Document Translation for Saudi Arabia

Your diploma is not merely translated, it is verified

What surprises Turkish nationals going to Saudi Arabia to work more than anything is this: having the diploma translated and attested is often not enough on its own. In posts calling for qualifications, a stage aimed at separately verifying the details of education and experience may come onto the agenda. That stage is independent of the translation, has a timetable of its own, and is decisive enough to block the way through the visa process.

What is asked of you at the verification stage is generally not the document itself but that the document can be confirmed at source. That is why it matters that the contact details of the university you graduated from should be current, and that the workplaces you have worked at should be able to give a reference that can actually be reached. Translation is one link in the chain here; a complete translation with clear terms makes the work of the verifying party easier.

A practical suggestion: the moment a job offer reaches you, have your diploma, academic transcript and experience documents prepared together. When these documents are asked for piecemeal, each request creates a fresh wait; a file prepared as a single set shortens the verification process noticeably.

How should an experience certificate be written?

Employment certificates written in the way customary in Türkiye often fall short in these files. What is expected is a plain statement of the dates between which you worked, under what job title, and doing what work. A letter at the level of “has been employed at our firm” carries the same gap once it is translated, and the experience may not be accepted.

We therefore suggest going over the content of the document before having it translated. Getting a deficient document corrected is always easier than having the translated version redone afterwards. It matters just as much that the job title should match its counterpart in the employment contract; two different titles showing on two documents is the weakest point in a file.

Family residence and the chain of relationship

If you are planning to bring your family with you, the documents that show the family tie without a break sit at the centre of the file. The marriage certificate establishes your tie with your spouse, and birth certificates your tie with your children. Names, dates and places are all expected to agree with one another across these documents; a small inconsistency puts the whole chain in question.

The chain of attestation on the documents has to be completed with the same care. A mistake often seen in family files is having a single document attested and passing over the rest; the set, though, is assessed as a whole. Having the family documents prepared in one go and in one pair of hands is therefore the safest approach.

A table of documents by purpose

The process and its timing

The order runs like this: obtain the original of the document, complete the chain of attestation, have the translation prepared, then enter the verification and visa stage. Because official translation into Arabic is expected to be done through a licensed office, ask your employer where that step is to be completed; the answer determines the scope of the preparation done at this end.

What lengthens the timetable is almost never the translation; it is the verification and attestation stages that decide it. Starting the preparation on the day the job offer is confirmed is therefore the most effective way of saving time. Bear in mind as well that the form of attestation may have changed recently, and confirm the current position from an official source.

Upload your documents and let us set out together which document will be needed at which stage; let us settle the scope of the service to suit your file as well.

Visit and accompaniment files

Besides work and family residence, files for short visits also come our way regularly. What these files generally call for together are documents showing the status of the person issuing the invitation and civil registry documents establishing the tie between that person and the one invited. Where the tie is not established by a document, the invitation on its own is not enough.

Where someone has to be accompanied, further documents come into play: reports showing the state of health, and records evidencing who the companion is. In translating medical reports, expressions of diagnosis and treatment must not be interpreted freely; when the wrong equivalent is chosen for a medical term, the document ceases to serve its purpose.

For minors travelling alone or with one parent, a document of consent is required. The scope of the travel, its dates and the identity details of the parties must all appear in that document in full; a consent written vaguely may be of no use at the border.

The chain of attestation is built with the same care in short-term files. A step skipped on the thought that “it is only a short visit” causes trouble at a point very close to the date of travel, and it is hard to put right. Setting aside a realistic margin for preparing the documents when you plan the date of the visit is the simplest precaution there is.

This content is for information only; the country’s practice on apostille or consular legalisation may change. It is as well to check the current requirements from an official source.