Georgia has been an observer member of the International Organisation of La Francophonie since 2004, the French Embassy, the Institut français de Géorgie and the French School of the Caucasus operate in Tbilisi, and every year hundreds of Georgian students go to French universities through Campus France. All of this comes with one shared requirement: a document submitted to a French-speaking body must be translated exactly and in the correct form. This page describes how we work with French, what you should know about the requirements of France, Belgium, Switzerland and Quebec, and which details determine whether the receiving party accepts your translation.
Who needs French translation in Georgia
French-language orders with us fall into several clear groups. The first and largest are students: candidates for Bachelor's, Master's and doctoral programmes who need a French version of the school certificate, diploma, transcript and motivation letter. The second group deals with family matters: marriage to a French citizen, family reunification (regroupement familial), registration of a child's birth at the French consulate or acquisition of French citizenship. The third group is business: Georgian companies signing a contract with a French or Belgian partner, and French companies registering a representative office or subsidiary in Georgia. Finally, French citizens living in Georgia and submitting French documents to Georgian bodies stand apart.
The French Embassy and the visa centre: in what form they require documents
Since 2017 Georgian citizens no longer need a Schengen visa for a short visit, so dealings with the embassy mainly concern long-stay visas: student, work, family reunification and the "spouse" visa (visa long séjour). Applications are received through the French visa centre, and that is where the first check happens: whether every Georgian-language document is translated into French and certified accordingly. In practice the visa centre accepts a Georgian notarized translation, although some documents (especially civil status records) must also carry an apostille. Our recommendation is to plan the document package as a whole: first establish which document needs an apostille, then translate everything at the same time, so that the text of the apostille is reflected in the translation too.
Campus France and the "Études en France" procedure
Most Georgian applicants and Master's candidates enter a French university precisely through the online platform of Campus France Géorgie. On the platform every document (school certificate, diploma, transcripts, language certificate) is uploaded in scanned form and must be accompanied by a French translation. Two typical mistakes happen here. First: the transcript is translated, but the names of subjects are carried over in a way that the French admissions committee cannot tell which discipline is meant. For example, "general part of civil law" must be "droit civil (partie générale)" in French and not a word-for-word calque. Second: the Georgian 100-point or 10-point grading system is not "converted" to the French 20-point system in the translation. The translator has no right to convert, but can attach an explanatory note on the grading scale, which Campus France committees receive positively.
ENIC-NARIC France and the certificate of comparability
If you need your diploma for employment or professional recognition in France, the ENIC-NARIC France "certificate of comparability" (attestation de comparabilité) usually becomes necessary. This centre requires a translation of the diploma and supplement done by a sworn translator. A Georgian notarized translation is accepted for this purpose if it carries an apostille, because ENIC-NARIC recognises an official translation done abroad. It is important that the credits and hours indicated in the diploma supplement are translated exactly, without abbreviations: it is precisely by this data that the centre establishes which French level (licence, master, doctorat) the Georgian qualification corresponds to.
The French-speaking world is not one language
French is spoken in France, in Belgium's Wallonia and Brussels, in Switzerland's Romandy, in Luxembourg, Monaco and Canada's province of Quebec, and each of these jurisdictions has its own administrative terminology. In Belgium the secondary education document is called the "CESS", in France the "baccalauréat"; in Switzerland the cantonal bodies (for example, of the canton of Geneva or Vaud) often require the document according to the canton's linguistic norm; and in Quebec the immigration ministry requires that the translation be done by a recognised translator and submitted together with a copy of the source. When you order with us we always ask in which country specifically the document is to be submitted, because the choice of term ("permis de conduire" or "permis de conduire de classe 5", "carte d'identité" or "carte de résident permanent") depends on exactly that.
The sworn translator (traducteur assermenté) and a Georgian notarized translation
In the French system an official translation is done by a "traducteur assermenté", that is, an expert translator entered on the list of a court of appeal, whose seal and signature themselves certify the translation, without a notary. In Georgia no such institution exists: here a registered translator does the translation and a notary certifies their signature. The two systems "recognise" each other through the Hague Convention: a Georgian notarized translation with an apostille counts as an official document at French bodies. There are exceptions, however. Some prefectures, especially when issuing a residence card (titre de séjour), require the translation to be done by a sworn translator registered in France. In such a case we advise the client to contact the prefecture or a lawyer in advance.
