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Certified translations — did any of yours get rejected?

Ahmed Hassan ⭐ Helpful member
4 Sept 2026, 11:46

An update on my apostille saga from June, for anyone who remembers. The documents are done, and we submitted our renewal with everything translated. Then one translation was rejected, because the translator was certified in Egypt, not here.

Nobody told us that the translator had to be recognised by the country receiving the document. We'd paid for the translations in Cairo because it was cheaper and faster. Now we're paying again here.

Did any of your translations get rejected? For what reason? And did you learn a rule that would have saved you the second payment?

3 replies

Diego Fernandez 🏆 Community expert
5 Sept 2026, 12:47

Exactly the same thing happened to me in Spain. The Argentinian translation was perfect, but the office only accepted sworn translators recognised in Spain. My rule now: before paying any translator, ask the receiving office, in writing, what kind of translator they accept, and check the translator's name against the official list if there is one.

Fatima Al-Rashid ⭐ Helpful member
7 Sept 2026, 03:20

Ours were rejected for the translator's stamp being a copy rather than original, which we'd never have guessed.

Jimmy 🏆 Community expert Admin Premium
9 Sept 2026, 17:17

Diego's rule is the right one. Who counts as a certified or sworn translator is defined by the country receiving the document, not the one issuing it, and many countries keep an official register. The Documents section of each guide covers this, for example the Documents section for Germany, and checking with the office handling your file first is always cheaper than paying twice.