Certified translation › Passport & ID translation
Passport and ID translation for Switzerland is a notarised certified translation of your Swiss passport or Identitätskarte by a qualified translator, for opening a bank account abroad, a notarial deed, a visa, a marriage or university enrolment. Names are matched exactly to the ICAO machine-readable zone; any apostille is added by the cantonal Staatskanzlei, not by us. Binding fixed price from CHF 89, certification and shipping included.
Bank & notary ready · notarised certified translation · ICAO name matching · DIN EN ISO 17100
A Swiss passport or Identitätskarte may need a certified translation when a foreign bank, notary, registry or authority relies on it as proof of identity — to open an account, sign a notarial deed, apply for a visa, marry, or enrol at a university abroad. Conversely, a Swiss authority such as the cantonal Migrationsamt, or a bank in Switzerland, may require a certified translation of a foreign-language ID document that is not in an official Swiss language. The exact formal requirement depends on the canton, receiving body and intended use. Where certification or notarisation is required, FÜD checks the applicable form before the assignment.
The reference for every name is the machine-readable zone (MRZ) on the passport's data page, read under ICAO rules. Whatever the passport spells, the translation matches — so a bank, notary or registry never has reason to treat you as a different person. This guide explains when the translation is required, how the apostille route works, and what it costs in CHF.
The passport and Identitätskarte prove identity and nationality. These are the situations — abroad or before a Swiss authority — that most often call for a notarised certified translation.
To open an account and pass anti-money-laundering (KYC) checks, a bank abroad asks for a translated, certified proof of identity.
A notary abroad — for a property purchase, power of attorney or company formation — requires a certified translation of the ID for identification.
Some consulates and immigration authorities ask for a certified translation of the passport data page alongside the visa application.
For a wedding abroad, or wherever a foreign document is filed alongside it at a Swiss Zivilstandsamt, the passport is translated as proof of identity and nationality.
Universities and immigration offices abroad ask for a translated, certified proof of identity to enrol or process a residence matter.
A Swiss authority, bank or employer requires a notarised certified translation of a foreign-language ID document into German, French or Italian.
Your name has to read identical — everywhere.
Passport, Identitätskarte and every certificate that travels with them: matched to the same ICAO spelling, before a bank or notary ever sees them.
Switzerland has no system of state-sworn or court-authorised translators, unlike Germany or Austria. Certification works differently here: a professional translator signs the translation to attest its accuracy and completeness, and a Swiss notary (Notariat) certifies that signature — confirming the translator's identity and that the signature is genuine, not the linguistic content itself. Together this produces a notarised certified translation, the form banks, notaries and Swiss authorities recognise.
Passport and Identitätskarte are identity documents, not issued civil-status certificates — an apostille is therefore, as a rule, not placed on the ID document itself. If a receiving body abroad requires apostilled proof of identity, what is usually produced instead is a notarised copy of the ID. That notarisation is a notarial deed; its apostille is issued by the competent cantonal state chancellery (Staatskanzlei) of the canton where the notarisation took place — never by the FÜD and never by a translation agency. Switzerland is a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention but is not an EU member state, so EU Regulation 2016/1191 does not apply to Swiss documents.
Quality you only notice at the counter
Banks, notaries and Swiss authorities check an ID translation against names, numbers and security features. These are the recurring reasons a translation is queried — and how a notarised certified translation avoids them.
| Pitfall | Why it is critical | How the FÜD solves it |
|---|---|---|
| Name transliterated by sound, not by ICAO rule | A name in a non-Latin script is guessed phonetically, so it differs from the passport and the receiving body queries it. | Names are transliterated by the applicable rules and matched exactly to the passport's machine-readable zone (ICAO), with both forms noted in the certification statement. |
| Machine-readable zone (MRZ) ignored | The MRZ carries the authoritative name and document coding; skip it and there is no reference to check the visible entries against. | We match every visible entry against the MRZ and record the authoritative spelling. |
| Document number & issuing authority mistranscribed | Document number, issuing canton and validity identify the ID; errors make it unusable for the receiving body. | Numbers, issuing authority and dates are transcribed completely and in the right position. |
| Date formats carried over unchanged | A foreign date format read literally can shift the day and month — a wrong date of birth or expiry is critical. | Dates and number formats are rendered unambiguously, with a translator's note where needed. |
| Security features & official markings left out | Missing endorsements, stamps or markings make the translation incomplete and unfit for notarised certification. | Endorsements, stamps and markings are described and translated; anything illegible is flagged as such. |
| Apostille expected on the passport itself | The ID itself is usually not apostilled directly; waiting for one on the document costs time and can miss a deadline. | We explain the route via a notarised copy and the apostille from the cantonal Staatskanzlei in advance. |
First: does the receiving body need the translation alone, or an apostilled copy as well? Second: which spelling of my name is authoritative — the passport's machine-readable zone, or an earlier certificate? The answers decide the sequence and the form of the notarised certified translation.
So it works
You upload a clearly legible scan of the passport data page or Identitätskarte, including the machine-readable zone, and tell us the destination country and receiving body. We review scope and language direction and name a binding fixed price. Once you confirm, a professional translator renders every entry true to form and layout and matches the name spelling to the MRZ; a Swiss notary then certifies that translator's signature.
You receive the finished document as a PDF in advance, then the notarised original by post. If an apostilled copy is required, we agree the sequence with you before translating — so the submission is right the first time.
Before you upload
With this information, a translator can render your document correctly straight away, and the notary can certify the signature without delay.
Not sure whether a copy with an apostille is required? FÜD clarifies this with you before translating — so the form matches the procedure.
Use cases
The purpose decides the form and whether an apostille is needed. Three common scenarios.
Bank
Notary
Swiss authority
We review the document, the language and the receiving body's requirement, then name a binding fixed price. A passport data page or Identitätskarte is usually a flat fee per document; longer or unusual documents are priced per standard line — notarised certification, an advance PDF and postal delivery included.
| Professional translation by a qualified translator | ✓included |
| Notarised certification (signature certified by a Swiss notary) | ✓included |
| Name matched to the passport's machine-readable zone (ICAO) | ✓included |
| Advance PDF & postal delivery of the notarised original | ✓included |
| Quality management & final check | ✓included |
A standard line is 55 characters incl. spaces; a passport data page or Identitätskarte is usually a flat fee per document. The exact fixed price depends on language combination and file condition — plus VAT in Switzerland. An apostille, where required, is issued by the cantonal Staatskanzlei and is not part of our service. How the price is made up →
Sources & legal basis
Every legal and procedural claim on this page is tied to a primary, verifiable source — Swiss federal law, the responsible federal and cantonal authorities and the relevant Hague/EU instruments. Acceptance of any individual document is always decided by the receiving office.
FAQ
Opening my account with a Swiss bank was smooth — the notarised translation of my Identitätskarte matched the machine-readable zone exactly, and the bank asked no follow-up questions.
L. Herrera · bank account, Basel
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