The apostille for France: what changed in 2025
France has been a party to the 1961 Hague Convention since 1965, Georgia since 2007, so an apostille is sufficient in both directions. The apostille on a Georgian document is placed by the Public Service Hall (Public Service Development Agency), and in the case of a diploma the process is preceded by confirmation of the document's genuineness at the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement. An important novelty on the French side is that since 1 May 2025 apostilles in France are issued by notaries instead of the courts of appeal. If you are a French citizen and have to submit a French birth certificate, criminal record certificate or diploma in Georgia, you can now obtain the apostille from any French notary, which speeds the procedure up considerably. The apostilled French document is then translated into Georgian in Tbilisi and notarized.
The French spelling of first names and surnames
A Georgian passport transliterates the name by the ICAO system, where the Georgian "ch" sound is "ch", "zh" is "zh" and "gh" is "gh". The French orthographic tradition writes the same sounds differently: "tch", "j" and "gu". That is exactly why "Chichinadze" and "Tchitchinadze", "Zhvania" and "Jvania" exist at the same time. In an official translation we always use the passport version, even if it reads "strangely" to a French person, because any difference in the name is perceived at the embassy, prefecture or university as an inconsistency in the document. If a family member already has a French document with a different spelling (for example, in the French spouse's livret de famille), let us know in advance: in such a case we reflect both variants in the translation with an explanatory note.
Business documents with French partners
The interest of French companies in Georgia in recent years covers energy, the hotel business, wine export and infrastructure, and the France-Georgia Chamber of Commerce and Industry works actively in Tbilisi. In such cooperation the extract from the Register of Entrepreneurs (the French counterpart is the "extrait Kbis"), the articles ("statuts"), the minutes of the partners' meeting ("procès-verbal d'assemblée") and the power of attorney ("procuration" or "pouvoir") are translated most often. French legal forms do not match Georgian ones exactly: the SARL is a limited liability company, the SAS a simplified joint-stock company that Georgian legislation does not recognise separately, and the SA a joint-stock company. In the translation in such a case we keep the original abbreviation and add a Georgian functional explanation in brackets, so that both parties' lawyers have an unambiguous picture.
The particularity of French civil status records
The French civil status system also differs structurally from the Georgian one. Instead of a birth certificate there are three variants in France: the full copy ("copie intégrale"), the extract with parentage ("extrait avec filiation") and the extract without parents. The full copy carries marginal notes ("mentions marginales"), where marriage, divorce or a change of name is recorded chronologically, and these notes must be translated without fail, because it is precisely they that reflect a person's current civil status. A separate document is the "livret de famille", the family record book, which has no Georgian analogue and whose translation we often need when registering a child in Georgia or in inheritance cases.
Linguistic register and formulas
French administrative language is saturated with formulas: "Je soussigné(e)", "fait pour servir et valoir ce que de droit", "certifié conforme à l'original". These expressions are not translated word for word into Georgian, but their absence in a French text gives the document a "foreign" look and makes the reading official distrustful. So when translating from Georgian into French we use exactly the formulas that a French official sees every day, and when translating from French into Georgian we choose the established equivalents of Georgian administration. We pay separate attention to forms of address: in a motivation letter the "vous" form and the correct closing phrase ("Je vous prie d'agréer…") are as important as the content.
French in Georgia: DELF, DALF and language certificates
One of the preconditions of a long-stay student visa and university enrolment is proof of knowledge of French, which the Institut français de Géorgie in Tbilisi provides through the DELF and DALF exams. These certificates are issued in French from the start and need no translation, but a certificate issued by a Georgian university on the language of instruction, a school certificate on intensive French teaching or the Georgian version of documents of the French School of the Caucasus is already our work. There is demand in the opposite direction too: a French university diploma (licence, master) needs recognition in Georgia, for which the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement requires a Georgian translation of the diploma and supplement. In this translation the French credit system (ECTS) and semester grades, which are often in "mention" format (passable, assez bien, bien, très bien) and do not convert directly into Georgian points, must be carried over especially carefully.
