Translation is not a uniform service. The same document - a diploma, say - may be needed in five different forms depending on who it is for: a Georgian employer, a foreign university, a consulate, a bank or your own private use. The difference between those forms is not in the quality of the translation but in who certifies it and how.
Choosing the wrong form produces one of two results: you overpay, or the document comes back and everything starts again with the deadline already lost. Both are avoided by one question asked before ordering: whose hands is this document going into.
The five forms a translation exists in
Below is every form that is actually asked for in practice, from the simplest to the most involved.
1. Translation without certification
Simply the text in another language, as a file. Useful when you need to understand the content: an incoming letter, a foreign manual, a partner's draft contract, a medical opinion for your own information. No authority accepts this form officially.
2. With the bureau stamp
The translation carries the bureau's stamp and a confirmation that it was done professionally. This form satisfies employers, crewing companies, many foreign universities and some consulates.
3. With notarization
A notary certifies that the translator's signature is genuine. This is the most common form for Georgian authorities: banks, courts, the registry, the Public Service Hall, ministries.
One rule that saves money: never order notarization "just in case". Ask the recipient first. Many employers and foreign universities accept the bureau stamp, while a notary is a separate cost and a separate day.
How to choose - three questions
Question one: does the document stay in Georgia or leave it? If it stays, you probably need notarization and not an apostille. If it leaves, an apostille or legalization is almost always required and notarization alone will not be enough. Question two: who reads the document? A state authority almost always requires formal certification. A commercial organisation - an employer, a crewing company, a private clinic - is often satisfied with the bureau stamp. A private individual needs no certification at all. Question three: is there a written requirement? This is the most important of the three. The consulate's page, the university's instruction, the employer's letter or the authority's explanation - that text is the only reliable source. A friend's experience and a forum post are frequently out of date, because requirements change several times a year.If you do not have answers to all three, send us a photo of the document and tell us who it is for. We will give you the form, the order and the timing free of charge, before you pay anything.
Which document usually needs which form
These are the tendencies we see in daily practice. They are an orientation rather than a rule - the specific authority always needs checking.
Usually notarization
- Passport for a Georgian bank
- Power of attorney for the registry
- Registry extract
- Birth certificate for a Georgian authority
- Court documents
Usually notarization plus apostille
- Criminal record certificate for abroad
- Diploma for a foreign university
- School certificate for study abroad
- Marriage certificate for family reunification
- Bank statement for a visa
The bureau stamp is often enough
- CV and motivation letter
- Seafarer certificates for a crewing company
- Medical certificate for a foreign clinic
- Technical documentation and manuals
- Commercial correspondence and invoices
What exists besides translating text
Not every need is met by a written translation. Three services clients frequently look for under the word "translation":
Interpreting - at a notary, in court, at a meeting, at a medical consultation or at a conference. If one party does not speak Georgian, a notary is obliged to involve an interpreter. Detail under interpreting. Editing and proofreading - when a text has already been translated and you need it checked or polished. Cheaper than translating, but only worth it if the starting text is of acceptable quality. Detail under editing and proofreading. Localization - adapting a website, an application or marketing material, where a word-for-word translation will not work and the text has to be fitted to a new audience. Detail under website translation and localization.Languages and directions
We work in more than fifty languages, from Georgian, into Georgian and, where needed, between two foreign languages without Georgian in the middle. The largest flows are English, Russian, Turkish, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Greek, Arabic and Chinese.
One practical detail when choosing a direction: translating from Georgian into a foreign language is generally harder than the reverse, because the final text is read by a foreign authority where a stylistic flaw is more visible. On such orders we frequently involve an editor as well.
The full list and the individual language pages: interpreters and translators in more than fifty languages.
How the process works
Send the document
A photo or PDF by email to info@targmanebi.ge or by WhatsApp. Photograph it flat, in good light, with all four corners and every stamp visible - that one detail saves a second attempt.
Get the form, the price and the deadline
We check what the recipient requires and return three things: the recommended form, the price and the turnaround. The price is agreed after the material is seen and is fixed when the order starts.
Translation and checking
A translator in the right field does the work; an editor compares names, dates, numbers and amounts against the original. A multi-document package is handled by one translator so terminology and spelling stay consistent.
Delivery in the chosen form
You receive the file by email or WhatsApp. Stamped or notarized paper is collected at the Tbilisi office, 118 Davit Aghmashenebeli Avenue, or sent by courier to any city in Georgia.
Price and turnaround
The price is agreed after the material is seen. We do not publish a fixed figure because it depends on three variables: the language, the real volume of the document and the form chosen. The same diploma costs differently in English and in, say, Japanese, while notarization and the apostille are separate components whose tariffs are set by the notary and the state rather than by us.
What is guaranteed: you learn the price before the order starts, it is fixed at that moment and does not change afterwards. If, on seeing the document, the real volume turns out to be larger than the photo suggested, we tell you before starting rather than on delivery. Orientations under translation prices.
Turnaround: a one-page certificate - the same or the next day; a diploma with its supplement - one to two days; a multi-page contract or discharge summary - by volume; notarization adds half a day; an apostille follows the Public Service Hall schedule. Urgent handling is a separate surcharge applied only at your request.
Not sure which form you need? Send us a photo of the document and tell us who it is for - you will get the form, the price and the deadline in one reply.
Call: 501 113 200Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the bureau stamp and notarization?
The bureau stamp confirms that the translation was done professionally and that the bureau answers for it. Notarization adds a formal confirmation recognised by the state: the notary certifies that the translator's signature is genuine. Georgian state authorities almost always require the second; commercial organisations often accept the first.
Do I have to bring the original, or is a photo enough?
A photo is enough for the translation itself, if it is of good quality. The original is needed only when notarization is involved, because the notary is obliged to see it. So if you choose the notarized form, coming to the office or sending the original is unavoidable. In every other case the process is entirely online.
How much does one page cost?
The price is agreed after the material is seen, because a "page" is a very different thing in different documents: a standard certificate carries a hundred words, a diploma supplement several hundred, a technical specification more still. Send a photo and you will have the exact price in the same reply, before the order starts.
I brought a document from abroad. Can I just translate it?
First check whether it carries an apostille or legalization from the country that issued it. That cannot be added in Georgia - an apostille is only affixed in the issuing country. Without it a Georgian authority will often refuse the translation too, and the money is spent for nothing.
How long is a translation valid?
The translation itself has no expiry - the document it renders does. A criminal record certificate and a bank statement are usually valid for a few months; a birth certificate has none. Some authorities additionally require the notarization itself to be recent, which is worth checking in their instruction.
Can you translate from one foreign language into another without Georgian?
Yes, and it is a common request - a Turkish document into English, for instance, or Russian into German. Translator selection is stricter for those orders, because a high level in both languages is required, and we frequently involve an editor as well. The turnaround is usually a day longer.
I do not need certification, I just want to know what it says. Do you do that?
Yes. That is the simplest and cheapest form: the text in another language, as a file, without certification. It works for an incoming letter, a foreign manual, a partner's draft contract or a medical opinion. The only limitation is that authorities do not accept this form officially.