Frequently asked questions

Placing an order takes the following steps: a) acceptance of your order, b) passing information to the translator, c) payment, d) translation, e) collecting your translation.

Acceptance of your order

Send us your scanned documents by e-mail. We also accept photos of documents if they are of good quality. You can also make an appointment to bring your documents to us in person. We will send you an e-mail with our assessment of your documents, confirming that the scans are good enough to translate and that your documents fall under a standard rate. We then send you an invoice by e-mail; our bank account is shown at the bottom of the invoice. After payment we start gathering information and translating your documents.

Passing information to the translator

Different authorities have different requirements for translations. Some accept translations attached to copies of documents, others require the translation to be attached to the original. Sometimes a translation of an apostille or of a standard text on the back of the document is also required. We always advise clients to check the requirements with the authority themselves.

We always ask you to tell us how you prefer your names to be spelled. Preferably we use the spelling of your names as it appears in your passport. This prevents problems if your names are spelled differently in different documents. We can advise you or tell you which variants are permitted, but you are responsible for the spelling of your names. If you are having documents translated for the consulate of the Russian Federation, it is important to agree your preferred spelling with the consulate in advance. The consulate's requirements change regularly and we cannot advise you on them.

Translation

The translation is always ready on the agreed date. When it is ready, we will let you know.

When the translator lets you know that your translation is ready, you can make an appointment to collect it. How the translation is handed over depends on the type of translation.

If the translation has to be attached to the original document, you collect it at our office. We attach the translation to the document in your presence. Collection is by appointment only.

If the translation has to be attached to a copy of the document, we can send it by post. Of course you can also collect it in person (by appointment).

When first names, (patronymics) and surnames are translated, it is important to avoid problems caused by different spellings of your names. Our spelling of your name will later be used in the official document for which the translation was made. If it differs from, for example, your passport, this may cause problems later on. That is why the translator asks for your preferred spelling of your first name and surname before starting the translation. Please note that the translator uses an official transliteration, so your preferred spelling is always checked by the translator.

Please pay attention to the following:

If your documents are translated into Dutch (for example a diploma or a birth certificate), it is best to spell your name in the translation exactly as it appears in your passport. Different CIS countries handle spelling in different ways. We have seen, for example, the following spellings of the Russian name Юрий: Juri, Jurij, Juriy, Jourij, Yuri, Yurij, Youri, Youriy, Iouri etc. Patronymics and surnames are even more complicated. It is therefore in your interest to give the translator your preferred spelling straight away.

Translations into Russian work in a similar way. The translator uses the official transliteration, but this does not always produce the spelling the client wants. The translator therefore needs to know, for example, whether your name is written in Russian as Наталья or Наталия, and your patronymic as Анатолиевна or Анатольевна. Please always let us know in good time. Note: if you need a translation for the Russian consulate, you must agree the spelling of your names with the consulate in advance. The consulate's rules change regularly, so it is necessary to ask the consulate for advice in good time. You do not need to consult the consulate if you have a Russian passport or another Russian document. But if the translation concerns the name of your Dutch partner or of a child born in the Netherlands, you must contact the consulate and agree the spelling of the names.

What applies to personal names also applies to place names. Our spelling of place names will later be used in the official document for which the translation was made.

The translator uses transliteration to translate a place name. Unfortunately this does not apply to translations of Dutch place names for the consulate of the Russian Federation: the consulate requires translators to use the Russian spelling of Dutch place names as used by Yandex Maps.

A translator may call himself or herself a sworn translator if he or she is registered with a personal number in the register of the Sworn Interpreters and Translators Act (Wbtv) of the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security. A translation may be called a sworn translation if it has been made by a sworn translator in accordance with the Sworn Interpreters and Translators Act (Wbtv).

The Apostille Convention was signed within the Hague Conference on Private International Law on 5 October 1961. It applies between 103 countries, including all countries of the European Union. Under this convention, an official authority in the country where a document was issued places a stamp with a uniform layout on it: the apostille. With this stamp the document can be used directly in other countries, and no other legalisation, such as legalisation by a consulate, is needed. An apostille is always placed on an original and never on a copy of a document. An apostille can only be placed on a document in the country where the document was issued. So a document issued in Russia can only receive an apostille in Russia. In the Netherlands, apostilles are issued by the courts.

Many Russian authorities require an apostille on official documents issued in the Netherlands. Check with the authority that asks for the translation whether an apostille is required on the document or on the translation. An apostille is placed either on an original document (to confirm the signature of the competent official of the issuing authority) or on the signature of a translator (to confirm the translator's signature). The signature of our translator Marina Chazina is registered with all courts in the Netherlands and can be apostilled.

The address of the Amsterdam court where you can get an apostille: Parnassusweg 280, 1076 AV Amsterdam. You do not need an appointment; the apostille is issued while you wait.

If the document to be translated carries an apostille, the translator must translate the apostille as well. If you want a document translated from Dutch and you are going to have an apostille placed on it, it is best to have the apostille issued in Dutch too. That way you can be sure that the sworn translator Dutch-Russian is also allowed to translate the apostille from Dutch. Otherwise the translator may be allowed to translate your document but not the apostille.

Before placing a translation order, first find out what the apostille should be placed on: the translator's signature or your document.

A translation by a Dutch sworn translator is valid in Russia if an apostille has been placed on it in the Netherlands. Official documents from another country are valid provided they carry an apostille from that country.

Note: Dutch courts can issue apostilles in all European languages. In this case it is therefore best to have the apostille issued in English.

Legally, a translation is only valid when the translated document is attached to it. Otherwise you cannot be sure which document was translated. A sworn translation on its own is therefore not legally valid.

That depends on the authority that asked for the document. It is therefore best to check with that authority what the translation should be attached to.