Asylum seekers, recognised refugees, and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection: our sworn translators support you with supporting evidence, CNDA hearing documents, and the civil status records required to obtain the residence permit that follows international protection.
The translation regime for asylum matters differs from other administrative procedures. It is essential to understand it clearly, both to avoid paying for unnecessary translations and to avoid submitting an incomplete file.
OFPRA (the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons) examines supporting evidence directly in its original language. Protection officers are trained to work with untranslated foreign documents, supported by in-house analysis and geopolitical research units. Providing a certified translation is therefore not mandatory for the OFPRA stage.
However, a free (non-certified) or certified translation can prove valuable to:
The National Court of Asylum Law is a specialised administrative court. Established case-law practice strongly encourages producing translations for the major pieces of evidence included in the appeal file. Specialist lawyers systematically recommend translating any decisive piece of evidence.
To obtain the 10-year resident card (for statutory refugees) or the 4-year multi-year card (for subsidiary protection), the beneficiary must present civil status records in French. The distinctive feature: OFPRA directly reconstructs the civil status documents based on the beneficiary's account, without the beneficiary having to provide a commercial translation. Documents reconstructed by OFPRA are issued directly in French.
In practice, some prefectures still request an additional translation for certain supplementary documents (family record book, certificates of children born abroad after protection was granted). See residence permit.
The asylum application process involves several stages:
Depending on your situation and your case strategy, the following documents may warrant a free or certified translation:
The OFPRA protection interview takes place in French with a sworn interpreter provided free of charge by OFPRA, in the language chosen by the applicant when the application was filed. The list of languages covered is very broad · if a rare language poses a difficulty, OFPRA may use a telephone interpreter or postpone the interview.
The applicant may be accompanied by legal counsel or a trusted support person (Article L.531-12 of the CESEDA, the French Code on the Entry and Residence of Foreigners and the Right to Asylum).
The interview record is drawn up in French. A copy may be requested.
Asylum documents contain extremely sensitive information: persecution suffered, family members, political affiliation, sexual orientation, trauma, religious commitments. Inappropriate disclosure could expose the applicant and their loved ones to reprisals in the country of origin.
Transdoc applies an enhanced confidentiality regime for asylum matters:
Once international protection has been recognised by OFPRA or the CNDA, the beneficiary is issued with:
OFPRA is the only administrative authority empowered to draw up civil status documents for beneficiaries of international protection who cannot obtain documents from their country of origin (based on the principle that they should have no contact with the authorities they consider to be persecuting them). Documents issued by OFPRA carry the same legal value as those issued by a French town hall.
The procedure for drawing up OFPRA civil status documents is free of charge. It requires an application form and elements of your account. No commercial translation is required for this step.
Certain supplementary documents may nonetheless require a commercial translation:
The price is charged per page (about 250 words) and depends only on the language of the document. Transdoc produces sworn translations, signed and stamped by a translator registered with a Court of Appeal, which you can submit with an OFPRA file, a CNDA appeal or a prefecture application.
| Service | Delivery | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| English → French | 3 business days | €54 / page | Translation, certification, stamp, signed PDF |
| Spanish, German, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian, Chinese → French | 3 business days | €59 / page | Translation, certification, stamp, signed PDF |
| Italian, Romanian, Turkish → French | 3 business days | €39 / page | Translation, certification, stamp, signed PDF |
| Other languages | 3 business days | €39 to €139 / page | Exact rate shown in the instant quote |
| Priority option | 36h | +€19.72 / order | Faster delivery of the signed PDF |
| Paper original (optional) | 24–72h after the PDF | +€9.60 / order | Wet-stamped original by tracked post |
No, not systematically. OFPRA provides a free interpreter during the interview and examines documents in their original language. However, a free (non-certified) or certified translation of central pieces of evidence (judgments, medical certificates, arrest warrants) can usefully support your account.
For a CNDA hearing, translations are strongly recommended.
To obtain the resulting residence permit (the 10-year resident card for refugees, the 4-year multi-year card for subsidiary protection), OFPRA itself reconstructs the civil status documents based on your account. These OFPRA documents are issued directly in French and do not need to be translated.
Certain supplementary documents (certificates of children born abroad after protection, family record books from third countries) may nonetheless require a commercial translation.
The SPADA (first-reception centre for asylum seekers) is the initial point of entry. It then directs applicants to the single desk for asylum seekers (GUDA) at the prefecture, for formal registration, fingerprinting, and the issuance of the asylum seeker's certificate.
The price depends on the language of your documents, not on the type of document. It is charged per page (about 250 words), taxes included: €54 for English, €59 for Spanish, German, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian or Chinese, and €39 for Italian, Romanian or Turkish. Other languages range from €39 to €139. A piece of evidence or a civil status record usually fits on one page; each page is charged at the same rate.
Standard delivery in 3 business days is included. Two options are available: 36h Priority (+€19.72 per order) and a paper original by tracked post (+€9.60 per order). The signed PDF, certification, stamp and signature are included in every price. VAT is not charged for billing addresses outside the EU. You see your exact price in the online quote before paying.
Transdoc applies absolute confidentiality:
The National Court of Asylum Law is the specialised administrative court that hears appeals against negative OFPRA decisions. It sits in Montreuil (Seine-Saint-Denis, just outside Paris). The hearing takes place before a rapporteur, an OFPRA representative, and an interpreter. Translations of supporting evidence are particularly useful there.
The interview takes place in French with the assistance of a sworn interpreter provided free of charge by OFPRA, in the language chosen by the applicant when the application was filed. The interview record is drawn up in French.
OFPRA covers more than 80 languages, including rare languages (Amharic, Soninke, Wolof, Pashto, Kurdish Sorani, Tigrinya, Rohingya, etc.).
Yes. Several schemes exist:
Contact 115 (the national emergency helpline) or your local SPADA for initial advice.
Absolute confidentiality. Our team handles every asylum file with the rigour and discretion it deserves.