Sworn translation of Russian documents for Cyprus

Apostille or legalization?

Cyprus is a party to the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents. A Russian public document — a birth or marriage certificate, a diploma, a criminal record certificate, a power of attorney — therefore needs only an apostille to be used in Cyprus. Consular legalization through the Cypriot embassy is not needed.

In Russia, the apostille is issued by the authority responsible for the type of document, in the region where the document was issued. For documents from Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast:

• civil registry certificates from Saint Petersburg — the Committee for Civil Registry of Saint Petersburg;
• civil registry certificates from Leningrad Oblast — the Civil Registry Office of Leningrad Oblast, 3 Smolnogo St.;
• notarial documents, notarized copies and translations — the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Justice for Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast.

More on this on our apostille page.

What a certified translation means in Cyprus

Since 1 July 2019, official translations in Cyprus have been governed by the Registration and Regulation of Sworn Translators Services Law, Law 45(I)/2019. Before that, the Press and Information Office (PIO) arranged official translations itself; that system has ended.

Under the law:

• a certified translation is made by a translator registered in the Register of Sworn Translators, kept by the Council of Sworn Translators;
• the translation bears the translator's signature and stamp, and a copy of the original document is attached to it;
• courts, government departments and independent authorities are required to use sworn translators;
• the register is published every year in the Official Gazette and on the PIO website.

Sworn translators in Cyprus check that the document they translate is authentic and properly certified, and the European e-Justice Portal states plainly that documents must be legalised (for Russia, apostilled) before they are translated. So the order is fixed: apostille in Russia first, translation in Cyprus second. The apostille itself is translated together with the document.

How this differs from a Russian notarized translation

Russia has no institution of sworn translators. A "certified translation" made in Russia is a notarized one: the translator signs the translation in front of a notary, and the notary certifies the translator's signature, not the content of the translation.

A Russian notarized translation into Greek or English is cheaper and faster to arrange in Saint Petersburg. However, it is not a sworn translation under Cypriot law. Some Cypriot authorities and private organisations accept a Russian notarized translation with an apostille, while courts and government departments generally require a translation by a Cypriot sworn translator. Before ordering, ask the receiving authority which translation it accepts, preferably in writing. If the answer is unclear, choose a sworn translation into Greek.

Prices

State duties for the apostille are included. Delivery is charged at the courier's rate plus 500 ₽ for arranging it. The cost of a sworn translation in Cyprus depends on the document and the volume; send us a scan and we will tell you the total.

Documents we prepare for Cyprus

• Personal: birth, marriage, divorce and name change certificates; diplomas and school certificates with transcripts; criminal record certificates; powers of attorney and other notarial documents; court decisions; medical documents.
• Corporate: articles of association, extracts from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, registration and liquidation documents, contracts.

Clients most often need these for residence permits, employment, enrolment in schools and universities, marriage registration, and opening companies or bank accounts in Cyprus.

Step by step

1. Send us scans of the documents and tell us what they are for and which authority will receive them.
2. We check the documents. If an original is old, damaged or lost, we obtain a duplicate under a power of attorney.
3. Apostille. We get the apostille from the authority that issued it in Saint Petersburg or Leningrad Oblast, or forward the document to another region of Russia.
4. Sworn translation. The apostilled document is translated into Greek by a sworn translator registered in Cyprus.
5. Delivery. The documents are sent to your address in Limassol, Nicosia, Larnaca, Paphos or elsewhere in Cyprus.

If you are already in Cyprus

You do not need to travel to Russia:

• If you have the original, send it to us by courier. We apostille it and send it back, or forward it straight to the sworn translator.
• If you need a duplicate or a certificate from Russia, sign a power of attorney at the Russian embassy in Nicosia, or with a Cypriot certifying officer (Cyprus has no notaries in the Russian sense) and then get an apostille on it in Cyprus. A foreign power of attorney is then translated into Russian and the translation notarized in Saint Petersburg. We send you the wording.

Common mistakes

• Translating before the apostille. The sworn translator will not translate a document that is not yet authenticated, and the apostille would be left untranslated.
• Ordering legalization instead of an apostille. Cyprus is in the Hague Convention; legalization is unnecessary.
• Relying on a Russian notarized translation without checking that the receiving authority accepts it.
• Names spelled differently in the translation and in the passport. Give the translator your passport so that names match.
• Using a translator who is not in the register. For official use, check that the translator is listed in the current Register of Sworn Translators published by the PIO.