Category Archives: Certified translation

Certified translation, French customs, French paperwork, Life in France

Must a birth certificate really be less than three or six months old?

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Most foreigners living in France are asked at some stage to deliver a full birth certificate that is less than 3 (and sometimes 6) months old. Why three or six months?

If you’ve even seen the French birth certificate of someone who has been married, you will understand why.

French birth certificates are “annotés” which means that any change in civil status is recorded on the birth certificate itself – marriage, civil union, separation, divorce, remarriage, death … It’s like a personal history rather than a record of a single event. This is also the purpose of the livret de famille*.

French annotated birth certificate

As a result, the French authorities always ask for a recent certificate, which is defined as less than 3 months old in the case of French certificates. Birth certificates are obtained from the town hall of the place of birth and are free of charge. You simply send a photocopy of your identity card and a stamped addressed envelope with a cover letter saying who you are and what you want and they usually arrive in a few days. You can also go to the town hall in person or order them online in larger towns. Since February 15th 2019, birth certificates can also be obtained in multilingual versions (i.e. all the languages of the European Union).

French birth certificates are annotated

In most countries other than France, birth certificates are not annotated. As a result, there is no reason to submit a certificate of less than 3 months, nor a translation of less than 3 months even if the time frame is sometimes extended to 6 months. Unfortunately, a lot of authorities are not aware of this.

I have personally used the same Australian birth certificate for countless cartes de séjour, two marriages, one divorce and a successful application for French citizenship. Each time, I explained that “les actes de naissance en Australie ne sont pas annotés.”

On the French official website service-public.fr, it says:

Un acte de naissance, de mariage ou de décès demeure valable tant que les éléments qui y figurent n’ont pas été modifiés.  https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F10449.

If the certificate is issued by a foreign authority, it must be a maximum o f 6 months old for a marriage or PACS. However, there is no time limit if the country concerned does not update its certificates which is the case of Australia i.e. a birth, marriage or death certificate remains valid as long as the information given in the certificate has not been modified.

So that, theoretically, unless your name has been officially changed, all you have to do is quote the above to an authority that asks for a certificate less than 3 months old. Good luck!

*livret de famille: this is a little booklet you are given when you marry. It is added to each time you have a child. It also records divorces and deaths.

Buying property in France, Certified translation

How much does a certified (sworn) translation cost in France?

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Before I answer the question, a little terminology. Although many people say “sworn translation” and “traduction assementée”, the correct terms are “certified translation” and “traduction certifiée”. It’s the translator who is sworn or assermenté by the court, not the translation.

Standing in front of the Appeal Court of Orléans before being sworn in

First, what exactly is a sworn translator (traducteur assermenté)?

In France, a sworn translator or “traducteur assermenté” is also an “expert judiciaire” and attached to either a Court of Appeal (Cour d’appel) or the Cour de Cassation (Court of Cassation or Final Court of Appeal). There is a second list of translators, known as the “liste du procureur ou TGI” but they are not “experts judiciaires” and mainly used for court work in rare languages.

How do you become a sworn translator?

To become a sworn translator, you must have French nationality and be able to prove that you are capable of translating any documents that may be required by the court, police authorities, etc. You do not have to be a professional translator but knowledge of the legal system in France and the countries in which your foreign language is spoken, is essential. The application process takes a year and candidates are approved by a council of sworn translators at the Appeal Court where the application is made.

There are two separate categories: translation (written) and interpretation (spoken). You can apply for one or the other or both and for just one language or several. Applications are submitted in January and the translators / interpreters are sworn in during December. The initial accreditation is for 3 years, followed by 5-year renewal periods, provided the translator/interpreter has fulfilled their obligations.

How do you find a sworn translator?

You can find the list of sworn translators on the website of the Cour de Cassation: https://www.courdecassation.fr/informations_services_6/experts_judiciaires_8700.html Lists are available on other websites but they are mainly designed to offer translation services. You can use the services of a translator anywhere in France.

What are the rates for translations?

