Arabic translation with notarised certification and legalisation

On the Arabic direction notarisation is never the last stage: it either follows the apostille, if the document goes to Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Morocco or Tunisia, or opens the three-stage legalisation, if the destination is the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan or Iraq. On this page we explain what a Georgian notary certifies on an Arabic translation, how this differs from the Arab countries' own certification systems, how the legalisation route is planned by country and on which detail a package is most often returned.

What the notary certifies on an Arabic translation

A Georgian notary does not read the Arabic text; they certify that the translation was made and signed by a translator who is registered in their register in the Arabic-Georgian language pair and whose qualification has been checked in advance. There are few registered Arabic translators in Georgia, and the translation cannot be made by "an acquaintance who knows Arabic". The procedure is standard: the translation is bound to a copy of the original or to the original, the translator signs in the presence of the notary, the notary stamps and assigns a register number. In the case of an Arabic original the binding order must not break a document read from right to left, and the page numbering must match in both languages, because the embassy also checks this during legalisation.

Apostille countries: one stage at the Public Service Hall

Saudi Arabia (since December 2022), Oman, Bahrain, Morocco and Tunisia are members of the Hague Convention, and for these countries a Georgian document receives an apostille at the Public Service Hall, after which no other certification is needed. The sequence comes in two forms: either the apostille is put on the original and the whole package, including the apostille, is translated into Arabic, or a notarised translation is made first and the apostille is put on it to confirm the notary's signature. Saudi authorities, in our experience, require the apostille on the original and evaluate the translation separately, so the first variant is more frequent; in Morocco and Tunisia, where the French administrative tradition applies, both variants occur. We clarify the recipient's requirement in advance, because a double apostille is an unnecessary expense, and one put in the wrong place is a reason for refusal.

Legalisation countries: three stages and a fourth on site

For the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan and Iraq a Georgian document is prepared like this:

• Notarisation in Georgia: of the translation, the copy or, in the case of a power of attorney, the deed itself
• Certification by the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia of the notary's signature and seal
• Certification by the destination country's embassy in Tbilisi (the embassies of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt and Iraq operate in Tbilisi; for other countries the accredited embassy may be in a third country)
• Certification by the local foreign ministry in the destination country: MOFAIC in the UAE, the legalisation section of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Qatar, the consular service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Egypt

Each stage checks the seal of the previous stage, so breaking the sequence means starting the chain from the beginning. We coordinate the first three stages as one process, inform the client at every stage, and for the fourth stage we give exact instructions or cooperate with a partner on site.

The UAE legal translator: what it means and when you need it

In the United Arab Emirates a translation to be submitted to a court and many state authorities must be made or confirmed by a legal translator licensed by the Ministry of Justice; this is the UAE's own system, which does not recognise the equivalent of Georgian notarisation. In practice this means that a legalised Georgian document, after arrival in the UAE, is often "transferred" onto the letterhead of a licensed translator. However, employers, free zones, universities and banks, as a rule, accept our notarised and legalised translation directly. When taking the order we find out who the final recipient is, and if it is a court or a state authority, we warn the client in advance and prepare the translation with a licensed partner in the UAE so that only the transfer onto the letterhead remains to be done on site.

An Arabic document for Georgia: legalisation first, translation after

An Arabic-language document for submission to a Georgian authority arrives either with an apostille (documents from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Morocco and Tunisia), or with the certification of the issuing country's foreign ministry and the Georgian embassy (or that country's embassy and the Georgian foreign ministry). In both cases the notarised Georgian translation is made in Georgia, after certification, so that the apostille or legalisation seals are also reflected in the translation. A frequent mistake is when an Iraqi or Egyptian student brings a diploma without certification: we will make the translation, but the authority will not accept the document, and we want to tell you this directly in advance, because in the case of Iraq and Syria legalisation often goes through a third country and takes months.

The most frequently certified documents on the Arabic direction

• Diploma, transcript and work experience certificate for employment in the Gulf countries
• Medical staff licences, specialisation certificates and certificate of good standing for health regulators
• Criminal record certificate for residence permit and employment
• Marriage, birth and divorce certificates for family reunification and visas
• Extract from the register of entrepreneurs, charter and minutes of the shareholders' meeting for company registration
• Power of attorney (wakala) for property, company or court representation
• Arabic-language school certificate and university transcript for enrolment in Georgian universities
• Bank statement and proof of income for residence and real estate
• Discharge summary and test results for insurance reimbursement and continuing treatment

A name in four components and one passport

An Arabic name usually has four components (given name, father's, grandfather's, family name), while the Georgian document system knows three fields. In a notarised translation the Arabic structure is distributed across the Georgian fields so that it matches the Latin line of the passport, and this distribution is identical in all documents of one client. Latin transliteration differs by country, so in the translation we use only the passport version and record it in the transliteration table. A Georgian client's name in an Arabic translation is written in Arabic script according to the Latin form of the passport, and if the name is already written in a specific Arabic form on a UAE residence card, precisely that form is used, for which we ask for a copy of the card.

Hijri dates and numerals in a notarised translation

Saudi Arabian documents use the lunar Hijri calendar, which shifts eleven days a year against the Gregorian one, and an approximate conversion puts the date of birth off by one or two days, which means a mismatch with the passport and a refusal by the authority. In the translation every Hijri date is converted algorithmically into Gregorian, with the original kept in brackets. Eastern Arabic numerals are converted into usual numerals, while document numbers, identification numbers and commercial register numbers are checked one to one against the original. The text of seals and stamps, including legalisation seals, is translated in full, because the Georgian notary and the authority also require the content of the seal.

