Every procedure for the recognition of a foreign qualification in Italy, and of an Italian qualification abroad, rests on translated documents: the degree or diploma, the transcript of records, the syllabus, the professional licence, the certificates of good standing and of experience. The authorities read the translation, not the original, and most refusals for formal reasons concern the translation: incomplete, made before the legalisation, in the wrong form for the receiving office, or with a qualification rendered by the name of an Italian title that does not correspond to it. This page describes what the translation of academic and professional documents must contain, in which form each authority accepts it and in what order it fits with the legalisation, the Dichiarazione di valore and the application. The procedures themselves are described in the section on the recognition of foreign qualifications.
Which documents are translated
For academic recognition and equivalence: the degree or diploma, the transcript with subjects, grades and credits, the syllabus or programme of the courses where the university or the regional school office requires it, the Diploma Supplement where issued, the thesis abstract for doctorates, and the certificate of the years of schooling for school qualifications. For professional recognition: the qualification, the transcript, the certificate of conformity or the certificate of the home competent authority, the certificate of good standing, the proof of professional experience and any licence or registration. For public competitions and the EU Blue Card: the qualification and the transcript, with the Dichiarazione di valore or the CIMEA statements. Italian qualifications used abroad follow the mirror route: degree and transcript apostilled, then translated into the language of the destination country by certified translation where the country accepts it or by sworn translation apostilled a second time where it does not.
What the translation must contain
The translation reproduces the whole document: the text, the stamps, the signatures, the marginal notes, the apostille or the legalisation stamp, and describes in square brackets the seals and emblems that cannot be translated. Names and dates follow the passport and the original, with a translator’s note where the spelling differs. The grades are reproduced as they appear, with the grading scale of the country where the document states it, and never converted into Italian marks, since the conversion belongs to the authority. The name of the qualification is rendered with a faithful translation of the original, with the original name in brackets, and not with the name of the Italian qualification that seems to correspond to it: writing laurea magistrale for a master’s degree or diploma di maturità for a high school diploma anticipates the decision the authority must take and is a frequent reason for rejection. The subjects of the transcript are translated with the terminology of the Italian discipline, so that the academic committee can compare them with the Italian programme. For the syllabus, which often runs to dozens of pages, the firm agrees with the client and the authority whether the full translation or that of the relevant courses is required.
In which form each authority accepts it
Italian universities, ministries, the Department of the Civil Service and the Prefectures require a sworn translation before an Italian court, or a translation certified by the Italian consulate that issued the Dichiarazione di valore. Some universities accept documents in English without translation for enrolment, but not for the award of the Italian title. The ministries accept the translation attached to the Dichiarazione di valore where the consulate made it. CIMEA accepts documents in the main European languages for its statements and requires a translation for the others. Foreign authorities assessing an Italian qualification each have their own rule: certified translation by a qualified translator in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, Canada and Australia, sworn translation by a translator registered in that country in France, Spain and Germany, which the firm obtains through its network or replaces with an Italian sworn translation apostilled where the authority allows it. The firm checks the rule of the specific authority before translating, because a translation in the wrong form is paid twice.
The order of the steps
The sequence does not change: first the document is obtained in a legalisable form, original or certified copy issued by the institution, since foreign qualifications cannot be self-certified in Italy under article 19 of Presidential Decree 445/2000. Then it is apostilled or legalised in the country of issue. Then the Dichiarazione di valore or the CIMEA statements are requested, where the procedure requires them, with the translation in the form the consulate requires. Then the complete document, legalisation included, is translated by sworn translation for the Italian authority. Only then is the application filed. Translating before legalising, or filing a translation made on a photocopy that the authority later rejects, means repeating the steps and losing the deadline of a competition or an enrolment. The firm plans the steps backwards from the deadline and starts with the one that takes longest in the country concerned.
How the firm works
Since 1995 the firm has translated academic and professional documents from every educational system for universities, ministries, professional bodies and Prefectures, and Italian qualifications for foreign universities, regulators and employers. The translator who signs knows the Italian recognition procedures and the terminology that each authority expects, and the same office handles, for clients who want it, the apostilles, the Dichiarazione di valore, the CIMEA statements and the application itself. The client sends a scan of the documents and states the authority and the purpose, and receives within one working day a written quote that lists the documents to translate, the form required and the order of the steps.
Frequently asked questions
Should the name of my degree be translated with the name of the corresponding Italian degree?
No. The translation renders the original name faithfully, with the original in brackets, and leaves the correspondence to the authority, which establishes it in the recognition decision or reads it in the CIMEA statement of comparability. A translation that anticipates the correspondence is often rejected.
Do I need to translate the whole syllabus?
It depends on the authority. Universities assessing academic recognition usually want the programmes of all the courses, while for equivalence and for the Blue Card the syllabus is not required. The firm asks the authority or reads its regulation before quoting, and where only the relevant courses are needed translates those, stating it in the record of the oath.
My transcript is already in English: do I still need a translation into Italian?
For enrolment some universities accept English documents without translation. For the award of the Italian title, for professional recognition, for public competitions and for the Prefecture the sworn translation into Italian is required, whatever the language of the original.
Can you translate my Italian degree for a university or a regulator abroad?
Yes. The degree and the transcript are apostilled at the Prefecture, then translated by certified translation for the common law countries or by sworn translation, apostilled in turn, for the others. The firm also obtains the Diploma Supplement from the university where the foreign authority asks for it.
Do you need your qualification translated for a recognition procedure?
Send us a scan of the documents and tell us the authority and the purpose: you receive within one working day the list of documents to translate, the form required and a written quote.