Rates for court translations and interpretations are strictly controlled (and not very well-paid).

There are no official rate recommendations concerning certified translations for private individuals. Rates are left entirely up to the translator.

Why do sworn translations always seem so expensive?

A sworn translator is like any other self-employed person in France. They have to pay social contributions in addition to overheads (computer, official stamp, colour printer, paper, envelopes, stamps, wifi connexion, office space, heating, etc.). Some translators have to charge value-added tax of 20%.

The Court also requires that sworn translators attend at least one training session a year.

The documents translated for private individuals vary enormously which makes it impossible to propose a “set rate” for most documents.

The most time-consuming part of many certified translations is the layout as the translation has to resemble the original insofar as possible. Once you have the templates in your computer, the translation itself may not take very long, but you need to accumulate a lot of templates. For example, there are at least 10 different UK birth certificates and the same number of French driver licences. There is a different birth certificate for each state of the United States, not to mention marriage certificates which often have a licence attached. Each state of Australia also has different documents. Driving licences and driving records vary considerably from one country to another and from one state to another.

Scanning documents to make pdfs can take time as well. First, you have to print the original and translation, then stamp all the pages, add a register number and sign them. You then have to scan them one at a time and create the corresponding pdf files.

So, what about actual prices?

The price of a fairly standard birth or marriage certificate can vary, according to the translator and the origin of the document, from 25 to 65 euros or more. The best solution is to find a translator who is specialised in your country’s documents e.g. UK, Australian, US, etc. as they will be able to offer better rates because they already have a lot of the templates. Some translators offer a discount for a large number of documents (naturalisation application, for example).

For one-off non-standard documents, the translator usually charges per word. It seems that the price ranges from about 18 centimes a word to 25 centimes. For longer, more complex documents, it is best to use a translator whose mother tongue corresponds to the target language.

As a sworn translator, I have come to specialise in UK and Australian civil registration documents (birth, marriage, divorce, adoption certificates), Australian and US driver licences and records, French civil registration documents, French driver licences, French diplomas and transcripts (diplômes and relevés de notes), French real estate documents including promesse/compromis de vente, acte de vente and procurations (power of attorney).

What will you need to give the translator?

In the past, before the existence and widespread use of email and scans, translators asked to see the original documents.

Today, many translators work via email particularly with the increase in on-line applications for applying for titres de séjour and exchanging driver licences, for example. At some stage, the applicant will be required to submit the original documents so the authorities will be able to compare them. A copy of the original always accompanies the translation. It is unusual these days to stamp originals.

If working by email, you will need to send the translator a proper scan of the document, not just a photo with your phone. UK documents, in particular, are often outsize and you may need to go to a printer or photocopy shop and have them scan the document and send you the file.

The translator will then give you a quotation and turnaround time and ask to be paid in advance by bank transfer, PayPal, Revolut, etc.

I usually send a pdf of the translation to the customer to check name spelling and numbers in order to avoid errors.

The translation is then printed out, stamped and signed and assigned a number from a register kept by the translator. The translation and original are then stapled together unless a pdf is required.

If a hard copy is needed, I prefer to send it by “lettre suivie”, which is a tracked letter that arrives in the customer’s letterbox.

The French authorities always require the original translation and not a photocopy unless it’s an on-line application, so you may need to order more than one copy. There will be an extra cost.

If you are interested in having a document translated, you can consult my website www.kneipp-translation.com and send an email to kneipp@kneipp-traduction.com to obtain a quote.

Certified translation, French customs

Exchanging an Australian driver licence for a French licence

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Updated January 2026

A driver’s licence issued by a country outside France is only recognised for one year once the person has acquired “normal residence” in France, normal residence being defined as the place in which you live for at least six months (185 days) a year due to professional or personal attachments. 

If you are not an EU citizen you need to make your application less than one year after the date on which your resident permit was validated.

If you are a foreign student in France, however, you can drive with your non-European licence during your studies.

If you are a dual national, see below.

If, because of your nationality, you have no way of proving the start of your residency in France, please see below.

