Sworn translations of death certificate from English in Wrocław – a sad necessity
Death of a person is connected with specific requirements connected with complying with formalities required by the provisions of applicable law. In order to obtain a death certificate (one of registry office documents confirming death of a natural person), death must be reported to a registry office specific to the place of death or place where the body was found. Death is reported based on a death card issued by a physician or medical facility in which death occurred (for instance hospital) with attachment of a deceased’s identity card and by presenting an identity card of a person reporting the death. Pursuant to the provisions of the Act on Cemeteries and Burial of the Dead of 31st January 1959, death must be reported to the Registry Office within 3 days from issuance of a death card (or if the deceased died from infectious disease – within 24 hours). Death can be reported by a deceased’s wife or husband as well as by other members of his/her family (children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, parents, brother, sister, nephew, niece, parents-in-law) and also by an attorney appointed by one of these persons. Once a death certificate is entered to the register, the Head of the Registry Office issues one abridged copy of death certificate (free of charge) and in exceptional cases (when registration of death is not possible due to technical reasons), an appropriate annotation is made in a death card. Reporting death to the Registry Office will result in automatic deregistration of a deceased from his/her place of permanent or temporary stay and nullification of the deceased’s identity card.
In order to obtain a copy of death certificate, it is necessary to submit a relevant application to the Registry Office (in person, by an authorised attorney or via website of the Registry Office). The application must specify the purpose of issuance of the document, for instance for the purpose of obtaining funeral allowance, transportation of the body abroad, or in connection with inheritance proceedings. Additional copies of the death certificate require payment of stamp duty. If the application is made by a foreigner who does not speak Polish, such a person may use the assistance of a sworn interpreter of the English language for the purpose of interpreting during a meeting with an official from the Registry Office in Wrocław.
unabridged copy of death certificate pdf
Types of sworn translations of death certificate
Printouts on which the Registry Office issues copy of death certificate have been consolidated and are prepared on official A4 forms. All printouts bear the national emblem of the Republic of Poland, have grey and pink background and may contain uncompleted fields in the absence of information required for particular entries. Type of translation depends on a type of a copy of death certificate delivered to a sworn translator for the purpose of its translation to English.
abridged copy of death certificate pdf
Translation of abridged copy of death certificate to English differs from translation of unabridged (full) copy of death certificate by a number of information included in particular documents. By definition, a sworn translator cannot include any information in a translation that are not present in a document handed over for translation. Thus, sworn translations of abridged copy of death certificate will contain only data provided in such document – names and surname of a deceased, date and place of his/her birth, marital status and date of death, names and family names of parents, data of a spouse and original death certificate number. Sworn translations of unabridged death certificate will contain also information regarding time and circumstances of death, data of a person or institution reporting the death, and additional information (if applicable). A quite unusual, but present in professional practice of a sworn translator is ordering sworn translation services of unabridged death certificate of a person whose identity remains unknown. Such document does not contain any personal data of a deceased, but contains description of sex, possible age, appearance, or clothing and other items found with a deceased.
unabridged (full) copy of death certificate of a person of unknown identity pdf
There is also a possibility of obtaining international death certificate in multilingual version issued based on provisions of Convention no. 16 of the International Commission on Civil Status (form C) of 8th September 1976. Unfortunately, not everything in such form is entered in English, which means that clients still have to deliver such death certificate to a sworn translator. Likewise, death certificates issued abroad in English are frequently translated to Polish for the purpose of fulfilment of necessary formalities connected with death of a person outside the territory of the Republic of Poland. Most frequent reasons of having these documents translated from English by a sworn translator include above all necessity of registration of death in Polish Registry Office, funeral formalities connected with burial of body (also customs and border procedures arising from a necessity of transportation of body or urn with ashes to Poland following cremation conducted abroad), applying for funeral allowance to which the deceased’s relatives are entitled in connection with his/her burial, or inheritance proceedings conducted by a Polish court. Due to urgent nature of such formalities, the Office of the Sworn Translator of the English Language Jacek Kasprzyk offers also sworn translation services in express mode with a possibility of collection of translation on the day of delivery of documents for translation.
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Translation of official documents issued by the Registry Office
Apart from the aforementioned set of certificates issued by Polish Registry Office, there are also other documents issued by heads of Registry Offices. Such documents (which are often delivered to us for the purpose of sworn translations) include:
- certificate of no impediment to marriage pursuant to Polish law,
- certificate of marital status,
- decision of the Head of the Registry Office on change of surname.
