Does the notary check the translation?

No. The notary certifies the signature of the authorized translator, not the content of the translation. Responsibility for accuracy stays with the translator.

Can a document issued in another country be apostilled in Romania?

No. Only documents issued by Romanian authorities can be apostilled in Romania. A foreign document is apostilled, or legalized, in the country that issued it.

Is the apostille placed on the original or on the translation?

It depends on what the institution in the destination country requires: sometimes only the original, sometimes the notarized translation, sometimes both. Check the requirement first, so you do not pay for unnecessary steps.

How long does an apostille on a notarized translation take?

At the chambers of public notaries, the deadline set by their regulation is two working days from registration of the request. For educational documents, the prior endorsement by the competent institution comes on top.

Guide · Official documents

Certified, notarized or apostilled translation: what is the difference and which one do you need

Updated: 25 September 2026 · Kalimera, translation agency in Bucharest since 2005 · all guides

In short: a certified translation is signed and stamped by a translator authorized by the Romanian Ministry of Justice, the Romanian equivalent of a sworn translator. A notarized translation adds a public notary's confirmation that the translator's signature is authentic. An apostille is a certificate that makes a Romanian official document, or its notarized translation, recognized in the countries that are party to the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961. These are not three alternatives to choose from but three levels, each built on the one before.

1. The certified translation

A certified translation (in Romanian, traducere autorizată) is made by a translator authorized by the Ministry of Justice for that language. The translator attaches a statement certifying that the translation matches the original, and signs and stamps every page.

It is enough when the institution receiving the document does not ask for notarization. Requirements differ from one institution to another, so always ask which form you need before ordering the translation.

2. The notarized translation

Notarization (in Romanian, legalizare) is the step taken by a public notary, who confirms that the signature on the translation belongs to the authorized translator. The notary does not check the content of the translation, only the authenticity of the signature, based on the specimen signature filed by the translator. The notary attaches a notarization statement and stamps the joins between pages.

A notarized translation is the form most often required by public institutions, courts and foreign authorities. It is also the condition for the next step: a translation can only be apostilled if it has been notarized.

3. The apostille

An apostille is a certificate confirming that a document is official: it attests the authenticity of the signature, the capacity in which the issuer signed and, where applicable, the identity of the seal or stamp. The procedure exists only between countries that are party to the Hague Convention. For countries outside it, legalization is used instead: after the chamber of notaries, the document goes to the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then to the embassy or consulate of the destination country.

In Romania, different institutions issue the apostille depending on the type of document:

the Prefect's Institution (Prefectura), on original administrative documents;
tribunals, on documents issued by the courts;
the chambers of public notaries, on notarial deeds and on notarized copies or notarized translations of official documents issued by Romanian authorities: civil status certificates, educational documents, court decisions and others.

Two conditions often catch people unprepared. First: only documents issued by Romanian authorities can be apostilled in Romania, and when you file a notarized translation you must also show the original document. Second: educational documents need a prior endorsement. University diplomas and transcripts are endorsed by the Ministry of Education or by CNRED, the national centre for the recognition of diplomas, and pre-university documents by the school inspectorate of the county that issued them.

In what order the steps are taken

A Romanian document you will use abroad (for example, a birth certificate for a marriage in another country):

if it is an educational document, first obtain the prior endorsement;
get the certified translation into the language of the destination country;
have the translation notarized;
have the apostille placed on the notarized translation, on the original or on both, as the destination institution requires; for a country outside the Convention, go through legalization.

A foreign document you will use in Romania (for example, a diploma obtained in another country):

obtain the apostille, or legalization, in the country that issued the document;
get the certified translation into Romanian, in Romania;
have it notarized, if the institution asks for it, as it usually does.

How to choose, in short

Certified only: when a Romanian institution asks for an official translation but not for notarization.
Certified and notarized: for public institutions, courts, notaries and most foreign authorities.
Certified, notarized and apostilled: when a Romanian document goes to a Hague Convention country and the institution there asks for the apostille.

If you are not sure what is required, tell us the institution and the country where you will file the document. We confirm the procedure before we start, so you do not pay for steps you do not need.

How we help

We handle the whole process: certified translation, notarization and apostille or legalization, and you receive the document ready to file. Details on the pages apostille and legalization and personal document translations.

Sources

the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 abolishing the requirement of legalisation for foreign public documents, which Romania joined by Government Ordinance no. 66/1999;
Law no. 202/2010, which gave the chambers of public notaries the competence to issue the apostille;
the public information of the chambers of public notaries on apostille and legalization (consulted in September 2026).