Can I use my Australian licence for a short stay?

Yes, if you stay for less than 6 months, provided that:

1/ your licence is valid throughout your stay

2/ you have an international licence or an official translation. If it is translated in France, a certified translator (traducteur assermenté) must be used. If it is translated in another country, it must have an apostille. 

Cost of exchanging a licence

The exchange of a foreign driving licence for a French licence is free of charge.

For licences from countries other than Australia

Not all countries have a reciprocal agreement with France. In the case of the US, for example, only 18 states have an agreement. You can check on the following simulator (scroll down until you reach your country): https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/simulateur/calcul/PermisEtrangerPermisFrancais

Where to apply?

All applications are on-line at https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F1460

See instructions below

Who qualifies?

To qualify, your licence must be valid and issued by the country in which you had normal residence at the time.

You cannot apply to have your licence exchanged if it is currently suspended, withdrawn or cancelled in the country of issue or in France.

If you have an existing driver’s licence that is less than three years old, then your newly issued French licence will also be provisional until a three-year period has elapsed.

Anyone with a driving licence issued by a State outside the European Union and the European Economic Area, must apply to exchange their licence for a French licence within a period of one year following the acquisition of normal residency in France.

Dual nationals

For anyone with the nationality of a member country of the European Union or another country which belongs to the European Economic Area, Switzerland or Monaco, including those who also have the nationality of the State that issued the licence, the date of acquisition of normal residency is defined as being the 186th day following the date of their arrival in France.

This means that if you are European with a driver’s licence issued by a State outside the EU and EEA, you must apply to exchange your licence for a French licence between the end of the 6th month of your stay in France and before the end of the 18th month.

Australian licence issued to non-Australians

If you do not have the nationality of the country in which your licence was issued, you must also prove that you were a normal resident in that country at the time of issue. For example, you only have a Greek passport but you got your licence in Australia. You must prove that you were an Australian resident when the licence was issued. The easiest proof is the declaration of arrival and departure at the consulate, but a tax declaration, pay slip, work certificate, rental agreement, high school diploma or other document proving residence can be used too. 

Anyone who has both French and Australian nationality should apply to exchange their licence as soon as possible after their arrival as the process is considered to be complex.

What about a motorcycle licence?

It is not possible to obtain an open motorbike licence (permis moto A) through an exchange. A restricted motorbike licence (permis moto A2) only will be issued (a power output of less than 35 kW). To have it upgraded to an open licence, you are required to have 2 years of practice and about 7 hours of additional training with a driving school.

Unfortunately, there is no way of getting around this as it applies to all French motorbike licences.

When to apply?

The deadlines are as follows:

1st carte de séjour : Less than one year after your card was issued.

Visa de long séjour valant titre de séjour: Less than one year after the date of validation by OFII.

No residency visa required (EU national, for example) : between the end of the 6th month of your stay in France and before the end of the 18th month.

It’s best to start the process a couple of months ahead of time as some documents may require a little time to acquire.

What do I need?

  • An Australian driver’s licence
  • An Australian driving record or traffic history 

1) An Australian driver’s licence and

2) a driving record or traffic history (droits à conduire) 

In addition to your national driver’s licence (an international licence is not sufficient) you will need an Australian driving record or traffic history (licence details) less than 6 months old, which is normally only available to the driver themselves. It can be ordered on-line but in some States, it must be sent to an Australian address, usually the last one on record. If you haven’t already done so, you’ll need to officially change your address to an address in Australia where the record can be sent. The system is different for each state. If you have a choice between an on-line version and a printed version, you can choose the on-line version. All the relevant links are given at the end of this post. The traffic history (licence details) is called “Droits à conduire” in French and must prove that your licence is currently valid. It must also give the date on which your licence was first issued. A record of traffic infringements is not enough. If you have held more than one Australian licence, it’s the last one that is needed unless the current record does not indicate the date of first issue. Then you will need a record from the corresponding State.

