Court document translation has to be ready before the deadline the court sets: if a translation is not filed in time, the court may disregard the document. We translate claims, defences, judgments and orders, evidence and powers of attorney, and certify the translation as sworn translators, which is the kind of translation an Estonian court is entitled to require. Foreign companies involved in Estonian litigation usually face the same issue: their evidence is in English or another language, while the court works in Estonian.
| Institution | What it requires |
|---|---|
| Foreign-language application or appeal to an Estonian court | Translation into Estonian; the court may require a sworn translation. |
| Documentary evidence | Translation into Estonian. For bulky evidence the court may waive translation if the other parties don't object. |
| Enforcement of a foreign judgment | A certified Estonian translation is a legal requirement; in practice a sworn one, since notaries no longer certify translations. |
| Power of attorney issued abroad | Sworn translation and, as a rule, an apostille. |
| Estonian judgment for proceedings abroad | As the destination country requires, often a sworn translation and an apostille. |
Under § 33 of the Estonian Code of Civil Procedure, the court may require a translation of a foreign-language document, including one made by a sworn translator. If the translation is not filed by the deadline, the court may disregard the application, appeal or evidence.
In practice: file a standard translation, have the court ask for a sworn one, and you get a new deadline only if the court grants it. Evidence that could have mattered may drop out of the case. A sworn translation from day one removes that risk.
Whether a foreign judgment needs an apostille and separate recognition depends on where it comes from.
Court translation has no synonyms. An Estonian otsus and määrus are different decisions with different routes of appeal; render a määrus as “judgment” rather than “order” and a foreign court will read something the Estonian court never said. The same applies to party designations, finality and time limits. That is why every court translation goes through a second linguist who checks the procedural terminology specifically.
Court files contain personal data, trade secrets and sometimes health information. Only the translator and editor on your order see the files, and we sign an NDA where required. Court translation is part of our business translation services.
Yes. The translation is made and certified by a sworn translator, which is the translation a court is entitled to require and the safest option.
Not for judgments of EU courts in civil and commercial matters, nor for documents from Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine. Judgments from other countries generally need an apostille and recognition by an Estonian court.
As a rule, yes. For bulky evidence the court may allow it to stay untranslated if the other parties don't object; ask the court before the deadline, not after.
Since 19 March 2025, a document issued in Russia must be apostilled in Russia, and a court judgment must also be recognised by an Estonian court. Obtaining an apostille in Russia can take a long time, so start early.
Yes. A notary adds the apostille to an Estonian court decision, and the translation is prepared to the destination country's requirements; our apostille and legalisation service handles both steps.
Send us the scans and we will reply with the price, the deadline and the requirements of the institution you are filing with. The form takes a minute: contacts, languages and files.
Or write to info@tradux.ee
