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Translations for foreign workers.

Bilingua, a translation office for Zagreb and all of Croatia, prepares certified translations of foreign workers' documents for the residence and work permit, the exchange of a foreign driving licence and the recognition of qualifications.

Documents in English are certified by our own permanent court interpreter, and for other languages we work with permanent court interpreters appointed by the Croatian Ministry of Justice.

We work for employers, recruitment agencies and the workers themselves, across Croatia and remotely: you send scans by e-mail, receive the quote by e-mail and collect the certified translation in person or by arrangement.

which documents

The documents we translate most often.

For procedures before the Ministry of the Interior (MUP), the Croatian Employment Service (HZZ) and other authorities we most often translate the following documents.

Passport and identity card. The pages with personal data, for the residence and work permit and the registration of residence. More on the page personal documents.

Birth and marriage certificates. For family reunification and civil-status procedures.

Criminal record certificate. With legalisation or an Apostille when the authority requires them.

Diploma, school certificate and certificate of competence. As proof of qualification for the job and for the recognition of a foreign qualification. More on the page diplomas and certificates.

Certificate of work experience and references from previous employers.

Driving licence. For exchanging a foreign driving licence for a Croatian one.

Medical certificate and other health documentation.

Employment contract, employer statement and internal rules, from Croatian into the worker's language, so that the worker understands what they sign.

procedures

Residence and work permit, driving licence and qualifications.

Residence and work permit. The application is filed with the competent police administration. Documents that are not in Croatian are submitted with a certified translation by a permanent court interpreter, and for some documents, for example the criminal record certificate, the authority also requires legalisation or an Apostille.

The exact list of attachments depends on the type of permit, so check it with the police administration or on the Ministry of the Interior pages on work permits.

Labour market test. Under the guidance of the Croatian Employment Service the employer submits a school certificate, diploma, certificate of competence or certificate of work experience as proof of qualification, translated into Croatian if the original is not in a language related to Croatian in the Latin script or in English.

Exchange of a foreign driving licence. Under the guidance of the Ministry of the Interior on exchanging a driving licence a translation of the foreign licence is submitted if the licence itself does not show which categories can be exchanged and whether it is valid. The translation is made by a permanent court interpreter.

Recognition of qualifications. For regulated professions the competent body requires recognition of the foreign qualification, with a certified translation of the diploma and supporting documents. The whole certification procedure is described on the page certified translations.

languages

English in-house, other languages through our network.

Croatia has no appointed permanent court interpreters for Nepali or Tagalog and very few for Hindi and Bengali, so documents from Nepal, India, the Philippines and Bangladesh are submitted to Croatian authorities in an English version.

Philippine and Indian documents are mostly issued in English, while for Nepali and Bangladeshi documents the worker obtains a certified English translation and legalisation in the country of origin (in Nepal notarisation and attestation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as Nepal is not party to the Hague Apostille Convention, in Bangladesh an Apostille).

The certified translation from English into Croatian is then made by our own permanent court interpreter for English, without intermediaries. Tell us in your enquiry which country the document comes from and which authority it is for.

For workers from the region and eastern Europe we arrange certified translations with permanent court interpreters for Ukrainian, Bosnian, Serbian, Macedonian, Albanian and Turkish as well as other European languages.

For languages we do not offer we check the availability of an appointed interpreter in advance.

steps

From scan to certified translation.

1. Enquiry. You send legible scans or photos of all pages of the documents by e-mail or through the form and tell us which authority they are for.

2. Quote. We confirm the price and deadline by e-mail, for one worker or several.

3. Certification. A permanent court interpreter translates the document in full, including stamps and notes, certifies it with a seal and signature and binds it.

4. Collection. You collect the certified translation in person or by arrangement, and we can send a digital copy for reference by e-mail.

Need translations for foreign workers?
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Frequently asked questions

Have any questions?

It depends on the type of permit and the authority handling the procedure. The documents most often submitted with a certified translation are the passport, the criminal record certificate, proof of qualification (a diploma, school certificate or certificate of competence) and the birth or marriage certificate for family reunification. Check the list of attachments with the competent police administration, and we translate what the authority requires.
For the labour market test the Croatian Employment Service accepts proof of qualification in English without a translation. Other authorities and procedures, for example the police administration, may require a certified translation of English documents too. Check the requirement with the authority handling your procedure. We certify English in-house, so the translation does not wait for an outside interpreter.
Under the guidance of the Ministry of the Interior a translation of the foreign driving licence is submitted if the licence itself does not show which categories can be exchanged and whether it is valid. Whether a translation is needed in your case is decided by the police administration. When it is, a permanent court interpreter makes it, and you submit it together with a medical certificate and a photograph.
The enquiry, scans, quote and arrangements are handled by e-mail or telephone, wherever the worker or employer is. A certified translation is a physical document with a seal, signature and binding, so you collect it in person or by arrangement. If the authority requires binding to the original, you bring the original when collecting the translation.
Not directly, because Croatia has no permanent court interpreters for Nepali or Tagalog and few for Hindi and Bengali. Documents from Nepal, India, the Philippines and Bangladesh are submitted to Croatian authorities in an English version: Philippine and Indian documents are mostly issued in English, and for Nepali and Bangladeshi ones the worker obtains a certified English translation and legalisation in the country of origin. The certified translation into Croatian is made by our permanent court interpreter for English.