3) A passport photo (see below)

4) Proof of address (see below)

5) Proof of residency (see below)

Translation into French

You will then need to have your national licence and driving record/history translated by a court-certified translator. The official list can be found on the Court de Cassation website  https://www.courdecassation.fr/experts. Click on Télécharger la liste nationale des experts en pdf, then go to TRADUCTION.

This is the official list of certified translators in France. All other lists are usually agencies in disguise. Translation agencies cannot be certified themselves, only the individual translators who carry out the work which is usually outsourced.

You can have the translation carried out by a translator living anywhere in France. There are no fixed prices for certified translations in France so they can vary considerably. Depending on the translator, you will need to take your licence and history to the translator in person or send them a good quality scan by email or a colour photocopy by post. A good quality scan means that it must be done with a scanner/photocopier and not a phone unless you have a special app.

Translators usually ask to be paid in advance by bank transfer, PayPal, etc. The stamped translation is sent back by pdf. A hard copy is not required (information provided by the ANTS website hotline). 

On-line application process

All applications are  on-line at https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F1460 

1/ Register on the website

2/ Follow the steps (you can use Google Translate to help you). Make sure that you are uploading your documents into the correct section.

3/ Photo:

You will need an approved passport photo with a digital code and signature so you do not have to send the actual photo. This can be obtained in most photo booths (see complete list on https://permisdeconduire.ants.gouv.fr/services/geolocaliser-les-photographes-habilites.) Look for a photobooth that says “Agrée ANTS SERVICES EN LIGNE”.

4/ Proof of address: 

The most common documents are your phone bill and electricity bill. The EDF app (and website) provide a “justificatif de domicile” in pdf form.

You can also ask your landlord to write a letter saying that you are being hosted by them (lettre d’hébergement). Don’t forget to include the date you arrived. The person should say you have been continuously living with them since a specific date. You will need a copy of their ID as well.

5/ Proof of residency:

You can use your “titre de séjour“, stamps in your passport, a letter from your landlord, lease receipts, a letter from the town hall in small towns, or anything else that will prove you have been living in France for the specified amount of time, including declaration at the Australian Embassy on arrival.

If you have no way of proving the beginning of your residency in France (perhaps you were living elsewhere in Europe before coming the France and don’t need a “titre de séjour” because you have a second passport), then you should register your arrival at the local town hall or the Australian embassy or declare that your home is your main residence with the local tax office. Then wait six months to make your application to exchange your licence.

6/ Driver’s licence

Two separate files: front and back. I suggest you name them smith_joe_permis_recto [front] and smith_joe_permis_verso [back]

7/ Translation of driver’slicence

One file with the licence and translation both stamped. Just the translation is not sufficient.

I suggest you name the file smith_joe_permis_traduction_certifiee

8/ Droits à conduire (driving history/record, etc. depending on State)

This document must prove that your licence is currently valid and state the date of first issue. It varies from State to State. NSW: driving history (you can order the on-line version) QLD: traffic history, VIC: driver history, SA: driving history, WA: Driver’s Licence Details and Traffic Infringements (2 documents), ACT: driver licence information, NT: driver licence history

I suggest you name it smith_joe_droits_conduire

9/ Translation of droits à conduire

One file with history/record and translation, both stamped. Just the translation is not sufficient. It needs to show that your licence is currently valid, the date of first issue and date of expiry. The ANTS website only allows three pages to be uploaded. In the case of the 3-page Victorian documents which means a 6-page document including the translation, it will be cut off after the translation. You can upload the full 6 pages in the Other Document section.

I suggest you name the file smith_joe_droits_conduire_traduction_certifiee

10/ Special cases – contact ANTS by telephone

You can phone ANTS (in French) on 3400 (not taxed) from within France or 09 70 83 07 07 from outside France from 7.45 am to 7 pm on weekdays and from 8 am to 5 pm on Saturdays.

What happens next?

