If you are a foreign national living in Ukraine, there are many situations where you might need to sign documents in front of a Ukrainian notary. If you wish to grant someone power of attorney, purchase or sell a property, or sign a prenuptial agreement, declaration or application, for example, the documents will need to be notarized. If you are signing the documents in Kyiv, Ukraine, they will need to be written in Ukrainian or Russian. But what if you don’t yet speak Ukrainian or Russian, or don’t speak them well enough to understand legal texts?

Certified Ukrainian translator for notary appointments

The Ukrainian government has a provision in place for exactly this situation. If you are not fluent in Russian or Ukrainian, a certified translator will be required to join you at the notary’s office. They will read the document to you in your own language before you sign it, so that you can be sure that you have understood it fully. You will have the opportunity to ask any questions that you might have and, if necessary, clarify any issues with the other party.

Only a certified Russian or Ukrainian translator can perform this service for you. Even if your business partner, friend, or partner speaks both languages fluently, they are not legally qualified to translate your documents at the notary office. This is because the notary cannot judge how competent the other person is in the two languages. If they make a mistake and translate something inaccurately, it could cause misunderstandings and legal problems down the line.

Notary must verify the translator’s certification

For this reason, the person providing translation or interpreting services at the notary’s office must be a certified Ukrainian or Russian translator. The notary will need to confirm the translator’s certification and also check their identification. Only then is their interpretation of the documents (and your signature on the document) legally binding.

When do you need a certified translator to interpret at a Ukrainian notary’s office?

• If you are signing a notarial agreement or notarial act, such as a power of attorney, but you or your associate do not speak Ukrainian or Russian.
• If you are signing a document drafted in two languages, such as English and Ukrainian.
• If you are entering into a contract, such as for a property sale, and one party to the contract does not speak Russian or Ukrainian.
• For any other documents that require notarization, if you do not speak Russian or Ukrainian.

If you need a certified Ukrainian translator to interpret documents at the notary’s office, Yuliya Kinash offers expert translation services that you can trust. I can come to your notary appointment and translate your Russian or Ukrainian documents into German or English for you. I also provide certified translation services from English and German into Russian or Ukrainian.

Get a quote today (kinash@kinash.com) or call me at +38 067 6 9999 08 to see how I can help you.