Guide · Certified translations
When do I need a traduction assermentée for France?
French requirements can call for a particular translator qualification. Determine the appropriate format using the recipient’s instructions and your document.
Reviewed on 27 October 2026
The short answer
Check whether the French recipient requires a traduction assermentée and which translators are accepted. Service Public describes judicial expert lists and a separate route for translations abroad. Do not assume a German-certified translation is sufficient for every French procedure without checking.
Establish the required translator status
Include the authority, procedure name and language direction in your enquiry. Attach the actual French requirement, especially where it names a traducteur agréé or expert judiciaire.
The official Service Public page explains how to find approved translators. Use it to check the required route; a particular French credential must be explicitly confirmed in an enquiry.
Read more: Service Public: finding an approved translator in France
Do not infer the need solely from language
Ask about already accepted language versions or multilingual forms. EU simplifications may apply to certain public documents; check their actual scope before commissioning translation.
Retain the answer concerning your existing version. This keeps clear why one certificate is being translated while another in the same set can be used unchanged.
Read more: Your Europe: public documents in the EU
Describe scope and delivery format clearly
Provide complete pages, including attachments and reverse sides. Check whether the translation must match a particular certificate version and whether existing authentication pages should be included.
Discuss the required issuing route before planning a fixed submission date. A translation enquiry does not establish that a particular French certification procedure is already included.
Your next steps
Identify the procedure and recipient in France.
Check language exemptions and existing versions.
Confirm translator qualifications and the issuing route.
Send complete sources with the actual instructions.
More questions
Is a French translation automatically assermentée?
No. The language alone does not establish the required official translator status.
Can a multilingual certificate be sufficient?
Check this for the document type and recipient before ordering an additional version.
Are special French certifications automatically included?
No. Supply the requirement and expressly agree the available scope.
Sources and further reading
The receiving organisation’s current instructions matter for your assignment. Send them to us with your documents.
Clarify special requirements first
Send the French recipient’s instructions. The translator credential and required format must be clarified first.
Confirm the issuing route and availability before ordering.