Notarised, agency-stamped and licensed-translator certification

By "certification" clients mean three different procedures. Certification by a Georgian notary is confirmation of the translator's signature, is valid in Georgian authorities and is the first link of the legalisation chain. Certification with the agency stamp is our stamp and the translator's signature, which is enough for clinics, some employers, universities and business partners. Certification by a UAE legal translator is done only in the UAE, by a licensed person, and is needed by UAE courts and state authorities. When taking the order we ask who the recipient of the document is, and choose the right one of the three, because the wrong choice on the Arabic direction means going through the long legalisation chain from the beginning.

Certification of a copy of the original and the double diploma package

Gulf employers and health regulators often require a double diploma package: a notarised copy of the apostilled or legalised original and a certified translation bound to the copy, so that the original stays with the candidate and can be submitted to another authority in parallel. Certifying a copy and certifying a translation are two different notarial acts, and for certifying a copy the original must be brought physically, which we tell you in advance. For the translation a clear scan is enough. By the same logic we prepare the package of the medical licence and the specialisation certificate, where the regulator often requires both documents as separate files.

Power of attorney for an Arab country

A power of attorney issued from Georgia to manage a company in the UAE, sell property in Saudi Arabia or conduct an inheritance case in Egypt is one of the most "sensitive" documents. The notaries and courts of the Arab countries require an exact, standard wording of the powers in a power of attorney (sale, alienation, registration, banking operations, court representation each separately), and if these wordings are not in the translation of the Georgian power of attorney, the document is considered "insufficient". So we first prepare the text of the power of attorney by the logic of the destination country's practice, then it is executed with a Georgian notary, translated into Arabic and goes with an apostille or legalisation. For the UAE a power of attorney is often executed right at the consular section of the UAE embassy, which shortens the chain, and we offer this variant too.

Validity of certificates and calendar planning

Legalisation is longer than the apostille and comes into conflict with the validity period of certificates: a criminal record certificate and a medical certificate are valid in the Gulf countries for a limited period, and if the chain exceeds this period, the package is returned. So on the day the certificate is obtained the translation and notarisation are completed in express mode, the document goes to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs the next day, and we check the embassy's schedule in advance. A calendar detail must be taken into account: the embassies of the Arab countries work reduced hours in the month of Ramadan, and on the days of both Eids legalisation stops, and we inform the client about these periods in advance.

Dual citizenship and the residence card

On the residence card of Georgians living in the Gulf countries (Emirates ID in the UAE, iqama in Saudi Arabia) the name is written in an Arabic form, which sometimes corresponds only approximately to the Latin form in the Georgian passport. In such a case the translation uses the form of the document of the country where the translation is submitted, and the other variant is recorded in a note; in case of a substantial difference a certificate of identity of name is needed, which we also translate. In the case of women there is an additional nuance: in Arab countries a woman does not change her surname at marriage, and the Georgian post-marriage surname often does not match the Arabic residence document; in this case the translation of the marriage certificate is attached to the package.

Electronic documents from the Gulf countries

The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar issue most state services electronically: residence certificate, trade licence, criminal record certificate, academic transcript, all with a QR code or verification number, often bilingual. A Georgian notary certifies an electronically issued document in printed form, the verification code stays unchanged in the translation and a note states that the original can be verified electronically. For legalisation, however, an electronic document often needs physical certification by the issuing authority, because foreign ministries confirm a signature and seal, not a QR code; in the case of Saudi Arabia there is also an electronic apostille, which the Public Service Hall of Georgia accepts with verification. We choose between these variants according to the document and advise the client to ask us about the certification route as soon as they receive the electronic certificate, before it arrives in Georgia.

Batumi, Gulf investors and Black Sea real estate

The interest of Gulf investors in Batumi's hotel and residential real estate has grown sharply in recent years, and so has the demand for notarisation on the Arabic direction from Adjara. Batumi notaries work regularly with the documents of UAE and Saudi companies, and the investor's package (trade licence, shareholder list, power of attorney, bank statement) is submitted to the Public Registry and the bank with legalisation and a notarised Georgian translation. Our online process works for Adjara clients just as for Tbilisi: you upload the document, the certified translation reaches you in Batumi by courier, the apostille is also added at the Batumi branch of the Public Service Hall, while legalisation takes place in Tbilisi, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the embassies, under our coordination.

Deadlines and organisation

A translation with notarisation is ready within one working day, in express mode within 1-2 hours. The apostille is added within the Public Service Hall deadlines; legalisation depends on the schedule of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the embassy and takes several working days. For legalisation we need the original physically, for the translation a scan is enough. All documents are processed under a confidentiality agreement.

Typical mistakes that get a package returned

On the Arabic direction the reasons for refusal are usually the same: putting an apostille for a legalisation country, skipping one stage of legalisation, an approximate conversion of a Hijri date, wrong distribution of name components across the fields, leaving legalisation seals untranslated, the expiry of a certificate before the chain is completed, or submitting Georgian notarisation to a UAE court where a licensed translator was required. If your translation has already been refused, we first establish the exact reason and correct only the faulty link, without going through the whole chain again, wherever that is possible.

Frequently asked questions