How to get certified translations for a destination wedding

Your wedding is a special day. Possibly the most special! That’s why many couples choose to get married overseas in a place that means a lot to them. And the last thing you’d want is for your plans to be ruined because you overlooked some tiny detail… such as how to get certified translations of official documents.

Imagine you’re planning a destination wedding in Greece, for example. To do this, you’ll need “official” translations of your birth certificates and a certificate of no impediment to marriage. And if you don’t get these translations done properly, you may have to delay or cancel your wedding plans. It could also lead to extra costs.

This is easy to avoid if you use a specialised translation service like Sparrow. Simply upload your documents and tell us your requirements, then we’ll handle the rest.

We’ve also prepared this handy guide explaining how “certified translation” works. So if you’d like to learn more before getting your documents translated, read on!

What is certified translation?

A translation is “certified” if it has been approved for official government or legal use. This can apply to a wide range of documents, including:

• Birth certificates, passports and other forms of personal identification.
• Professional or educational qualifications so you can work or study abroad.
• Death certificates and medical records.
• Legal writing such as wills, contracts and court documents.
• Bank statements, tax returns and other financial information.

In other words, if you need a translation of an “official” document, there’s a good chance you’ll need it to be certified. And having documents translated properly can be crucial for many of the most important moments in your life.

Unfortunately, getting a certified translation isn’t always easy! Every country has its own rules for how the process works. And the relevant information might not even be available in English. This means finding a certified translator can be a challenge.

For a destination wedding in Greece, for instance, you’ll need to get at least a few documents translated. Let’s take a look at how this might work. 

How to get certified translations for use in Greece

If you’re planning a destination wedding in Greece, you’re likely to need certified translations of several key documents. These may include:

• Your and your partner’s long-form birth certificates.
• A certificate of no impediment to marry (CNI).
• A valid passport for both partners.
• A certificate of divorce if either of you have been married previously (or a death certificate and original marriage certificate if either partner has been widowed).
• Baptism certificates if you are planning a Catholic ceremony.

So, how do you get certified translations of your birth certificates, CNI and any other official documents you might need? In Greece, there are two key rules:

• You will need to use a qualified translator from a relevant organisation, such as the Panhellenic Association of Professional Translation Graduates of the Ionian University, or the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Certified Translators Registry.
• For documents to be certified for legal or consular use, a Greek lawyer must witness and stamp hard copies (electronic versions won’t be accepted).

You’ll then need to either travel to Greece to pick up the translated documents or get them delivered to you. Which is all quite complex, especially if you don’t speak Greek!

What’s more, if you don’t follow the proper process – whether that’s missing a key step or hiring the wrong kind of translator – your documents could be rejected. And that may mean you have to reschedule your wedding or pay to have documents retranslated.

So, if you need a certified translation of a marriage certificate or any other personal document, it makes sense to work with the experts at Sparrow.

Certified translation made simple

Working with Sparrow makes the translation process simple because we’ve already done the legwork. In Greece, for example, we have expert linguists qualified to certify translations. We can also get your translations witnessed and stamped by a Greek lawyer, even at short notice, ensuring the process runs smoothly.

As a result, with Sparrow, you don’t have to spend hours of your own time researching translators and lawyers. Instead, all you need to do is:

• Go to our Get a Translation page.
• Tell us how the translation will be used and who it is for (e.g. a government department, embassy, employer or university).
• Let us know which languages to translate from and to (e.g. English to Greek).
• Upload your document to our system.

We’ll then get in touch with a quote. And once you approve the quote, all you need to do is wait. We’ll even organise a trusted courier to get hard copies of the translated documents to you, so you can focus on planning your wedding instead!

Why Sparrow is the best choice for translations 

Whether you’re looking to get a certified translation of a birth certificate, academic qualifications, court documents or anything else, Sparrow has you covered:

• We have highly qualified linguists in countries all over the world.
• Our in-depth knowledge of certified translation in different countries, territories and regions means we can help with almost any situation.
• If a document has to be stamped or witnessed in person, we have people on the ground who can handle it for you.
• Our expert proofreaders will check your certified translation is error-free.
• Our UK-based data centre is ISO27001 certified, offering high standards of data security and confidentiality.

On top of all this, we offer a money-back guarantee! Either your certified translation is accepted by the relevant authorities or it doesn’t cost you a penny.

You can find out more about how Sparrow works on our FAQs page. And we’re always happy to answer any questions you have about certified translations. Just drop us an email today, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.