How much does a sworn translation cost in 2026: prices, stamp duty and hidden costs

In short

• A sworn translation does not have a single price: it depends on the type of document, its length, the language combination, the turnaround time and the delivery format.
• With Giuradoc, a sworn translation in PDF costs 30 euros per page, VAT included, whatever the language combination, delivered within 24-48 working hours.
• On top of the translator's price there may be official costs that no agency controls: revenue stamps, apostilles, consular fees, application fees.
• The surest way to save money is to get the order of the steps right: first the apostille on the original, then the translation.

"How much does a sworn translation cost?" is the first question anyone asks when they need to submit a foreign document to the Comune (municipality), the Prefettura (the State's local government office) or a university. The honest answer is: it depends. Not out of vagueness, but because the final cost is the sum of several items, and only one of them is the translator's work. In this guide we set them out one by one, with verified official amounts and our actual prices, so you can work out your budget before ordering.

How much does a sworn translation cost: the short answer

With Giuradoc, a sworn translation in PDF costs 30 euros per page, with the same price for every document: a one-page birth certificate, criminal record certificate or driving licence therefore costs 30 euros, and a three-page document 90 euros. If you need one, you can add a paper copy by post.

The rest of the budget depends on your procedure: whether the foreign document must be apostilled or legalised, whether the receiving body asks for a translation certified against the original, whether the procedure involves a fee payable to the State. These costs exist whichever translator you use, and it is better to know about them in advance.

If you are not yet sure which type of translation you need, start with the guide on the differences between sworn, asseverated, certified and legalised translation, or with the page which translation to choose.

What the price of a sworn translation depends on

The type of document

A civil registry certificate is short and follows a fixed template: the translator knows it, the terminology is stable, the work is predictable. A divorce judgment or a notarial deed, on the other hand, contains free text, legal references and legal formulas that must be rendered precisely. That is why many translators charge different prices for different families of documents.

With us the type of document does not change the price: 30 euros per page, whether for the sworn translation of a birth certificate or of a criminal record certificate, or for the sworn translation of a judgment or court document.

The number of pages and the density of the text

Our price is per page: 30 euros for each page of the document. A twelve-page bank statement, a transcript listing dozens of courses or a long contract therefore cost more than a one-page certificate: the number of pages and the total are confirmed to you after we have checked the document, before we start. Other translators charge "per standard page" (cartella) or a price per document: to compare, always look at the total.

The language combination

On the market, less widely spoken languages often cost more, because few sworn translators cover them. At Giuradoc the price is the same, 30 euros per page, for all the combinations offered: Italian from and into English, Spanish, French, German, Romanian and Arabic, as well as between these six languages. If your language does not appear in the menu on the document page, write to us for a quote.

Turnaround

Standard delivery is within 24-48 working hours for a standard document. If you have a deadline coming up, write to us: we will tell you what is possible. For long documents, we confirm the turnaround time before we start.

The format: PDF or paper copy

Giuradoc's sworn translation is made from the scan or photo you send us: a translator sworn before the competent courts of appeal translates the document, signs and stamps the translation and certifies that it is faithful to the document received. You receive the PDF by email. For most procedures this is enough; if the receiving body also wants a paper copy, add the paper copy by post (15 euros). We explain in detail when the PDF is enough and when it is not in the guide sworn translation in PDF: when it is enough.

Certification against the original

Some bodies require the translation to be certified as conforming to the original document, not to a scan. In this case the original (already apostilled or legalised, if needed) has to be sent, conformity is certified and the document is returned to you together with the translation. It is a different service, with extra shipping and steps: timing and costs depend on the document, and we give them to you in a quote.

Apostille and legalisation

An apostille is not a translation: it is the stamp with which the authority of the country that issued a public document certifies its authenticity. If your foreign document requires one, it must be requested in the country of origin, on the original, before translation. If, on the other hand, you need to use an Italian document abroad, the apostille is requested in Italy (see below). This service is also available on quotation, among our additional services. All the steps are in the guide on apostille and sworn translation.

The official costs on top (which do not depend on the translator)

This is the part that quotes often leave out. These are amounts set by law or by State tariffs: you pay them whoever your translator is, and knowing them saves you surprises.

Revenue stamps for asseverazione in court

In Italy a translation can be sworn before a court clerk (the so-called asseverazione). In that case you pay the stamp duty provided for in the tariff of DPR 642/1972: according to the instructions of the Tribunale di Treviso, one 16-euro revenue stamp (marca da bollo) "on the first side of the translated document for every 4 pages of 25 lines each or every 100 lines (including the record of the oath)". A short document therefore requires at least one stamp; a long one, one every four sides. Some uses are exempt by law (for example adoption of minors, scholarships, employment and social security cases), and the exemption must be stated on the record.

