Your foreign birth certificate translated into French by a sworn translator registered with a French Court of Appeal. Accepted by every prefecture, town hall and consulate. Perfect for visa, residency, naturalisation, marriage and university files.
Your birth certificate is the most frequently requested document in French administrative procedures · it's the document that proves your identity, your date and place of birth, and often your parents' identities. If your birth certificate is in a language other than French, virtually every French administration will require a certified French translation before processing your file.
Here are the procedures where a certified birth certificate translation is mandatory:
French authorities strongly prefer the long-form (full) birth certificate showing both parents, not the abbreviated or short version. The specific name and format varies by country · here is what we accept from the main English-speaking jurisdictions:
If your birth certificate is issued outside the European Union, an apostille is almost always required before translation. Here is where and how to obtain it:
| Country | Where to apostille | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Secretary of State of the state of issuance (Alabama SOS, California SOS, New York Department of State, Texas SOS, etc.) | 1–8 weeks |
| United Kingdom | FCDO Legalisation Office (Milton Keynes) · online service at gov.uk/get-document-legalised | 2 days (premium) / 3 weeks standard |
| Canada | Global Affairs Canada or designated provincial authority (since 11 January 2024) | ~15 business days |
| Australia | DFAT · Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade | 5–10 business days |
| New Zealand | DIA · Department of Internal Affairs | 5 working days |
| Ireland | Usually not needed · use EU multilingual form instead | - |
| India | MEA · Ministry of External Affairs, via outsourced centres | 5–7 business days |
| Nigeria | Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs + legalisation at the French Embassy (not Hague party) | 3–6 weeks |
| South Africa | DIRCO · Department of International Relations and Cooperation | 1–3 weeks |
Transdoc's birth certificate translation is produced by a sworn translator registered with a French Court of Appeal, with a clear 4-step process:
The price is charged per page (about 250 words) and depends only on the language of your document, not on the type of certificate. Prices include 20% French VAT (not charged for billing addresses outside the EU). No hidden fees: the options below are shown in the quote before you pay.
| 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 |
This is the single most common mistake we see: people translate their birth certificate first, then try to apostille the translation. The apostille then authenticates only the translation, not the source document · and French administrations will reject the file.
If you have already started translation without apostille, don't panic · you can still apostille the source document separately and we will produce an addendum translation of the apostille. Contact our team to arrange this.
If your birth certificate was issued by an EU Member State (including Ireland), you have an alternative to certified translation under EU Regulation 2016/1191: the multilingual standard form.
This is a pre-printed form, free of charge, that the issuing authority prepares in all EU languages alongside your birth certificate. When presented together, the two documents are accepted in France without apostille and without certified translation.
Request it when you order your birth certificate · ask for the "multilingual standard form" or "formulaire standard multilingue". It works best for birth, marriage, divorce, death, and registered partnership certificates.
If you cannot obtain the multilingual form or need the document urgently, our certified translation is always a reliable fallback.
Every French administrative procedure involving someone born abroad requires a certified French translation of their birth certificate. This includes long-stay visas, residence permits, naturalisation, marriage in France, PACS, university enrolment via Campus France, and birth registration of children born abroad to French parents.
The translation has legal value only if it is produced by a sworn translator registered with a French Court of Appeal · a translation done by a US notary, UK solicitor or Australian NAATI-certified translator is not accepted.
French authorities require the long-form (full) birth certificate showing both parents. The short or abbreviated version · US wallet-size, UK short certificate, South African abridged · is usually refused. Always request the long-form certified copy with raised seal from your country's vital records office.
Yes, if your birth certificate was issued outside the EU. The apostille must be on the original document before translation · we then translate both the certificate and the apostille. Canada joined the Hague Convention on 11 January 2024; US, UK, Australia, NZ, India, South Africa have been members for years. Non-Hague countries (Nigeria, certain other African and Middle Eastern states) require double legalisation at the foreign ministry plus French consulate.
The price depends on the language of your birth certificate, 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 standard birth certificate usually fits on one page; a long-form certificate with marginal mentions may take two, each page being 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.
The certified translation itself never expires. However, most French administrations require the underlying birth certificate to be less than 3 months old. For PACS and some other procedures, 6 months is accepted. If your birth certificate is older than the requirement, request a fresh certified copy from your country's vital records office · then we translate that fresh copy.
Yes · provided the photo is clear and all details (stamps, signatures, serial numbers, apostille text) are legible. PDF scans are preferable for readability. You do not need to post your paper original to us · a clear digital copy is enough for our sworn translator to work from. The paper original stays with you for the prefecture appointment.
If your birth certificate was issued by an EU Member State (Ireland, Germany, Spain, etc.), you can request a multilingual standard form under EU Regulation 2016/1191 from the issuing authority, free of charge. When presented together with your birth certificate, this form replaces the need for both apostille and translation for use in France.
If you cannot obtain the multilingual form (not all local authorities issue them yet), our certified translation is a reliable backup.
Yes. Our translators are registered with French Courts of Appeal, so their translations are valid throughout France · every prefecture, sub-prefecture, town hall, consulate abroad, court, and university. Our first-submission acceptance rate is 98.7%. If a translation is rejected for a defect on our side, we redo it free of charge.
Order online, receive your certified translation in 3 business days by a sworn translator. No visit, no paperwork, 100% secure.