If any documents are missing, it will be indicated on the ANTS website and you will be requested to upload additional ones. Check the website regularly. VERY IMPORTANT: if you receive a request for additional documents, you must upload a document to ALL the areas with a question mark, especially “Autres types de documents”. It’s a defect in the system. Just upload again (in both modules) one of the documents you have already uploaded. Otherwise, you will not be able to go to the next page.

You will be contacted by the authority concerned and issued a certificate of secure deposit (ADS) for your Australian driver licence, valid for 4 months.

You can use the ADS to drive while waiting for your French licence to issued, within the limit of the date of expiration of your Australian licence. If your licence is about to expire, apply for a new one first!

Once your application has been processed, you will be systematically asked to send in your original licence by registered mail together with your ADS. Your French licence will then be sent to your home address.

How long will it take?

The processing time will vary according to the complexity of your application and mainly depends on how long it takes to check your right to drive (driving history).

How can you track your application?

You can track your application on the ANTS website.

If you are asked to submit further documents and you can’t move on from “Enregistrer” after uploading your document, then upload a document into each section that has a question mark. It doesn’t matter what the document is – just upload documents you have already submitted. This is a technical hitch on the website.

If you move during the process

When requested to send in your Australian licence by registered mail, you can indicate your new address with a new proof of domicile and the ADS (i.e. interim licence) or, if you haven’t received the ADS, your birth name, given names, date of birth and nationality of the licence.

The French licence is then posted to your home address.

What sort of licence will I get?

The licence is not probationary unless the original licence is less than 3 years old.

The issue date indicated on the licence is the issue date of the French licence. The licence is valid for 15 years from the issue date (except when a medical check-up is needed, for drivers of HGVs for example).

What happens if I am refused?

If you are refused, and you cannot understand why, you can appeal to have the decision reviewed. I have noted that many people do not upload their documents under the correct headings which can lead to refusal.

If there is nothing to be done and you wish to obtain a French licence, you can go to the Bureau des Etrangers at your Préfecture and ask for an Attestation dispensing you from the obligatory driving lessons i.e. you will need to sit for the Code (theoretical examination) and a driving test only.

It is possible to sit for the Code with the help of an interpreter who must be a sworn translator or interpretor. However, having provided this service, I strongly recommend that you sit for the test in French by practising until you know all the vocabulary. During the test, the interpretor must stand with their back to the screen. The proctor reads the question and the interpretor translates it. They are allowed to repeat once. Road rules vocabulary varies enormously among English speakers so if you do choose to have an interpretor, make sure you spend at least an hour with them before the test so you can make sure you know all the vocabulary.

Will I get my Australian licence back?

No, you won’t. The French authorities will keep your licence and only give it back in return for the French one. (Arrêté du 12 janvier 2012, Article 13 modifié par l’arrêté du 19 décembre 2017, Article 9). It would seem that the NSW authorities will issue a duplicate of your licence if you declare it lost but that information is not official and not substantiated. An exchange means you surrender the original licence.

Good luck!

All information taken from the official government site https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F1460, verified in October 2025.

LINKS TO OBTAIN AN AUSTRALIAN DRIVING HISTORY/TRAFFIC RECORD

NSW https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/request-driving-record

QLD https://www.service.transport.qld.gov.au/applyformytraffichistory/public/Welcome.xhtml?dswid=-9714

VIC https://billing.vicroads.vic.gov.au/driverhistory(there are three pages; theoretically, only the first is required – Driver licence details – but sometimes the Complete demerit point extract is requested.)

SA https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/driving-and-transport/licences/drivers-licence/check-your-driving-history

WA (two different documents required) https://online.transport.wa.gov.au/ (Driver’s Licence Details) contact.centre@transport.wa.gov.au or www.transport.wa.gov.au/licensing.

Phone +61 8 9320 4656 if you are outside Australia.

https://www.wa.gov.au/service/transport/road-transport/apply-traffic-infringement-notice-record(Traffic Infringements)

TAS 

https://www.transport.tas.gov.au/licensing/requesting_information

ACT

https://www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au/driving-transport-and-parking/licences/licence-records