On top of this there is a less visible cost: time. Asseverazione requires the translator to appear in person at the court registry, during its opening hours and with its queues; the price charged by agencies that offer it generally covers this step, plus printing and shipping the paper file.

Giuradoc's sworn translation in PDF does not go through an Italian court and carries no revenue stamps: it is signed and stamped by a translator sworn before the competent courts of appeal. For foreign documents to be used in Italy, Article 33 of DPR 445/2000 provides for a translation certified as conforming to the foreign text "by the competent diplomatic or consular mission, or by an official translator". If, however, the receiving body expressly asks for an asseverazione in an Italian court, check this before ordering and write to us: we will tell you frankly whether our translation suits your case or whether it is better to arrange the asseverazione on quotation.

Apostille and legalisation in Italy: 16 euros of stamp duty

If you need to use an Italian document abroad, the apostille (for countries party to the 1961 Hague Convention) or legalisation (for the others) is requested from the Prefettura for administrative documents and from the Procura della Repubblica (public prosecutor's office) for judicial and notarial documents. The service itself involves no fees: the Procura of Turin states that apostilles and legalisations "do not require payment of fees". Stamp duty, however, is payable unless an exemption applies: the form of the Procura of Sassari points out that affixing the apostille "is subject to stamp duty unless exemption conditions apply, which must be expressly stated". The amount is 16 euros per apostille.

For foreign documents, the apostille is paid for in the issuing country, at that country's rates: these costs vary widely and are worth checking on the website of the competent authority.

Consular fees

If you choose to have a translation certified or legalised by an Italian consulate abroad, you pay the fees in the consular tariff table. In the extract published by the Italian Embassy in Washington for the fourth quarter of 2025, for example, "certification of conformity to the original of a translation" not carried out by the Consulate costs 13 euros per sheet (into Italian), translation of civil status records into Italian 9 euros per sheet, and translation of other documents into Italian 20 euros per sheet. The extract from the Embassy in Ljubljana (updated to 1 December 2025) lists 24 euros for legalisation of a signature and 12 euros for legalisation of civil status records, and specifies that translation and certification of conformity are free when they are needed for registration in the Italian civil status registers. Outside the euro area, amounts are converted into local currency and updated every quarter.

Application fees

Finally, some procedures have their own cost, which has nothing to do with translation but weighs on the overall budget. Two examples:

• an application for citizenship by marriage or by residence requires a fee of 250 euros, under Article 9-bis of Law 91/1992;
• an application for recognition of citizenship iure sanguinis submitted to the Consulate appears in the consular tariff table with a fee of 600 euros (Ljubljana extract cited above).

Giuradoc prices in 2026

Here are the prices of our sworn translations in PDF, VAT included, as at 9 October 2026:

• 30 euros per page, for all documents and all the language combinations offered: birth certificate, criminal record certificate, driving licence, passport or identity card, certificate of residence, family status certificate, university degree, transcript, bank statement, employment contract or payslip, power of attorney or notarial deed, death certificate, marriage certificate, judgment or court document and other documents;
• option: paper copy by post 15 euros;
• on quotation: translation certified against the original, apostille and legalisation, asseverazione (sworn statement) before an Italian court, orders of several documents (for which we apply special rates).

You can see all the document pages on the page our services, or start from the most requested documents.

What you really spend: sample budgets by procedure

The examples below add up only our prices and the official amounts quoted above. They do not include costs incurred in the country of origin (issuing the certificates, local apostille), which vary from country to country.

Citizenship by marriage or by residence

For foreign documents, the Prefettura usually asks for the birth certificate and the criminal record certificate from the country of origin (and from every country in which you have lived), legalised or apostilled and translated. With a single country of residence:

• translation of the birth certificate (one page): 30 euros;
• translation of the criminal record certificate (one page): 30 euros;
• total for translations: 60 euros, plus 15 euros if you also want the paper copy;
• separately: the 250-euro application fee, apostille in the country of origin.

If you have lived in two countries since the age of 14, add a second criminal record certificate. The full list of documents is in the guide to documents for Italian citizenship.

Citizenship iure sanguinis

Here the cost grows with the length of the line of descent, because each generation brings its own birth, marriage and possibly death certificates. For a single complete foreign generation you need, for example, a birth certificate, a marriage certificate and a death certificate: at one page each, 90 euros of translations. For two generations the bill doubles, plus the applicant's own records. With many documents, it is worth asking for a single quote.

Driving licence

To drive in Italy during the first year of residence with a non-EU licence, you need an international driving permit or an official translation into Italian. The translation of a one-page licence costs 30 euros. For the actual conversion, the Motorizzazione (the Italian vehicle and driver licensing office) may also ask for a certificate from your Consulate: we explain this in the guide to converting a foreign driving licence.

