A birth certificate is asked for whenever a family relationship has to be proved: a residence permit for a child, a citizenship application, school and kindergarten enrolment, family benefits and inheritance matters. An Estonian institution will accept a foreign-language certificate together with a certified translation. Two things are worth checking before you order: whether the document needs an apostille, and whether the institution accepts the original language. For a certificate issued in the EU, it may turn out that no translation is needed at all.
| Institution | What it requires |
|---|---|
| PPA | Residence permits and citizenship. Certified translation into Estonian, Russian or English. |
| Population register | Registering a child born abroad. Certified translation. |
| School and kindergarten | Enrolment. A standard translation is often enough. |
| Social Insurance Board | Family benefits. Certified translation. |
| Notary | Inheritance proceedings. Sworn translation. |
| Court | Family matters. Sworn translation. |
A certificate issued before 1991 is often bilingual, its stamps bear the name of a state that no longer exists, and the place of birth is a town that has since been renamed. None of this invalidates the document, and it can be translated.
Place names are rendered as they appear on the document, with the current name added as a note where that helps. The official then sees both things at once: what the document says, and which present-day place it corresponds to. We do not “correct” the name ourselves — the translation reflects the text of the document.
Stamps and seals are described: the translation shows that a stamp is present and renders its text. Where a stamp has faded or the writing is illegible, the sworn translator marks it as illegible. Guessing is not allowed, and that is in your interest: a guessed passage can be challenged later.
If the document is torn, taped or badly faded, ask in advance whether the institution will accept it at all. Ordering a duplicate or a register extract from the issuing country is often simpler than arguing about legibility.
An apostille is always issued by the country that issued the document; an Estonian notary cannot apostille a foreign certificate. If the certificate was issued by a state that no longer exists, the competent authority on that territory today handles it — usually the civil registry or archive at the place of birth.
Documents from Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine need no apostille. Documents issued in Russia have needed one since 19 March 2025, when the legal assistance treaty between Estonia and Russia ended.
A birth certificate issued in another EU member state may be submitted to an Estonian authority in Estonian, English or Russian, and a translation may not be demanded; the issuing country can also attach a multilingual standard form under Regulation 2016/1191.
Yes, when it is certified by a sworn translator. The PPA accepts translations into Estonian, Russian or English — if your document is already in one of those languages, ask whether a translation is needed at all.
It depends on the issuing country. Documents from Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine do not; Russian ones have since March 2025. For an Estonian certificate going abroad, a notary issues the apostille: €27.71 including VAT, five working days. We can handle the apostille.
It can be translated and is usually accepted. Because of old seals and renamed towns, it is worth asking in advance whether the institution also wants a register extract.
Yes. A duplicate is a document in its own right, and it is sometimes the better option: newer, more legible and easier to apostille.
Yes. A certified translation covers the document in full, because the institution has to see all of its content, not selected lines.
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
