Practical guide · 9 min read
Certified translation, legalisation, certified true copy: three different things
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A certified true copy attests that a copy matches the original. Legalisation authenticates a document, a signature or a seal. A certified translation attests that a translated text is complete and accurate. Three formalities, three authorities — and one application can require two or three of them at once.
By Talla Naoussi Arnold, translator — Master II in translation, ASTI, Buea · Updated 30 September 2026
The three formalities, side by side
Certified true copy
Attests that a copy matches the original. Translates nothing.
Issued byThe competent administration or council office.
Legalisation
Authenticates a document, a signature or a seal. Does not certify the accuracy of a translation.
Issued byAn administrative or consular authority — never a translator.
Certified translation
Attests that a translation is complete and accurate. Does not replace legalisation where that is required.
Issued byThe translator or office that produces it — Verbatim.
Who issues what
| Formality | What it is | Who issues it | What it does not do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certified true copy | The attestation that a copy matches the original | The competent administration | It translates nothing |
| Legalisation, authentication | The authentication of a document, a signature or a seal for official or consular use | An administrative or consular authority | It does not certify the accuracy of a translation |
| Certified, official translation | A translation accompanied by a signed statement that it is complete and accurate | The translator or translation office | It does not replace legalisation where that is required |
Why the confusion gets applications rejected
Because each one answers a different question.
The certified copy answers: is this photocopy really the document? Legalisation answers: are this signature and this seal genuine? The certified translation answers: does this translated text say exactly what the original says?
An officer handed the wrong answer does not guess what you meant. The document is set aside and the file goes back — not out of rigidity, but because nobody can tell whether the missing formality was forgotten or refused somewhere else.
An officer expecting one answer and handed another sets the document aside.
What the UK, the US and Canada actually ask for
The United Kingdom: four details on the page
UKVI wants a confirmation of accuracy, the date, the translator’s full name and contact details. No notary, no legalisation of the translation. See UK visa.The United States: competence and accuracy
US procedures describe a full English translation with the translator’s certification that they are competent to translate and that the translation is accurate. See US embassy.Canada: usually nothing — and an oath when something
IRCC accepts English and French. For a third language, it wants the translation, a certified copy of the original and, from a translator not certified in Canada, a sworn declaration. See Canada visa.
Five neighbouring words that muddy the water
- “Sworn translation”, “sworn translator”
- In a number of countries a translator receives this status from a court or a ministry, and the status is what gives the signature its weight. It is not a formality added to a document but a quality of the person translating. Verbatim does not claim it. What it covers from Cameroon is explained in the article on sworn translation in Cameroon.
- “Notarised translation”
- The notary authenticates the translator’s signature. They do not read the translation or vouch for its content. Some offices ask for it on top; none accepts it in place of a faithful translation.
- “Affidavit”, “translator’s affidavit”
- A statement sworn before a person authorised to take oaths — familiar to anyone who has dealt with common-law courts. A translator’s affidavit swears to the accuracy of a translation. Our statement of accuracy is signed and stamped; it is not sworn.
- “Apostille”
- A simplified legalisation, under the 1961 Hague Convention, between the countries party to it. Where the issuing or the receiving country is not a party, ordinary legalisation applies. Either way, an authority puts it on the document.
- “Duplicate”, certificate “on the secure form”
- Not formalities, but forms of the record itself, issued by the civil status centre that keeps the register. When a checklist wants a recent birth certificate, you start at the council where you were born, not at a translator’s.
What your checklist says, and what you need
It says “certified translation”
You need a translation and its statement. Nothing else — and that is our job.It says “certified copy” and “translation”
Two steps: the certified true copy from an administration, the translation from a translator. Ask whether the translation is to be made from the original or from the copy — it changes what you send us.It says “legalised” or “apostille”
An authority has to act on the document. If its stamp goes on before the translation, the translation includes it; if it has to go on the translation itself, ask which authority. It is not us.It says “sworn translator”
Ask the institution plainly whether it accepts a certified translation. If the answer is no, we are not the right people, and we would rather say so before the quote.It says “affidavit”
The translation has to come with a sworn declaration. Talk to us before ordering: our statement alone does not replace it.
What I sign, and what I will not
I translate the document and sign a statement that commits me to that translation: complete, faithful, laid out like the original, stamped on every page, dated, with the office’s details so an officer can check.
I do not certify that a copy is true: I have no power to. I do not legalise anything or add an apostille. And I do not stamp someone else’s translation, however good it is: a translator vouches only for their own work.
That division of labour is not a figure of speech. It is what lets an administration trust each of the three signatures — mine included.
Frequently asked questions
Does a certified true copy replace a translation?
No. A certified true copy only attests that a copy matches the original document. It translates nothing. An application can require both: the certified true copy of the document, and its certified translation.
Is a translation signed before a notary a certified translation?
Not necessarily. A notary authenticates a signature; a notary does not check that a translation is accurate. A translation you produce yourself and then have notarised can be refused for exactly that reason. What administrations expect is a statement of accuracy from the translator who did the work.
Is legalisation always required?
No. It depends on the destination country and the receiving administration. Some want the original legalised on top of the certified translation; others accept the certified translation alone. The checklist for your application is the authority — read it line by line.
What is an apostille, and how does it differ from legalisation?
An apostille is a simplified form of legalisation, provided for by the 1961 Hague Convention between the countries that are party to it. Where the country that issued the document or the one receiving it is not a party, ordinary legalisation applies instead. Either way, an authority issues it — never a translator.
Can Verbatim arrange the legalisation or the certified copy for me?
No. We translate and certify our translation. A certified true copy comes from a council or a government office; legalisation and the apostille from an authorised body. We will tell you which of them your checklist calls for, but we do not issue them.
Who issues a certified translation in Douala?
The translator or translation office that does the work. In Douala, Verbatim delivers every translation with a statement of accuracy, signed and stamped, confirming it is complete and faithful to the original.
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