Cyprus Certified Translation of Documents in 2026: Who Can Certify, When You Need It, and What It Costs

Almost every relocation or company file in Cyprus eventually hits the same wall: a birth certificate, a police clearance, a diploma or a set of foreign company documents that must be presented to a Cyprus authority — in a language it will accept, certified by someone it recognises. Getting the certification route wrong is the most common reason a Migration Department or Registrar submission bounces.Law 45(I)/2019 on the Registration and Regulation of Sworn Translators

This guide gives you the direct answer on who may certify, what a certified translation legally is in 2026, when you actually need one, the correct order of apostille versus translation, the EU exemption that catches people out, and realistic cost and timing. Zeno is not a law firm; it coordinates independent Cyprus Bar advocates and ICPAC-licensed accountants, and works with registered sworn translators on client files.

Who can legally certify a translation in Cyprus?

Only a sworn translator registered on the Register of Sworn Translators, kept by the Council for the Registration of Sworn Translators under the Press and Information Office (PIO). Since 1 July 2019, under Law 45(I)/2019, they are the only persons who can issue an official certified translation bearing the seal of the Republic.

This is the single most misunderstood point. Before mid-2019 the PIO translated documents itself; that service was terminated when Law 45(I)/2019 came into force, and the function moved to a regulated profession. The Council maintains the register, a copy of which is published annually in the Official Gazette and on the PIO website, so anyone — individual or public body — can verify a translator and obtain their contact details.Register of Sworn Translators, Council for the Registration of Sworn Translators (PIO)

Practical consequence: a translation produced by an unregistered translation agency, a bilingual lawyer, or a foreign "certified" translator abroad is not a certified translation in the Cypriot sense, even if it is accurate. For anything going to a Cyprus court, the Civil Registry and Migration Department, the Tax Department or the Registrar of Companies, insist on a translator from the official register. Registrations run for five-year renewable terms, so it is worth confirming the translator's registration is current.Law 45(I)/2019, provisions on registration and five-year renewal

What counts as a certified translation in 2026?

Under Law 45(I)/2019 a "certified translation" is the written version of a text or document from a foreign language into Greek or Turkish and vice versa, and Greek to/from Turkish, bearing the official seal of the Republic and duly marked. The seal and the sworn translator's certification are what give it legal effect.

Three features matter. First, the statutory language pairs are anchored on Greek and Turkish — the Republic's official languages — so a document in, say, Russian or German is certified into Greek. Sworn translators between them cover a wide range of source languages. Second, the certification is a formal act: the translator attests fidelity to the original and applies the seal, which is what distinguishes it from an ordinary commercial translation. Third, the translator will normally translate the document exactly as legalised — including any apostille — which is why the order of operations below matters.Law 45(I)/2019, statutory definition of "certified translation"

When do you actually need a certified translation?

Whenever a document not already in Greek (or Turkish) has to be relied on by a Cyprus public authority or court. The most common triggers are immigration and residency files, civil-status matters, recognition of qualifications, court proceedings, and registering foreign corporate documents.

• Immigration / residency: birth and marriage certificates, police clearance / criminal-record certificates, proof-of-income and bank documents supporting a residence permit or registration certificate.
• Civil registry and family: foreign marriage, divorce or death certificates presented for registration or recognition.
• Education and profession: diplomas and transcripts for recognition or professional registration.
• Corporate: foreign certificates of incorporation, powers of attorney, and constitutional documents filed with the Registrar of Companies or used to open a bank account.
• Litigation: foreign-language evidence and instruments submitted to Cyprus courts.

The recurring theme across relocation is that your non-dom and residency paperwork is only as strong as the certification behind the underlying civil documents. A perfect application with an uncertified translation is an incomplete application.

Apostille or translation — which comes first?

Legalise the original first, then translate. A foreign non-EU document should be apostilled (under the 1961 Hague Convention) or diplomatically legalised in its country of origin before it reaches the sworn translator, so the apostille itself is translated and the finished certified translation is complete on its face.

Sworn translators generally require the source document to be authentic and properly legalised before they will certify a translation of it. If you translate first and apostille later, you end up with a certified translation that does not cover the apostille — and authorities may ask for the whole thing again. In Cyprus, apostilles on Cypriot public documents are issued by the competent government authority; for incoming foreign documents the apostille is obtained abroad. The Ministry of Justice and Public Order publishes guidance on which EU documents are exempt from the apostille altogether.Ministry of Justice and Public Order, guidance on apostille and document ratification

Do EU documents still need certified translation?

Often the apostille is waived but the translation is not. Regulation (EU) 2016/1191, in force since 16 February 2019, exempts certain EU public documents from apostille, and where a multilingual standard form is attached the receiving authority may demand a translation only in exceptional cases.

The Regulation covers documents such as birth, life, death, marriage, registered partnership, domicile and absence-of-criminal-record certificates issued by one EU Member State and presented to the authorities of another. The key nuance: it removes the authentication / apostilleburden, and the multilingual standard form is a translation aid, not a substitute for the document. Where no standard form is attached, or the authority asks in an exceptional case, a certified translation by a Cyprus sworn translator may still be required. Do not assume an EU birth certificate needs nothing — check whether a standard form travels with it.Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 on simplifying the presentation of certain public documents

Certified translation for immigration and residency

For a Cyprus residence permit or registration certificate, plan for sworn-translated versions of your civil-status and background documents. The Migration Department works from Greek; foreign-language originals are supported by certified translations, and the underlying documents typically need apostille or the EU exemption first.

A typical relocation bundle includes a birth certificate, a marriage certificate where relevant, a criminal-record / police-clearance certificate, and proof of income or clean bank references. Non-EU applicants apostille each in the country of origin, then have a registered sworn translator certify the Greek versions. EU applicants check first whether Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 and a multilingual standard form remove the apostille and reduce the translation ask. Build this into the timeline early: the translation step sits on the critical path of the whole application, and it interacts with residency planning such as the 60-day tax residency rule.Republic of Cyprus, certified translations for official use (PIO / gov.cy service)

Certified translation for company formation and banking

Foreign corporate documents used in Cyprus — certificates of incorporation, powers of attorney, shareholder or director documents, and constitutional documents — generally need apostille plus a certified Greek translation before the Registrar of Companies or a bank will accept them.

If you are incorporating a Cyprus company with a foreign corporate shareholder or director, expect to legalise and sworn-translate that entity's constitutional and good-standing documents. The same applies to registering an overseas company's branch, to cross-border powers of attorney, and to bank onboarding, where compliance teams routinely require certified translations of foreign IDs and corporate records. The document workflow runs in parallel with the substantive steps in our Cyprus company registration guide, so it pays to line up the sworn translator at the same time you brief the incorporation. Getting a document rejected at the Registrar for an uncertified translation adds weeks, not days.Department of Registrar of Companies and Intellectual Property (filing requirements)

What does a certified translation cost, and how long does it take?

Sworn-translator fees are set annually by the Council for the Registration of Sworn Translators and published in the Official Gazette, charged per page of 250 translated words. Common civil documents are usually turned around in a few working days; rare languages, long documents and urgent requests cost and take more.

Because the tariff is gazetted rather than freely negotiated, the per-page rate is broadly consistent between registered translators for a given language pair, with minimum charges for very short documents and surcharges for urgency or uncommon languages. Since the fee schedule is revised each year, treat any figure you read online as indicative and confirm the current gazetted rate and the translator's quote before ordering. Budget realistically for the whole chain — original, apostille, translation — not just the translation line.Council for the Registration of Sworn Translators, gazetted translation fees