Post
by Administrator » Thu Jan 17, 2008 11:52 am
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You might be better off hiring a properly certified translator in the U.S. and having the translated documents notarized and (maybe) apostilled.
One thing to keep in mind: embassies and immigration offices generally like to physically examine the originals. Faxes are not always accepted, so make sure of that before planning on it.
I'm unsure of the exact regulations regarding Spain; they might require that their staff do the translations for you .. but that is a bit unusual. Although, it could be a very lucrative regulation for the Spanish government.
In my case, I had my birth certificate and my diplomas notarized then apostilled in the United States, but Latvia accepted them at face value without requiring a translation. Once that gold apostille seal is attached, questions regarding authenticity vanish.
The argument I used, whenever asked, was that the European Union agreements and treaties specifically state that English is the accepted common language of the entire EU. On two occasions it took a bit of bluff and bluster and argument, but Immigration here finally had to accept the fact of the EU treaties.
The funniest part was that when I first came to Latvia, it was a full year before accession. All the troubles they gave me were after the May 2004 accession ... Maybe I just got lucky and was able to exploit ignorance about the exact regulations in the wake of accession.
I suggest you might look into it and see if you really need the translations. They're simple enough, but it simplifies not having to carry around duplicate copies of those documents. And, the translated copies will need some sort of identification and certification that they are, indeed, exact, professional translations of the apostilled originals.
Translating a birth certificate has to be about the most stupid thing Immigration can insist upon, and a diploma isn't far behind that. At least from English into a European language. Maybe I would have more sympathy if the original is in Cantonese or Hindi or Farsi, for examples.
Anyway. Some thoughts on that. Hope tey help out.
the Admin
