Police Clearance Certificate Translation

A police clearance certificate translation reproduces the entire certificate, including the exact wording that states whether any record exists, the issuing authority, the reference number, the date of issue and every stamp, seal and verification code on the page. These certificates are short, so most measure as a single page, which means $24.95 with the certified service and a return in 2 to 3 business days. The wording is what matters, and it is where careless translations fail.

Translate the no record wording exactly, not loosely

A police clearance certificate does not usually say you have a clean record. It says something narrower and more precise, and the precision is the point. The certificate states what a search of a named register on a named date returned. A translation that softens that into a general clean bill of health has changed the legal meaning of the document.

The formulations differ by country and each one has to survive the translation intact.

• Spanish. A Certificado de Antecedentes Penales stating that no antecedentes penales appear in the Registro Central de Penados
• French. A Bulletin n° 3 du casier judiciaire national, which reports néant when no entry is recorded
• German. A Führungszeugnis from the Bundeszentralregister, which prints the line Keine Eintragung when the register holds nothing, and which comes in different types such as Belegart N and Belegart O for different purposes
• Italian. A Certificato del Casellario Giudiziale, often requested with a separate Certificato dei Carichi Pendenti covering pending proceedings
• Portuguese. A Certificado de Registo Criminal in Portugal or a Certidão de Antecedentes Criminais in Brazil, each naming the purpose it was issued for
• Dutch. A Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag, the VOG, which states that no objection was found for a specific screening profile rather than that no record exists
• Turkish. An Adli Sicil Kaydı, or the fuller Adli Sicil ve Arşiv Kaydı that also covers archived entries, which prints a line to the effect that no record is found

Notice how different those statements are from each other. A Dutch VOG and a German Führungszeugnis are not equivalent documents, and a translator who flattens both into the same English sentence has misrepresented at least one of them.

What the certified translation must include

Everything on the sheet. The full name and address of the issuing authority, the applicant's full name, date and place of birth, and any identity number, the purpose the certificate was issued for when it is stated, the reference or dossier number, the date of the search, the date of issue, the signature and title of the official, and the wording of the result.

Modern certificates increasingly carry a QR code, a verification string, or a document authentication number that the issuing authority hosts online. Those are described and reproduced in brackets at the position where they appear, because the recipient may want to run the check itself. Stamps, dry seals and signatures are handled the same way, for example [round seal of the Ministry of Justice] or [QR code].

You receive one PDF. The cover page is a Certificate of Translation Accuracy naming the source file, the document type, the language pair, the order reference, the ATA membership number, the date of certification and the translator who reviewed and signed it, with an approval stamp and a QR code leading to our own public verification record. Anyone checking that certificate can follow how to check if a certified translation is genuine.

The validity window is the trap

Most recipients that ask for a police clearance certificate also require it to have been issued recently, commonly within three or six months of the date you submit it. Translating a certificate does not restart that clock. A perfectly certified translation of a certificate issued fourteen months ago is a perfectly certified translation of an expired document.

Check the date of issue on your certificate against the deadline you are working to before you order anything. If the margin is tight, request a fresh certificate first and translate that one. The recipient's own instructions govern how old a certificate may be, and those instructions are the only source worth trusting on the point.

What commonly goes wrong

The wrong type was obtained. Several countries issue more than one version of a criminal record check for different purposes. A basic extract may not satisfy a request that named the full or archived version. The translation cannot upgrade it.

Only the front is scanned. Explanatory notes, legal references and a second stamp are often printed on the reverse, and a recipient comparing the copy against the translation will see the missing side.

The apostille is left out. Many authorities require the certificate to be legalised with an apostille, which is a separate document carrying its own numbered fields and its own seal. If your recipient asked for one, include it in the same PDF so it is translated with the certificate.

A newer certificate is issued after the translation is done. If you reorder the certificate because the first one expired, the reference numbers and dates change, and the translation of the old one no longer matches. Translate the certificate you are actually going to submit.

The result is paraphrased. Covered above, and it is the failure that matters most.

What it costs and how quickly it arrives

A page is up to 250 words, measured from your real document, and the price is shown before you pay. Standard is $19.95 a page in 3 to 5 business days but carries no certificate, so it does not suit an official submission. Certified is $24.95 a page in 2 to 3 business days. Premium is $39.95 a page, translated ahead of other work, back in 1 to 2 business days. The three levels are compared on the services page.

Because these certificates are usually one sheet with little text, a single page is the normal outcome even when an apostille is attached. We translate between English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch and Turkish in every direction, and the pairs are on the languages page.

Getting the file right

Upload is PDF only. Scan front and back at 300 dpi or better, keep the QR code and any security printing sharp enough to read, and do not crop the borders. Do not redact your identity number, since a redacted official record reads as altered. Payment is by card and the process is described on how it works. If a recipient returns the file, start with what to do when a translation is rejected rather than ordering again.

Order your police certificate translation

Upload the certificate, pick the pair, and see the real price before paying at start an order.