Electronic official translation without the need to visit an official translator

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The current legislation allows the commissioner of the translation and the official translator to agree that the official translation will be made electronically and electronically signed and sent to the commissioner. In order to electronically produce and send the official translation, the official translator needs a qualified electronic signature with a time stamp and a mandate certificate. An official translation signed in this manner can be produced and sent to the contracting authority electronically and shall have the same legal force and practical effect as a paper document bearing the official translator’s round stamp and signature on the document.

Electronic official translation: qualified electronic signature, mandate certificate

Legislation effective from 1 July 2018 allows official translators to produce official translations in electronic form. This step allows official translators to carry out translation activities in electronic form, provided that the translation act is signed with a qualified electronic signature and stamped with a qualified electronic timestamp.

According to Act No. 382/2004 Coll. on Experts, Interpreters and Translators and on Amendments and Additions to Certain Acts, as amended (hereinafter referred to as the “Act on Interpreters and Translators”), an official translation made in this way has the same legal force and effect as the same translation made in documentary form and bearing the official translator’s round stamp and signature on the document. If the official translator has a qualified electronic signature with a time stamp, it may save the client of the translation both a personal visit to his premises and additional costs.

The procedure for making an electronic official translation in steps:

• Agreement between the commissioner of the official translation and the official translator who has a qualified electronic signature and a qualified time stamp – the electronic production of the official translation starts with an agreement between the official translator and the commissioner that the official translator is authorised by law to produce official translations and that he/she has a qualified electronic signature and a qualified time stamp at his/her disposal.
• Digitisation of documents and electronic communication – in the next step, the contracting authority sends the document to the official translator for translation of their document via email or other communication platform as mutually agreed between them.
• Electronic official translation ready for any immediate use – the finished official translation is sent by the official translator to the client by e-mail or other agreed communication method, and the document is signed with a qualified electronic signature (QES) and time-stamped. The official translation sent in this way shall be ready for immediate use by the contracting authority for the purposes requested.

A qualified electronic signature and a time stamp on the electronic official translation guarantee the authenticity of the translated document and the exact time of its creation. Electronic official translations are normally produced in PDF or ASICE format and are ready for immediate use in practice or for sending to the organisations that have requested them from the client.

The qualified electronic signature and time stamp are issued by the official translator to the trust service provider, which is also the NFQES platform. More information can also be found at this link if you are interested. In order to be able to sign the official translations produced with a qualified electronic signature and time stamp, the official translator also needs to have a mandate certificate. This certificate will also be issued to you by the trust service provider, which is the NFQES platform.

Benefits of electronic official translation

Electronic official translation without the need to visit the official translator in person saves time not only for the client but also for the official translator. If the official translator has a qualified electronic signature and a time stamp and agrees with the contracting authority to produce an electronic official translation for the contracting authority, the contracting authority can send the document to the official translator by e-mail or other electronic means. In practice, every minute counts, so it is always a pleasure for all of us when we do not have to go somewhere and can use this time, for example, for our family or other important activities.

In this step, it is also important to make sure that the document we send is in a format and quality that the official translator can work with, and therefore that it is easy to read. In the same way, the client then receives the translated document from the official translator via e-mail or other agreed means.

If the client needs an official translation for a public institution, public authority or other public organisation and plans to submit it electronically, the electronic form of the official translation can also save on a number of fees, some of which he does not have to pay at all.

We therefore recommend that those commissioning an official translation check these facts before commissioning an official translation and find out in which different cases e-filing will save them additional time and additional personal visits to authorities, organisations and institutions and where they will also save money in the form of administrative or court fees. In practice, some administrative fees are halved by e-filing and in some places they are not paid at all.

In addition to the above benefits, electronic official translation signed with a qualified electronic signature and time-stamped also brings the following advantages to users:

• reduced ecological footprint – electronically produced and sent documents represent a paperless solution that eliminates the need for printing documents, their subsequent transport and storage,
• increased security – electronic official translations are easily verifiable and protect recipients and citizens from phishing attacks and fraud.

Qualified electronic signature, time stamp and mandate certificate from the NFQES platform

Official translators can obtain a Qualified Electronic Signature (QES) at this link. If you have any questions, please contact us and we will be happy to answer them. You can use the QES with or without a card, and the application can be created through the following steps:

1. Create an application at zone.nfqes.com
2. Make an appointment for a personal visit and come to the registration authority. This step will not be repeated in the future; it is required by law to properly verify your identity.
3. Provide the necessary identification and pay the appropriate fee for the provision of the qualified certificate.
4. Once you receive the certificate, simply upload the documents and sign them.

Tip from NFQES

Official translators who use the NFQES Qualified Electronic Signature with Time Stamp and sign official translations via our platform also appreciate the ability to view and preview the entire document before signing.

A qualified time stamp provides the official translator and the originator of the translation with a timestamp of when the stamp was added to the document. This material then becomes legally authenticated and unassailable since the source of the time comes from the server of the certification authority, which is NFQES. The time stamp thus serves the function of preventing falsification of the time of signing of the official translation. Find out how to qualify a timestamp in this article.

The mandate certificate required by an official translator to verify their identity is, pursuant to Section 8 of Act No. 272/2016 Coll. on Trust Services for Electronic Transactions in the Internal Market and on Amendments and Supplements to Certain Acts (hereinafter referred to as the “Trust Services Act”), a qualified certificate for electronic signature issued to a natural person who:

• is authorized by law or on the basis of law to act on behalf of another person or a public authority, or in their name,
• performs an activity under a specific regulation,
• holds a position under a specific regulation.

The NFQES platform is a provider of trust services in accordance with the valid and effective legislation of the Slovak Republic, as well as in accordance with the provisions of the European regulation eiDAS. Mandate certificates issued by the NFQES platform meet strict data protection and identity verification requirements and are legally recognised and acceptable. They can be used as evidence in court throughout the European Union.

With the NFQES mandated certificate, official translators have the following advantages:

• remote signing,
• signing via slovensko.sk or any other applications,
• bulk signing option,
• the non-repudiation of the signature of official translations and any documents,
• documents signed in this way cannot be rejected as evidence in court,
• enhanced credibility – in electronic communication between the commissioner of an official translation and the official translator, it is possible to clearly identify the commissioning authority and its authorisation.

Official translators can obtain a mandate certificate from NFQES either with a card or without a card, allowing them to sign with a qualified electronic signature quickly, easily, and even in bulk, directly from their mobile device.

Digitalisation of documents is our future

The digitisation of documents and e-services is indeed opening the door to faster and more efficient processes in our personal and professional lives and relieving us of many previously necessary tasks, such as personal visits to various professionals and institutions. Last but not least, digitalisation in general contributes to environmental protection and saves us money on various fees, which are reduced or eliminated altogether when we use e-services. In view of the many benefits of electronic communication and services, we can expect in the near future to see an increase in the compulsory use of electronic services in the public sector and an increased interest in electronicisation in the private segment. Electronic signatures will probably one day be a standard part of everyone’s equipment.