Certificate of residence translation and notarization

"Proof of address" is the requirement that a foreign bank, consulate, university, tax authority or immigration service puts in almost every application, and one that does not correspond to any single piece of paper in the Georgian document system. Some need the Public Service Hall certificate of the registered address, some a utility bill, some a rental agreement or a property extract. What they all have in common is one thing: the address must be written identically in every document and match what the authority already sees in your passport or application. Our bureau in Tbilisi, on Davit Aghmashenebeli Avenue, translates proof of address documents by one consistent rule and notarizes them within one day.

Which document proves the place of residence

• Certificate of the registered address. Issued by the Public Service Hall and the Public Service Development Agency, it contains the registration address and date, often the registration history too. It is the only official state document and the one that receives the apostille.
• The back of the ID card. The back of the Georgian electronic ID card carries the registration address; for some banks and consulates its translation is enough.
• Utility bills. Last month's electricity, gas, water or internet bill in the subscriber's name: the banks' favourite format, although on Georgian bills the name is often the flat owner's rather than the resident's.
• Rental agreement. For students and tenants often the only option; translated in full or as an extract.
• Public Registry extract on real estate. For owners, especially in tax residency and investor visa cases.
• A certificate from a bank or employer stating the address. Some authorities accept a bank statement or an employment certificate as proof of address too.

Which one will do depends on the rules of the receiving authority. We confirm this as soon as we take the order and, if there is a choice, recommend the simplest option.

When a translation is required

• Opening an account at a foreign bank or investment platform. The KYC procedure asks for proof of address in English or in the local language; a scanned certified translation is often enough.
• Visa and residence. Consulates ask for it to confirm your ties to Georgia, immigration services to confirm the family's shared place of residence; in the second case the certificate often goes together with the marriage certificate.
• Tax residency and avoiding double taxation. A foreign tax authority asks for a document proving residence in Georgia together with the certificate of residency.
• Inheritance. The deceased's last registered address determines where the inheritance is opened; the certificate is translated together with the death certificate.
• School and university. When enrolling a child in school or applying for a dormitory.
• A foreign document in Georgia. For a foreigner's residence permit or a Georgian bank's KYC procedure a foreign bill or certificate is translated into Georgian.

What we pay attention to when translating

The address by one consistent rule

Translating an address is harder than it looks. The names of streets, settlements, villages and cities are transliterated, administrative units (municipality, district, neighbourhood) are translated, and "building", "entrance", "flat" and "floor" have to fit the address standard of the target country so that the bank's system accepts the address. The main rule is that one person's address must be written character for character identically in every document (certificate, bill, agreement, bank statement); even a difference between "St." and "Street" can fail an automated check. So we agree the client's address once and use it unchanged in every subsequent translation.

Name, dates, subscriber details

The name and surname are written according to the Latin entry of the passport; the registration date, the date of issue of the certificate, the billing period and the subscriber number stay unchanged. If the bill is in another person's (the owner's) name, we do not "correct" that in the translation: we translate it as it is and recommend an additional document proving your connection to the address.

Format

The tabular structure of bills and extracts is preserved, amounts and currency are carried over unchanged, QR codes, seals and electronic signatures are described. Banks often judge the authenticity of a document precisely by the "look" of the original.

Certification and apostille

For most banks and consulates a bureau-certified or notarized translation without an apostille is enough, often in scanned form. In residence, family reunification, tax residency and inheritance cases the Public Service Hall certificate needs an apostille as well: it is placed on the original before translation, then the certificate is translated together with the apostille and the translation is notarized. An apostille is not placed directly on utility bills and agreements; where needed a notarized copy of them is prepared. The general rules are described on the personal documents page.

Typical cases

• A European bank or fintech platform. An English translation of the back of the ID card or of last month's bill with the bureau's certification, as a PDF, the same day.
• Family reunification in Germany. The Public Service Hall certificate with an apostille and a German translation in both spouses' names, together with the marriage certificate.
• Tax residency. The registered address certificate, the Public Registry extract and the Revenue Service's certificate of residency as one package.
• Student visa. The parents' address certificate together with the bank statement and the birth certificate, with one transliteration.

A foreign proof of address in Georgian

We have many orders in the opposite direction too: a foreigner living in Georgia often needs a Georgian translation of their own country's proof of address for a residence permit, to open an account at a Georgian bank or to found a company: the German Meldebescheinigung, a British council tax bill or utility bill, an American lease agreement, the Turkish ikametgah belgesi, a Russian or Ukrainian registration certificate. In such documents the address is transliterated into Georgian, while foreign administrative units (Landkreis, county, il, oblast) are translated with a Georgian equivalent or an explanation. The foreigner's name is written in Georgian as it appears on their residence card and passport translation, so that one person is not perceived as two records. If the document carries an apostille, that is translated in full as well.

Mistakes that get the document rejected

• The address written differently in different documents. An automated KYC system does not "forgive" a mismatch.
• An expired bill or certificate. Banks usually ask for a document from the last 1-3 months.
• A bill in someone else's name without a document proving the connection. A rental agreement or a certificate proving kinship is needed.
• "Translating" the street name. "Chavchavadze Avenue" must be transliterated, not described.
• Translation before the apostille, when an apostille is needed.

Turnaround

The translation of the certificate, the ID card or a single bill with notarization is ready within one working day; a document delivered in the morning the same day. A scanned version with the bureau's certification is sent within a few hours. Delivery by scan, email or at the office; collection at the office, by courier or as a PDF.

Frequently asked questions