When is this document usually requested?
The translation may be needed to register a marriage, apply for citizenship, family reunification, a visa or a notarial procedure.
Service details
Sworn Albanian-to-French translation: marriage 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 Marriage certificate
These notes help you prepare a readable file and avoid unnecessary exchanges before translation.
Which file should you send?
Scan the complete certificate, any attached pages and the reverse side if it contains stamps or notes. Both spouses’ identities, the date, place and signatures must be clear.
Is an apostille or legalisation required?
Ask the receiving authority whether an apostille or legalisation is required. If it is, have it added before sending the document for translation.
What should you check?
A missing page, name variation, cropped stamp or unreadable divorce/non-dissolution note can delay the file.
Çertifikatë martese: a record that lives on after the wedding
The Albanian marriage certificate is issued by the civil registry office of the municipality where the marriage was registered; in Kosovo, by the civil registry sector of the komuna where it was celebrated, under the supervision of the Agjencia e Regjistrit Civil. It gives the full identity of both spouses, the date and place of the marriage, the surname arrangement chosen and the certificate number.
What sets this record apart is that it keeps changing after the ceremony: a divorce, an annulment or a change of name are all entered on it. This is why the French authorities almost always ask for a full copy “with marginal notes” rather than the copy handed over on the wedding day. An old certificate, even if genuine, says nothing about the spouses' current situation.
Obtaining the certificate from France
The e-Albania portal can generate a certificate drawn from the marriage record, in Albanian or in a foreign language, on presentation of the identity document of one of the spouses. The Albanian Embassy in Paris also issues the certificate of custom (certificat de coutume) needed for a marriage celebrated in France, which is a separate document from the marriage certificate itself.
For Kosovo, the extract obtained on eKosova is not valid outside the country: you need the international format, requested from the komuna or from the Embassy of Kosovo in Paris. Allow for this time upfront, as it is often the document that holds up a family reunification application.
The French procedures concerned
A sworn translation of the marriage certificate is required to register (transcribe) a marriage celebrated abroad, for a family reunification application filed with OFII (the French Office for Immigration and Integration), for an application for French nationality through marriage, for a “private and family life” residence permit, or before a notary when a matrimonial property regime is being settled.
In the case of naturalisation through marriage, the marriage certificate must be produced in the original and the original of its translation must accompany the application. For a marriage or civil partnership (PACS) in France involving a previous marriage that has been dissolved, the town hall also requires the foreign divorce judgment, likewise translated by a sworn translator.
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 Marriage certificate
My marriage certificate is ten years old — is it still valid?
The certificate remains authentic, but the authorities are not only concerned with its date: they want a recent copy bearing up-to-date marginal notes. For a marriage or civil partnership (PACS) in France, the document submitted must be less than six months old when the application is filed.
What is a certificate of custom and does it need translating?
It is a certificate issued by the embassy or consulate of the country of origin confirming legal capacity to marry and the absence of any impediment. The French town hall requires it for the foreign spouse. It is separate from the marriage certificate and follows its own issuing rules.
My surname differs between the Albanian certificate and my residence permit — is that a problem?
This is common and worth pointing out before translation. Albanian and Kosovan surname practices do not always match the spelling adopted by the French authorities. The translation faithfully reproduces the source document; if the discrepancy remains, the authorities may ask for an additional document establishing that it is the same person.
Is a religious marriage celebrated in Albania or Kosovo recognised in France?
Only a marriage registered with the civil registry has legal effect in France. A purely religious marriage, not entered in the country's official registers, does not give rise to a marriage certificate that can be translated for a French administrative application.