Does the Translation Need Apostillising Too? Ask the Recipient Three Questions First

Three questions to ask the recipient

Is a translation required? Not always. Chinese receiving authorities usually want Chinese; Philippine ones usually want English. But a specific office for a specific purpose may want none, or only certain pages.

In what form? This is the critical one. Options include a translator's own certified statement, a notarised translation, one from a designated body, or one from a translator on the recipient's approved list. Some offices specify translator credentials.

Must it be bound with the original and apostillised together? This decides your order. If yes, the translation must be completed and notarised before filing. If it merely accompanies the document, translation can run in parallel or even after.

One practical tip: ask them to put it in writing. Requirements relayed verbally through relatives or agents are where most errors enter.

Four common combinations

Apostille only, no translation. Simplest — the translation stage does not exist.

Apostille plus translation, translation not authenticated. Translation runs in parallel or afterwards. Note that many recipients want the apostille page translated too, so translating only the underlying document is often not enough.

Translation notarised but filed separately. The translator issues and signs a statement, a lawyer notarises it, and this runs alongside authentication.

Translation bound with the original and apostillised together. The strictest order: obtain the underlying document, translate, notarise the translation and obtain the court CANA, then file the complete set. Any reversal means starting again, because the apostille attaches to a specific document — anything added afterwards is outside it.

Told only "we need a notarised translation" and unsure which case applies? → Send Yixing the written requirement and we will place translation in the right step

Three common traps

Assuming the apostille includes a translation. It does not. It certifies signature, seal and capacity; the certificate page itself may be English or bilingual, but it will not translate the underlying document for you.

Leaving translation until the apostille is issued. If your recipient falls in the fourth case, that order means redoing everything — reorder, retranslate, renotarise, refile.

Confusing "authenticating a translation" with "certified translation". The first means notarising and apostillising the translation as a private document; the second, in the Philippine context, usually means a sworn translation — the translation plus the translator's affidavit, notarised. Ask using the full action rather than the label.

One new wrinkle: since 16 March 2026, PSA electronic certificates and CHED electronic credentials for convention states are issued electronically by email, and the DFA states that printing one invalidates it. Physically binding a translation to such a document is not possible, so confirm with the recipient in advance.

Yixing is a private consultancy registered in the Philippines (SEC No. CS202009551, BI Accreditation No. CA-202624381-1). We are not affiliated with the DFA, PSA, NBI or any embassy. We check document versions and prerequisites, book appointments, file and collect on your behalf, and arrange translation; acceptance is decided by the issuing authority and the receiving party, and we do not promise outcomes. This article is general information, not legal advice; current practice is whatever the DFA Authentication Division publishes at the time.