Notarized translation of a court decision
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A court decision is the hardest document in notarized translation, and legal vocabulary is not the reason. The problem is that this is the one document whose original will never be handed to you: it stays in the case file. What you translate is a copy — and whether the apostille authority and the receiving institution accept it depends on how the court registry issued that copy.
MovaPro translation agency has worked with court documents since 2012, both for private clients and for law firms running cross-border matters. The notary receives clients in our office by the Golden Gate in Kyiv. Pricing follows actual volume, with a discount from 5 pages.
Price: from UAH 570 (translation from UAH 170 per 1,800-character page + notarization UAH 400) Turnaround: depends on volume; a typical 5–10 page decision — from 1 business day Consultation: free
First: the right copy from the court registry
Ask the court for a copy of the decision that carries four things:
- the court name, case number and date in the introductory part;
- a “true copy” endorsement signed by an authorised officer;
- the official court seal;
- the note that the decision has entered into legal force — a separate endorsement, added only after the appeal period has expired.
That last item is what most often sends people back. The copy is issued straight away, but the legal-force note has to be requested separately, and without it the document proves only that a decision was handed down, not that it is in effect.
A printout from the Unified State Register of Court Decisions is not usable for filing at all: the text there is anonymised (party names are hidden) and it carries neither seal nor signature. Fine for reading, useless as a document.
Two directions: decisions leaving Ukraine and decisions arriving
A Ukrainian decision going abroad. The usual reasons are divorce, child maintenance, establishing paternity, inheritance and corporate disputes. The route: certified copy with the legal-force note → apostille by the Ministry of Justice → translation including the apostille stamp → notarization. For countries with which Ukraine has a legal-assistance treaty an apostille may not be required; for countries outside the Hague Convention, consular legalisation applies. Country-by-country routes are on our apostille and legalization page.
A foreign decision coming to Ukraine. Here the required package is written into the Civil Procedure Code: the application must be accompanied by a certified copy of the judgment, an official document confirming it has entered into legal force, a document confirming that the party absent from the hearing was duly and timely notified, and a certified Ukrainian translation of all of it. If anything is missing, the application is returned without consideration and the process starts over. The translation is therefore not a formality but part of the procedural file.
Court documents are apostilled by the Ministry of Justice
Three ministries issue apostilles in Ukraine, and court documents fall to the Ministry of Justice along with documents from justice bodies, state archives and notaries. Educational documents go to the Ministry of Education, and certificates from medical institutions to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; confusing the three costs weeks. A document can be submitted for apostille through any civil registry office or a notary. Procedure and current fees are on the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine website; we do not publish state fees because they change. Not sure which body is responsible for your document — check it with our free route finder.
The sequence matters: apostille first, translation second. Translate earlier and the apostille stamp stays untranslated, which means redoing the document.
What the translator must keep unchanged
Court text is not “adapted” — every element in it has a counterpart the receiving institution cross-checks against the other documents in the matter:
| Element | How we handle it |
|---|---|
| Court name | Transliteration plus the official equivalent, identical across the whole package |
| Case and proceedings numbers | Digit for digit, no reformatting |
| Party names | As in the foreign passport, not “per the rules of the language” |
| Company names | As in the constitutive documents and the register, never translated |
| Procedural formulas | The terminological equivalent, not a descriptive paraphrase |
| Seals, signatures, handwritten notes | Deciphered, with their position indicated |
For law firms we keep a per-matter glossary: if translations of other documents from the same proceedings have already been filed, send them over and the names, titles and wording will match across the entire set. More on working with firms is on our translation for law firms page.
Four mistakes that get files rejected
- Translating only the operative part. The most common attempt to save money, and the most expensive.
- A copy without the legal-force note. The document exists on paper and proves nothing in law.
- Different spellings of a name across the decision, the marriage certificate and the passport. The institution sees different people. You can verify the official transliteration with our free tool.
- Translating before the apostille. The stamp stays untranslated and everything is redone at your own cost.
Rulings, court orders and divorce decisions
Besides judgments we translate rulings (including interim relief and settlement approvals), court orders, writs of execution and appeals — the procedure is the same, only the volume changes. If your matter is a divorce after 2011, the court decision itself is the final document instead of a certificate: details are on our divorce certificate translation page.
Pricing and turnaround
Translation costs from UAH 170 per standard page (1,800 characters with spaces) depending on the language: English — UAH 300, Polish — UAH 430, German — UAH 450. Notarization is UAH 400 per document, whether it runs to five pages or twenty-five. The discount applies from 5 pages, which covers nearly every court decision. The full price list for 40+ languages is on the prices page; the certification procedure is described on the notarized translation page.
Turnaround depends on volume and language: a typical 5–10 page decision takes from one business day, while large corporate matters are scheduled individually.
Send a scan of the registry copy — within 15 minutes we will confirm the exact price, the turnaround, and whether the endorsements it carries are enough for your procedure. Order a translation.
Frequently asked questions
Can I translate only the operative part of a court decision?
Technically yes, but filing such a translation is almost always pointless. Ukrainian courts recognising foreign judgments and foreign institutions alike check the document as a whole: the introductory part with the court name and case number, the reasoning, the operative part, the signatures and the endorsements. An abridged translation means part of the text is hidden — reason enough to return the file. We translate the decision in full, including the "true copy" endorsement and the note that it has entered into legal force.
Who apostilles a Ukrainian court decision?
The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine — under the division of competence it apostilles documents issued by justice bodies, courts, state archives and notaries. So the route for a court decision differs from that of a diploma (Ministry of Education) or a medical certificate (Ministry of Foreign Affairs). The apostille goes not on the original in the case file but on the copy certified by the court. Check current fees and timelines with the Ministry or with our manager.
Which copy of the decision should I obtain from the court?
The one issued by the court registry: signed by an authorised officer, bearing the court seal, carrying the "true copy" endorsement and — separately — the note that the decision has entered into legal force. The original stays in the case file and is never handed out, so that certified copy is your "original" for the apostille and the translation. A printout from the Unified State Register of Court Decisions will not do: the data there is anonymised and there is no seal.
What is needed for a foreign judgment to be recognised in Ukraine?
The Civil Procedure Code requires the application to be accompanied by a certified copy of the foreign judgment, an official document confirming that it has entered into legal force (unless this is apparent from the text), a document confirming that the absent party was duly notified, and a certified Ukrainian translation of all of the above. If any of these is missing, the application is returned without consideration. Legalisation of the originals — apostille or consular, depending on the country — is done before translation.
How much does translating a court decision cost?
A decision almost never fits into one standard page, so it is priced by actual volume: 1,800 characters with spaces = 1 page, from UAH 170 depending on the language (English — UAH 300, Polish — UAH 430, German — UAH 450). Notarization is UAH 400 per document regardless of the page count. The minimum works out at UAH 570; the real figure depends on volume, and a discount applies from 5 pages. Send a scan and we will calculate it within 15 minutes.
Need a translation? Send your documents — quote in 15 minutes
A photo or scan by messenger or email. Discount on 5+ pages.