Hi All

My wife an I have nearly completed our application, but I'm still a bit uncertain about how to get our documents notarized. Notarization not something I've come across in Denmark before, so I'm not sure what to do.

It's my understanding, that to notarize a document, someone needs to look at the original and the translation, and verify the validity of the translation? and that this person needs to be a lawyer? I have a friend who is a lawyer, but not specialized in immigration or anything similar. Can he notarize our documents, or is it only a certain kind of lawyer who is allowed to do that?

Regarding translation, it seems that we can translate the documents out selves, but they need to be notarized by someone before they can be accepted. Is this true? or do we need to hire someone to translate our documents?

I hope someone can help us.

Regards
Dennis Newel

Hi Dennis,

Call a couple of local law firms for advice and prices. Although I don't know about Denmark, I have had to get documents notarised in both the UK and Canada.

You basically sit down with a notary public (a type of lawyer who is legally empowered to witness and certify a document) and swear that the document is valid and correct.

In Canada, I rang a couple of law firms and they both had at least one lawyer who could notarise documents. You certainly don't need an immigration lawyer - but you will have to pay - I got several documents notarised for a flat fee of (from memory) around $30.

Good luck.

Peter

Hi Peter

Thank you for your help. I'll try and find a law firm as quick as posible.

./Dennis

I've found out, that only the city court can notarize documents, and that costs about $45 pr. document!!!

It says (in the federal skilled worker guide, appendix A) "If your documents are not in English or French, send notarized (certified) translations with a photocopy of the original".
How i've understood "notarization", is that someone verifies that a copy is in fact an exact copy of the original. I havn't found anything stating that it also works with translations.

I guess my question is: can "certification of translation" be understood differently than notarization? A (danish) notarizor may not be skilled enough to be able to verify a translation, since that does not seem to part of the job. Does anyone know who can certify translations?

rgds
Dennis

<snip>
Doctors, Lawyers, Priests, Judges, M.P.'s, Commissioner of oaths, And of
course "proper" notary public.

These can vary by country.

Your lawyer friend can also do this for you.

Whoever it is, needs to be able to verify that any translations or copies
are indeed a true reflection of the original item.

It is usual for the copy to be either stamped with a seal "OR" a declaration
written on the copy and signed by such persons.

Ours were notarised by a lay preacher and some by a doctor.
All were signed by hand in black ink.

On the back of each copy i had printed the following.

I (leave room for printed name) certify that this document is a true copy of
the original.
Signed (leave room for signature)
Profession (leave room for details)
Contact details (leave room for name and adresss, telephone, fax etc.)
Dated (room for date)
Presented to me by (your name and adress etc)

I guess it would also be easy to include a line for translations.

The "notary" thing is bigger in the US than most other places around the
world.
There is usually a means by which it can be done and in quite a few case it
may be free.

Hi Dennis,

I just handed in my application in from Germany.

First. I got all documents, which where not originals, notarized. In Germany
this could be done either by a local court or by a city-instituiton for 2 Euros
per document.
Second I got all documents translated by a registered translator, which was
called certified translation and then the translator confimed the identity ot
the translation with the original or notarized copy in German.
So unless the notrarizing person is also a certified/registered translator the
whole prozess has to be done in two steps.
Good luck
Heike

Hi Robert

That seems to be a very good idea. I'm just becomming somewhat confused...Heike has just suggested going through "proper" channels, while this suggestion might seem a bit more "DIY"
I'm concerned that your approach might cause the visa officer to spend time checking the validity of whomever i get to sign the documents, and thus the proccess will take longer. Am I totally off here? is there nothing to worry about? or should I allways take the route that seems to give most information and be most valid?

"the frustrated Dane"
Dennis

Hi Heike

I hadn't thought of it as two proccesses, but it makes sence. I'll see if I can find some kind of certified translator.

Thank you for your story.

rgds
Dennis

    > Hi
    > Robert
    > That seems to be a very good idea. I'm just becomming somewhat
    > confused...Heike has just suggested going through "proper" channels,
    > while this suggestion might seem a bit more "DIY"
    > I'm concerned that
    > your approach might cause the visa officer to spend time checking the
    > validity of whomever i get to sign the documents, and thus the proccess
    > will take longer. Am I totally off here? is there nothing to worry
    > about? or should I allways take the route that seems to give most
    > information and be most valid?
    > "the frustrated Dane"
    > Dennis
    > --
    > Posted via http://britishexpats.com

Pretty much all answers are correct.
My way got me through the process (pre 9/11) in about 3 months (a record
even then !).
From Submission to set foot on plane !!!)
We had some medical documents that could not be released for "notarisation"
but COULD be certified by the doctor who supplied them.
As for the rest, they were certified by a lay preacher.

There is/was no "DIY" about it. I supplied an original of each of the
copies.
And they were duly witnessed and signed in the places provided on the back
of each copy.

The same approach could be used with documents that require translation,
with due care of course as not all languages translate easily into an easily
understood document.

And repeated from my prev post.

Whoever it is, needs to be able to verify that any translations or copies
are indeed a true reflection of the original item.

It is usual for the copy to be either stamped with a seal "OR" a declaration
written on the copy and signed by such persons.

So as you can see it never came close to DIY. CIC London did not seem to
think so as I am just coming up to three years in Canada as skilled
worker/PR !

Like your good self I was careful to check many things prior to submission
of app.

Wow...three months...I can only dare to dream of a similar processing time

I realise that the "DIY" gave a wrong impression of what i meant. I was fairly convenced that only a state employee was able to notarize/certifiy our documents, which made you suggestion look less authorized. Sorry about that.

It seems that matters are not as bad as I saw them. I've spoken with the canadian ebmassy in Denmark, and their take on the instructions in the guide, was to find a certified translator. I realize now, that what is actually required, is a notarized/certified translation (which a certified translator can produce) and a photocopy of the original. It says nothing about the photocopy being notarized.

Where this leads me, is to have the various documents translated by a certified translator, and have someone witness the photocopies.

Thank you for all your help.

rgds
Dennis

The best thing to do is call the Canadian embassy in your country and ask them for a list of translators they approve, then call whoever is on that list to get the best price. This is what I did.
If you are going to translate transcripts, ask your university they also might have the translation service sometimes.

Hi "Allinall"

I've allready asked them, and what they said was to look in the yellow pages Apparently we have "state authorized" translators, so it's just a matter of picking one.

Luckily we've been able to get most document in english, but our birthcertificates, payslips, earlier employment contracts etc. have to be translated...

rgds
Dennis