Wine, tourism and cultural projects: French non-document translation
Working with French does not mean only official documents. Georgian wine companies going to fairs in Paris, Bordeaux or Montpellier need a French version of labels, technical sheets ("fiche technique") and presentations, where wine terminology (cépage, terroir, élevage, vinification en qvevri) must sound exact and natural to a French professional. Tourist agencies and hotels order a translation of the website, menu and excursion material for the French-speaking market, while cultural organisations taking part in the Francophonie week or Institut français projects prepare grant applications and reports in French. Such texts do not need notarization, but they do need stylistic quality, on which a native-speaker editor works with us.
French citizens in Georgia: the needs of the opposite direction
For French people living in Tbilisi and Batumi the need for translation is part of everyday life: for a residence permit the Public Service Development Agency requires a Georgian translation of the French criminal record certificate and documents confirming income; banks require a translation of the French tax notice ("avis d'imposition") when opening an account; Georgian clinics a Georgian version of the French medical history; and when enrolling a child in the French School of the Caucasus or a Georgian school, French school certificates and the vaccination card are translated. When receiving a French pension in Georgia the pension fund requires a life certificate ("certificat d'existence") every year, which a Georgian notary certifies and which is then translated into French. This direction is often less visible, but makes up a significant part of our French orders.
Which documents are translated into French most often
- school certificate, diploma and transcript for Campus France and ENIC-NARIC
- birth, marriage and divorce certificates for family reunification and consular registration
- criminal record certificate and bank statement for a long-stay visa
- extract from the Register of Entrepreneurs, articles and power of attorney for working with French partners
- medical certificate and discharge summary for treatment in France or an insurance case
- the French "copie intégrale", "livret de famille" and "casier judiciaire" into Georgian for submission in Georgia
How the order proceeds
The process happens entirely online: you upload the document on the site, receive the deadline the same day, and the finished translation electronically or by courier. A standard personal document is ready in one working day, in express mode in 1-2 hours. Every French translation intended for official purposes goes through two stages: translation by a translator registered with a notary in the French-Georgian pair, and editing by a second translator who specifically checks the terminology and numerical data. The client's data is processed under a confidentiality agreement, which is especially important in the case of medical and corporate papers.
Frequently asked questions
Will the French visa centre accept a translation certified in Tbilisi?
Yes, a Georgian notarized translation is accepted in long-stay visa applications. Civil status records (birth, marriage certificate) must usually also carry an apostille, which we attach before translation, so that the text of the apostille is reflected in the translation too.
Is a scanned translation enough for Campus France?
Documents are uploaded to the platform electronically, so initially a good-quality scan is enough. However, after enrolment the university may require the originals and the original of the translation, so we advise keeping the paper version.
What is the difference between a French "traducteur assermenté" and a Georgian notarized translation?
A French sworn translator certifies the translation themselves with their own seal, while the Georgian system provides for a notary's certification. By virtue of the Hague Convention a Georgian notarized translation with an apostille is officially recognised in France, although an individual prefecture sometimes requires a local translator.
Will the same translation do for Belgium and Switzerland?
Linguistically yes, but the terminology and the names of bodies differ, so we prepare the translation for the specific country. Belgium and Switzerland are parties to the Hague Convention, so an apostille is enough for both.
What does a French citizen need to marry in Georgia?
Usually a certificate of capacity to marry issued by the French consulate, a full copy of the birth certificate and a passport. The French documents must be certified with an apostille and are translated into Georgian in Tbilisi with notarization.
How long does a French translation take?
A standard one- or two-page document in one working day, by express in 1-2 hours. The deadline for a multi-page contract or medical history is set individually as soon as we see the document.
Can you do a translation for Quebec immigration?
Yes, we translate with Quebec terminology in mind. Note that the Quebec immigration ministry sometimes requires certification by a translator recognised in Canada, so we confirm the requirement in advance and prepare the package accordingly.