The first of the aforementioned documents is issued to persons planning conclusion of marriage abroad and is valid for 6 months from its issuance date. Interestingly, this document can also be obtained in a locally competent consular office of the Republic of Poland, which is convenient for the engaged couple staying abroad (as long as it bears appropriate Apostille clause). Unlike a certificate of marital status, this document provides name data of both the applicant as well as the future spouse. When applying for issuance of such certificate, an appropriate statement on no impediment to marriage must be submitted. This means that the applicant must be single (not remaining in marriage) and cannot be in close blood relation with the potential spouse (which would prevent conclusion of marriage). Also, there cannot be diseases constituting impediment to marriage.
certificate stating that marriage can be contracted pursuant to Polish law pdf
Certificate of marital status is issued only in respect of an applicant and indicates whether the applicant remains in marriage or not. An application for issuance of such certificate contains declaration of no circumstances which could affect the applicant’s marital status (even if such circumstances have not been reported to the Registry Office). Such circumstances may refer to conclusion of marriage abroad, and the statement is made under penalty of perjury. An application for issuance of such certificate can be submitted electronically (by using ePUAP profile), via letter or in person. Certificate of marital status is valid for six months.
assurance of no circumstances excluding the conclusion of marriage pdf
In the case of necessity to submit the aforementioned certificates to authorities or institutions of other countries, their sworn translations to English must also be submitted. Importantly, sworn translations are not limited by a period of validity even if the original document remains valid only for six months. After conclusion of marriage, the obtained copy of marriage certificate must be translated to Polish. Once such translation bears a relevant clause of the sworn translator certifying its compliance with the original, it must be submitted to Polish Registry Office for the purpose of registration.
certificate of marital status pdf
The third from the aforementioned documents is a decision on change of surname issued in a form of an administrative decision by the head of the Registry Office (or his/her deputy) based on provisions of the Act on Change of Name and Surname of 17th October 2008. The decision is usually issued within a month and in particularly complex cases, up to two months. The decision can be positive or negative (in such case an appeal may be lodged to a relevant Province Governor) and is subject to immediate execution as of its issuance. A person may apply for change of surname in the following situations:
- current surname is humiliating or indecent,
- change to a surname already in use,
- illegal change of surname in the applicant’s official identity documents,
- change of surname to one that is compliant with legal provisions of other country of which the applicant is a citizen.
However, one cannot change own surname to a historic surname that is famous for achievements in the field of science, or cultural, political, social or military activity (unless there are already persons with such surname in the applicant’s family). Apart from the indicated limitation, a person applying for change of surname can change it to any other surname (in practice, there are frequent cases of women returning to their maiden name who failed to do so within 3 months from divorce). Changing surname leads to updating personal data in birth certificate and marriage certificate of a person to whom such decision pertains. Hence a necessity to indicate relevant head of the Registry Office who has previously made these two vital records. Translation of a decision of the Head of the Registry Office on change of surname to English is undoubtedly a necessary action in the case of persons wanting to confirm their previous identity abroad. Also in this case, such documents require sworn translations bearing a clause certifying compliance of the translation with the original document delivered to a sworn translator.
Source: pexels.com
How to order sworn translations of the Registry Office documents to English in Wrocław?
In order to find out the cost of a sworn translations of any and all registry office documents, we invite you to fill in the inquiry form available on our website or to send E-mail with legible and complete scan/photo of a document to the following address: kancelaria@tlumaczenia-kasprzyk.pl. Estimation of the price of documents for translation is always free of charge. Our office offers certified (sworn) translations made by a sworn translator of the English language with many years of experience in translation of official and legal documents. Upon clients’ request, we also produce standard (not certified) translations both from English to Polish as well as from Polish to English. Our office is located in the center of Wrocław at ul. Kazimierza Wielkiego 29A lok. 417, 10-minute walk from the Registry Office in Wrocław (ul. Pawła Włodkowica 20). We translate documents issued on all types of printouts, including registry office documents drawn up on forms applicable during the Polish People’s Republic and in pre-war times. All translations of registry office documents are made with short delivery dates and upon clients’ request, also in express mode. We invite you to use sworn translation services as well as interpreting services from English offered by our office.
Sworn Translator of the English Language in Wrocław
Jacek Kasprzyk
LINKS TO LEGAL ACTS:
Registry Office Records Act of 28th November 2014
https://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=wdu20140001741
The Act on the Profession of a Sworn Translator of 25th November 2004
https://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=wdu20042732702
The Act on Stamp Duty of 16th November 2006
https://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=wdu20062251635
The Act on Cemeteries and Burial of the Dead of 31st January 1959
https://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=WDU19590110062
Convention no. 16 of the International Commission on Civil Status (form C) of 8th September 1976
https://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/download.xsp/WDU20041661735/O/D20041735.pdf
The Act on Change of Name and Surname of 17th October 2008
https://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=wdu20082201414