When is this document usually requested?
A sworn translation is often requested for marriage, citizenship, visa, residence or family-status applications in France.
Service details
Sworn Albanian-to-French translation: birth 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 Birth certificate
These notes help you prepare a readable file and avoid unnecessary exchanges before translation.
Which file should you send?
Send every page and the reverse side whenever it contains a stamp, apostille or marginal note. Names, dates, seals and the record number must be legible.
Is an apostille or legalisation required?
An apostille is not required for every procedure. Check with the receiving authority first; when required, it is generally added to the original before translation.
What should you check?
Missing pages, an unreadable marginal note, a missing reverse side or inconsistent names and dates can delay the application.
Çertifikatë lindjeje: what the Albanian and Kosovan certificate contains
In Albania, the document is called a çertifikatë lindjeje and is issued by the civil registry office (zyra e gjendjes civile) of the municipality where the birth was registered, under the authority of the General Directorate of Civil Status, which reports to the Ministry of the Interior. In Kosovo, the equivalent — the certifikatë e lindjes — is handled by the civil registry sector of the komuna (municipality), supervised by the Agjencia e Regjistrit Civil (Civil Registration Agency). The two documents look alike, but the heading differs: “Republika e Shqipërisë” on one, “Republika e Kosovës” on the other. The translation must render this difference unambiguously, because the French authorities do not process the two countries through the same legalisation channel.
The certificate states the surname and given names, the date and place of birth, sex, the identity of both parents and the registration number. What the French authorities are interested in is parentage: most applications require a full copy rather than a simple extract, precisely because the parents' names must appear on it.
Obtaining the certificate from France
On the Albanian side, the e-Albania portal issues civil status certificates online with an electronic seal, including in a foreign-language version — French is one of the six languages available. Several Albanian consular posts nevertheless recommend going through the consulate for official use abroad, in order to obtain a copy bearing a physical stamp. If your application requires an apostille, it is this paper copy that you will have to submit in any case.
On the Kosovan side, the constraint is stricter: documents downloaded from the eKosova portal are for internal use in Kosovo only and are not valid abroad. You need to request the international version from a municipal civil registry office, or go through the Embassy of Kosovo in Paris, which issues civil status certificates itself.
What the French authorities expect
For a marriage or a civil partnership (PACS) in France, the foreign birth certificate must be less than six months old on the date the application is filed, and the town hall (mairie) requires a translation by a sworn translator. For naturalisation, it is the original of the translation that must be enclosed: no photocopy, no PDF. For residence permits and family reunification, prefectures (préfectures) ask for a translation by a translator registered with a court of appeal.
One point is rarely known to applicants: the exemption that allows, for naturalisation, a translation made by a translator authorised in another European country does not cover Albania or Kosovo — the official list is limited to the Member States of the European Union, the European Economic Area and Switzerland. A translation produced in Tirana or Pristina is only admissible if it comes from a translator approved by the French consulate and that consulate physically certifies the signature.
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 Birth certificate
Does an Albanian birth certificate need an apostille?
Albania has been a party to the Hague Convention since 9 May 2004; the apostille is affixed by the authentication office of the Albanian Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. It is not required in every procedure. Ask the receiving authority for its instructions before starting: the apostille must be placed on the certificate before translation, so that it is translated along with it.
What about a Kosovan birth certificate?
Kosovo acceded to the Hague Convention in 2015 and France raised no objection: the Kosovan apostille, issued by the Agjencia e Regjistrit Civil for civil status documents, is recognised by the French authorities. This is not the case everywhere — Germany, for example, does not accept it and requires consular legalisation.
I have refugee status: do I need to have my birth certificate translated?
In principle, no. Once refugee status or subsidiary protection has been granted, OFPRA (the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons) issues your civil status documents, and these replace the certificates from your country of origin. Check with the authority requesting the document before ordering a translation.
Extract or full copy?
Ask for the full copy. Marriage, naturalisation and family reunification applications rely on parentage: you need a certificate showing both parents, which a simple extract does not guarantee.