Sworn translation of documents in English and Spanish, in Brazil

English and Spanish, the languages in which both partners are sworn. We translate into and from Portuguese, and also directly from English into Spanish and from Spanish into English.

The price depends on the length of the text, including stamps and seals, the complexity of the document and the deadline. As a reference, translating a birth certificate costs between R$ 150 and R$ 300 (Brazilian reais). We give you the exact price after reviewing the document. See how we calculate it on our page price and turnaround (in Portuguese).

Payment is made in full and in advance, by Pix (Brazilian instant transfer). From anywhere in the world, we accept PayPal, with a 7% surcharge to cover the platform’s fees. Companies with recurring volume, such as law firms and document agencies, can be invoiced monthly.

No. As a rule, full payment is made when you place the order.

Yes, if work has not started yet. We refund the amount by transfer to the same source account within 72 hours. With PayPal, the refund is made through the platform, minus its fees. If the translation is already under way, we charge only for the part completed. Completed work is not refunded.

Yes. The partners are sworn public translators and interpreters registered with the Board of Trade of the Federal District (JUCIS-DF), and the translations they sign have official standing throughout Brazil, in any state where they are used.

As a rule, no. A sworn translation is a public document, and the Brazilian Constitution forbids federal, state and municipal authorities from refusing to accept public documents (art. 19, II). Even so, some bodies, such as state traffic departments (Detran) and universities, ask for the translator’s signature to be notarized. When needed, we arrange this service at the price charged by the notary office.

A sworn translation is done by a public translator appointed by examination and registered with a Brazilian Board of Trade. It is official and gives legal effect to documents written in another language. A regular translation has no such certification and is used when there is no official requirement, as with articles, books, websites and manuals.

No. For the translation, legible images of the front and back are enough. The original is needed only if you also want a Hague Apostille on the document itself. In that case, you can drop it off at one of our offices or send it by mail.

Ideally, scan it in color at a minimum of 200 dpi. Phone photos work if the whole document is visible, flat, well lit and free of glare.

Usually 2 business days. For urgent cases, we deliver within 24 hours, on request. Larger volumes have a deadline agreed in the quote. Tell us in your request the date you need the translation. Once confirmed, the date is met.

In most cases, yes. Even so, check with the receiving institution whether it accepts translations by a Brazilian sworn public translator. Some Spanish authorities, for example, require a translator registered with the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and some institutions ask for specific credentials, such as American Translators Association (ATA) certification. Also check whether the country requires a Hague Apostille or consular legalization. We do not provide advice on the process in the destination country.

Documents with legal effect, such as certificates, diplomas, powers of attorney, contracts and court filings, usually require a sworn translation. But the receiving institution decides, so it is always worth checking its requirements.

You can hire a translator from another state, since a sworn translation is valid nationwide, or ask your state’s Board of Trade to appoint an ad hoc translator.

Yes. We ship anywhere in Brazil by registered mail, free of charge, or by Sedex express, FedEx and DHL, and abroad by international courier. You can also receive it as a PDF by e-mail or pick it up at one of our offices.

Yes. Translations are done by the partners themselves and never outsourced. The paper copy is printed on security paper with watermark and anti-copy features, holographic seal, sequential numbering, embossed seal, signature and stamp on every page.

It depends on where the translation will be used. If the institution accepts the scanned original, it usually accepts the translation in digital format too. In Brazil, a translation signed with an ICP-Brasil digital certificate has the same value as a handwritten signature and is the best option for electronic, court or administrative proceedings.

Yes. As an additional service, we obtain the Hague Apostille for the original document and for the translation at an authorized notary office and deliver everything ready to use.

It is a certificate that confirms the authenticity of a public document for use in another country. It was created by the Apostille Convention of October 5, 1961, and is valid among all countries that are party to it. The convention has been in force in Brazil since August 14, 2016.

The fee is set by each Brazilian state and varies from one to another. We have the Apostille issued in the state with the lowest fee that fits your deadline and include the cost in the quote.

It allows a public document issued in Brazil to be accepted in another country that is party to the convention, and vice versa. You need it whenever the destination country requires proof that the document is authentic.

Notary offices authorized by Brazil’s National Council of Justice (CNJ), on a standard national form. The Apostille has a QR code, and its authenticity can be checked on the CNJ website.

Yes. Any authorized notary office can apostille documents from any state, and an Apostille issued in Brasília has the same value as one issued in São Paulo or Manaus. That is how we find the best price for you.

Yes, among the countries that are party to the convention. See the list of member countries on the CNJ website (in Portuguese).

In that case, the document goes through consular legalization: the signature is authenticated at a notary office, the notary’s signature is authenticated by Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and finally the consulate of the destination country authenticates the Ministry’s signature. We can handle this process for you.

No. But it does not change the validity of the apostilled document. If a certificate is valid for 90 days, for example, it remains valid for the same 90 days after being apostilled.

No. The Apostille must be obtained in the country that issued the document. A document issued in the United States, for example, must be apostilled there.

As a rule, Brazilian notary offices only apostille documents in Portuguese. The exception is sworn translations signed by a public translator. A diploma in English issued by an international school in Brazil, for example, is not normally apostilled.

For Brazilian documents, the notary office prints a physical certificate linked to an electronic record and attaches it to the document. Foreign documents apostilled abroad must, once in Brazil, be translated by a sworn public translator and, in some cases, registered at the Registry of Deeds and Documents (Registro de Títulos e Documentos).

As a rule, the document is translated first, and then the original and the translation are apostilled. Some countries, such as Spain, require the translation to include the text of the original’s Apostille. In those cases, we apostille the original, translate everything and then apostille the translation.