Certified, Authenticated or Sworn Translation Service
Internationally recognised legal validity
Request a Free QuoteA certified translation is the language service required whenever an official document needs to produce legal effects outside the country where it was issued. Birth certificates, diplomas, criminal records, powers of attorney, court rulings and commercial contracts are only accepted by courts, registries, universities or regulators when accompanied by a certified translation. M21Global issues certified translations valid throughout Portugal and prepared for international recognition through the Hague Apostille or consular legalisation.
Headquartered in Lisbon and with over two decades of experience in professional translation, M21Global combines the legal certification of the document with ISO 17100:2015 process certification, audited by Bureau Veritas. Each certified translation is produced by linguists experienced in legal translation, accompanied by a declaration of accuracy and, when required, authenticated by a solicitor or notary. Quotes are delivered within 3 business hours and an express service is available for tighter deadlines.
This service answers the most frequent requests from corporate and individual clients in Portugal, Angola and Brazil: certified translation of corporate documents for expansion projects, translations for courts, foreign universities, embassies and public bodies. If you need a certified translation with an immediate quote, our team coordinates the entire process, including the Apostille and physical delivery by registered post.
What is a certified translation in Portugal
A certified translation is a translation accompanied by a declaration of accuracy to the original document, signed by the translator or the responsible company, and authenticated before a solicitor or notary in line with Decree-Law 237/2001 and the Portuguese Notary Code. This authentication confirms to third parties that the translation faithfully reflects the source document, granting it legal value before public and private bodies.
Unlike a simple translation, which serves informational or commercial purposes, the certified translation is accepted by courts, civil and land registries, municipalities, universities, the Tax Authority, AIMA and consulates. M21Global issues certified translations as part of our legal translation service with terminological rigour and compliance with the TEP process defined in ISO 17100.
Certified, sworn and apostilled translation: differences
These three concepts are often confused but correspond to distinct legal regimes. In Portugal there is no figure of the sworn translator: the certified translation is authenticated by a solicitor or notary, who declares conformity in a record. In Brazil, by contrast, the sworn translator (tradutor público) is appointed through a public competition by the trade board, and only this professional may issue translations with public faith.
The Hague Apostille, on the other hand, is not a translation: it is an international seal under the 1961 Hague Convention that certifies the authenticity of the issuing authority's signature, allowing a public document to circulate between signatory countries without consular legalisation. For non-signatory countries, traditional consular legalisation applies. M21Global advises clients on which regime applies for each destination, in coordination with our certified translation operations.
Documents that most often require certified translation
Demand for certified translation concentrates on an identifiable set of official documents. In civil registry matters, we translate birth, marriage and death certificates, often requested for citizenship procedures, international marriages or estate settlements. In academic contexts, diplomas, course certificates, transcripts and syllabi are translated for applications to foreign universities, equivalence procedures and professional competitions.
For corporate clients, we translate company documents (commercial registry certificates, articles of association, minutes, powers of attorney), commercial contracts, judgments and pleadings, criminal records, debt clearance certificates and intellectual property documents. These requests often involve translation into English, French, Spanish, German, Chinese or Arabic, and benefit from the experience of our linguists in legal translation and from the support of M21Global in-house lawyers on authentication and legalisation matters.
Hague Apostille and consular legalisation: when and how
When a Portuguese public document needs to produce effects abroad, it normally has to be apostilled or legalised. The Hague Apostille is issued by the Public Prosecutor's Office for judicial documents, by the registries for notarial acts, and by equivalent authorities for civil records, and it is recognised in over 120 signatory countries. The procedure is straightforward but involves specific timelines and official fees.
For destinations outside the Hague Convention, the document follows the consular legalisation regime: authentication by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Lisbon, followed by legalisation at the consulate of the destination country. The order between translation and apostille varies according to the requirement of the receiving country: sometimes the original is apostilled first and only then translated, other times the certified translation is also apostilled. M21Global reviews each case and coordinates the correct sequence to avoid rejections on arrival.
Prices, deadlines and process at M21Global
Certified translation prices start from EUR 0.11 per word in the Strategic tier (TEP process with second-linguist review) and from EUR 0.09 per word in the Standard tier, plus a fixed certification and authentication fee depending on the number of pages and the type of authentication required (solicitor or notary). The quote is always delivered within 3 business hours and transparently includes translation, certification and, where applicable, the Hague Apostille handling.
The process is straightforward: the client sends the scanned document for a quote, the translation is produced by a specialised linguist, reviewed according to the chosen tier, printed, bound to the original or to the authenticated copy, and authenticated. We deliver digitally by default and on paper by registered post at no additional cost throughout Portugal, with express service available. You can request a quote for your certified translation online.
ISO 17100 Bureau Veritas certification and dual guarantee
Certified translations from M21Global benefit from a dual layer of guarantee rarely found in the market: the legal certification of the document, which gives it value before courts and official bodies, and the ISO 17100:2015 certification of the production process, audited by Bureau Veritas. This international standard sets requirements on linguist competence, project management, second-linguist review for the Strategic tier and full traceability of every order.
For sensitive procedures, where rejection of a certified translation can delay a hearing, block an academic application or compromise an M&A operation, this dual guarantee is decisive. Courts, regulatory bodies, legal departments of large companies and international law firms value the traceability and documentary rigour ensured by the ISO 17100 system, which makes M21Global a preferred choice for audited certified translation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. M21Global certified translations are authenticated by a solicitor or notary under Portuguese law and are accepted by courts, registries, municipalities and public administration services across the country, including the autonomous regions.
Yes. M21Global advises clients on when a Hague Apostille or consular legalisation is required and can handle the procedure with the Public Prosecutor's Office, registries or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including the correct sequence between translation and apostille for the destination country.
Yes. In addition to digital delivery, we send the physical document with the certified translation authenticated and bound to the original or the authenticated copy, by registered post at no additional cost anywhere in Portugal. For international destinations or express delivery, the cost is shown in the quote.
The price depends on the language pair, the volume of words per page and the chosen tier. From EUR 0.09 per word in Standard and EUR 0.11 per word in Strategic, plus the fixed certification and authentication fee per document. Request a free quote and receive it within 3 business hours.
In Portugal, certified translation is authenticated by a solicitor or notary, with no figure of sworn translator. In Brazil, only public translators appointed by the trade board may issue translations with public faith. M21Global operates under both regimes, coordinating certified translation in Portugal and sworn translation in Brazil through its network.
For short documents, such as certificates or diplomas, we can often deliver a certified translation within 24 to 48 business hours. For high-urgency cases, we align parallel teams and express courier delivery to meet tight deadlines without compromising quality and the rigour of the certification.
Yes. AIMA (Portuguese immigration authority, formerly SEF) accepts certified translations authenticated by a solicitor or notary in Portugal under the applicable regime, and equivalent foreign authorities accept M21Global certified translations once they have been apostilled or legalised. We provide certified translation of birth certificates, criminal records, diplomas, transcripts and other documents required for residence, naturalisation or family reunification procedures, including the Hague Apostille when the source document was issued in a signatory country.
Send the scanned documents in PDF through the quote form or by email. Confirm the target language, the country where the translation will be presented and the preferred type of authentication (solicitor or notary). You receive a detailed quote within 3 business hours including delivery deadline, total cost and indication of apostille or consular legalisation if required. Once approved, the translation is produced and sent digitally; the original on paper with the authentication stamps follows by registered post.
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