When is this document usually requested?
A translated criminal record may be requested for citizenship, visas, regulated employment, court proceedings or professional registration.
Service details
Sworn Albanian-to-French translation: criminal record certificate
Need a certified translation for a French procedure? Your document is handled personally by the sworn translator, with turnaround confirmed after review.
Turnaround confirmed after review
Sworn Albanian–French translator
Secure handling of confidential files
What to know about Criminal record certificate
These notes help you prepare a readable file and avoid unnecessary exchanges before translation.
Which file should you send?
Send every page and both sides where used, including any QR code, electronic signature, stamp or apostille. The issue date must be visible.
Is an apostille or legalisation required?
Some authorities require a recent and/or apostilled certificate. Check both the accepted validity period and apostille requirement before ordering.
What should you check?
An outdated certificate, cropped QR code, missing signature or omitted page may lead to a request for a new document.
Dëshmi penaliteti: who issues what
In Albania, the criminal record extract — the dëshmi penaliteti, officially a “certificate on the verification of judicial status” — is issued by the General Directorate of Prisons, which keeps the register of judicial status. The document is free of charge and bears an electronic seal with the same legal value as a physical stamp.
In Kosovo, the situation is less clear-cut: the Kosovo Judicial Council has legal competence, but the Kosovo Police also issue this type of certificate, a practice criticised by local observers on the grounds that it shows data going beyond final convictions alone. So check which authority issued your document, as its title and scope depend on it.
A document with a short lifespan
The Albanian extract is regarded as valid for three months. That is short, and it is the main cause of rejected applications: between the time taken to obtain the document, to have it apostilled if needed, to translate it and for the application to be processed, the time runs out quickly.
The order of steps therefore matters more here than for any other document. First request the extract, have it apostilled straight away if required, then order the translation immediately: this is the sequence that leaves the receiving authority the most leeway.
Where this translation is required
A translated criminal record is required for a naturalisation application, for certain long-stay visa applications, for access to a regulated profession or to employment involving contact with minors, for registration with a professional body, or in the context of court or adoption proceedings.
The authorities expect a complete document: all pages, the back when it is used, the QR code or electronic signature if they appear on the extract, and a clearly legible date of issue. An extract whose verification code is cut off in the scan loses the very element that makes it possible to check its authenticity.
How is your sworn translation prepared?
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01
Upload a clear scan
Upload every relevant page through the secure ordering area. For an initial question, use the contact form without attaching sensitive documents.
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02
Receive confirmation of price and timing
Hysni Bajraktari checks legibility, page count and the intended administrative use before confirming the turnaround and any required formalities.
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03
Receive the certified translation
The document is translated, signed and stamped by the sworn translator. A digital version is supplied, with a paper copy available on request.
Who translates, at what price, how fast, and where the translation is accepted: all of it is on the page sworn Albanian-French translator: prices and turnaround.
Frequently asked
Frequently asked questions about translating Criminal record certificate
My Albanian extract was issued four months ago — do I need to request a new one?
Probably yes. Albanian judicial status extracts are commonly regarded as valid for three months, and the French authorities assess this against the date the application is filed, not the date of the translation.
Does the criminal record need to be apostilled?
It depends on the procedure. The Albanian extract falls under the apostille system via the Albanian Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs; in Kosovo, apostilles for documents not related to civil status are issued by the Department of Consular Affairs. Ask the receiving authority for its instructions before starting the process.
Is a clean record translated differently from one with entries?
The method is the same, but an extract containing entries requires particular care: the Albanian or Kosovan criminal classification does not always have an exact equivalent in French law. The translation renders the offence as it is named in the document, without assimilating it to a French category that would not correspond to it.
Can I obtain my extract from France?
The application is made on the e-Albania portal; depending on the case, collection or certification may go through the Albanian Consulate in Paris. Check the current arrangements with the consulate before planning your timetable.