University enrolment

Diploma and transcript of one page each: 60 euros. Watch out for very long transcripts with many courses: every page is charged, and the number of pages is confirmed after checking. If the university also asks for a declaration of value (dichiarazione di valore), the Consulate applies its own tariff (50 euros in the Ljubljana extract).

Visa, mortgage or rental

Banks and visa offices often ask for several months of bank statements or payslips. Three one-page payslips come to 90 euros: for a series of documents of the same type, ask for a quote, because we apply special rates. We cover this in the guide to bank statements and payslips.

Hidden costs to check before ordering

A low price in the shop window tells you nothing if you do not know what it includes. Before ordering, with us as anywhere else, check these points:

• Price per page or per document? Ask how pages are counted and what the total will be: a double-sided document with stamps and annotations can count more pages than expected. With us, the number of pages is confirmed before we start.
• Revenue stamps included or excluded? For translations asseverated in court they are a separate cost, which grows with the number of sides.
• Shipping: if you need a paper copy, how much does it cost and how long does it take to arrive?
• VAT: is it included in the price? Our prices include VAT.
• Urgency: does the price apply to the standard turnaround or to the one you actually need?
• Stamps, annotations and apostilles: a sworn translation must be complete. Check that the quote covers everything on the document.
• The cost of redoing it: a translation rejected because it was done before the apostille, or with a name spelt differently from the passport, is one you pay for twice.

How to save without risking rejection

Apostille first, then translation

This is the most expensive mistake. The apostille is part of the document and must be translated too: if you translate first and apostille afterwards, the translation does not cover the apostille and has to be redone. So: certificate, apostille or legalisation in the country of origin, and only then the translation.

Use multilingual extracts when you can

Multilingual templates exist for some civil status records. EU Regulation 2016/1191 provides that, for a series of public documents issued by a Member State (birth, marriage, residence, absence of a criminal record and others), a translation may not be required if the document is accompanied by the multilingual standard form and the authority considers the information it contains sufficient; the same regulation exempts those documents from apostille and legalisation. The same Article 6 provides that a certified translation made by a person qualified under the law of a Member State is accepted in all Member States. First of all, ask your municipality of origin whether it can issue the multilingual extract or the standard form: sometimes you save the translation.

Translate only what you are asked for

Ask the receiving body, in writing if possible, for the exact list of documents and the accepted format (PDF, paper, certification against the original). Translating documents "just in case" that nobody has asked for is an unnecessary cost; translating in the wrong format, a double one.

Check how long certificates remain valid

Many certificates have limited validity (the criminal record certificate for citizenship, for example, must be recent). Order the translation after obtaining the up-to-date certificate, not before: otherwise you risk having to redo the certificate, apostille and translation.

Group your documents

If you need to translate several documents for the same procedure, upload them all together and ask us for a quote: we apply special rates for multiple documents. For a citizenship or residence permit application, the difference can be significant.

Choose paper only if you need it

The signed and stamped PDF is enough for most procedures, including those submitted online by uploading documents. Add the copy by post only if the receiving body asks for it.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to translate a birth certificate?

With Giuradoc, the sworn translation in PDF of a birth certificate costs 30 euros per page (price as at 9 October 2026), for any of the language combinations offered: 30 euros for a one-page certificate. If you also need a paper copy, add 15 euros.

Are revenue stamps included in the price?

Revenue stamps concern translations asseverated before an Italian court: 16 euros for every four sides or one hundred lines, record of the oath included. Giuradoc's sworn translation in PDF does not go through an Italian court and therefore involves no revenue stamps on the translation. If you need to have an Italian document apostilled at the Prefettura or the Procura, however, the 16-euro stamp on the apostille is payable, unless an exemption applies.

Why do some sworn translations cost much more?

Because they include different steps: the oath at the court registry, printing and shipping the file, revenue stamps, sometimes the apostille. Before comparing two prices, check that they are for the same service and that the format is the one your receiving body requires.

Does the price change depending on the language?

Not with us: 30 euros per page for all the combinations offered in the menu on the document page. For a language that does not appear in the menu, write to us for a quote. Turnaround times may vary for long documents, and in that case we tell you before we start.

How much does it cost if I have many documents?

For orders of several documents or large volumes we apply special rates. Send us the list from the contact page and we will prepare a quote. More answers in the FAQ.

Sources: DPR 445/2000, art. 33; DPR 642/1972 (stamp duty); Tribunale di Treviso, instructions for the asseverazione of translations; Procura della Repubblica di Torino, apostilles and legalisations; Procura della Repubblica di Sassari, request form; Italian Embassy in Washington, consular tariff table, Q4 2025; Italian Embassy in Ljubljana, consular tariff as at 1 December 2025; Legge 91/1992, art. 9-bis; Regulation (EU) 2016/1191.