Hague Convention for decades.
Canada has been a signatory since 11 January 2024. Before that date, double authentication was required (Global Affairs Canada + French Consulate). For a Canadian document issued after 11 January 2024, a simple apostille is enough.
For more informal uses (schooling, scholarship applications, HR at a company), the apostille is often optional. See our apostille & legalisation page for more detail.
Yes, it is one of our most requested documents. We translate:
UK: ACRO Police Certificate, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate, Basic/Standard/Enhanced DBS.
US: FBI Identity History Summary (Identity Summary Check), State Police Record.
Canada: RCMP Criminal Record Check, provincial police check.
Australia: National Police Check (AFP).
Ireland: Garda Vetting Certificate, Police Certificate.
The translation includes all stamps, barcodes, security markings and official wording. Price: €54 per page depending on format.
For use in several European countries, or with international institutions (OECD, UNESCO, etc.), we offer a bilingual English-French endorsement added to the certified French translation.
Note: this endorsement does not replace a certified translation into the official language of the destination country. For Germany you would still need a German translation; for Spain, Spanish. The bilingual endorsement only makes the document easier to read for non-French speakers. Additional cost: €15.
Yes. We translate every English-language qualification:
UK: Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BSc), Master of Arts (MA), Master of Science (MSc), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Postgraduate Certificate/Diploma (PGCE, PGDip).
US: Associate's Degree, Bachelor's Degree, Master's Degree, Juris Doctor (JD), Medical Doctor (MD), PhD, MBA.
Canada & Australia: equivalent systems, sometimes with special distinctions (Honours, With Distinction).
For official recognition in France, the translation must be accompanied by an ENIC-NARIC certificate. See our degree equivalence translation page.
For most French procedures, no. The short form (issued free of charge at birth registration) shows only the name, date and place of birth. French prefectures require the long form (or full certified copy), which includes parentage (the names, and the dates and places of birth, of both parents).
The long form can be obtained online from the General Register Office (gov.uk) for around £11. Request it before ordering the translation. We can advise you if in doubt.
Order your certified translation online in 48h. Translators accredited by the French Courts of Appeal, with common law expertise.