Diploma Translation for France

The false-equivalence trap: writing “Licence” is a claim about level

French higher education reads degrees in years of study (Bac+3, Bac+5). Within that system, “Licence”, “Master” and “DUT” are specific, defined qualifications. Turning the Turkish “Lisans” degree straight into “Licence” is in truth an act of levelling one against the other, and the authority to do that rests with ENIC-NARIC France, not with the translator. The sound approach is to carry the name of the degree across, add an explanatory note in brackets where necessary, and stop short of assigning a French degree title to the document. This fine distinction affects the level at which the dossier will be assessed, and a wrong rendering weakens the application even when it appears to flatter the candidate.

The court of appeal list (Cour d’appel) requirement

A translation submitted to an official body in France must be produced by a sworn translator (traducteur assermenté) named on the official list of a court of appeal. That condition applies to diplomas too, and a translation from outside the list may be refused however good it is. A translation produced in Türkiye follows a different chain: a sworn translator signs it, a notary notarises it, and an apostille is added. The safest step is to obtain written confirmation from the authority you will be submitting to as to whether your diploma should be prepared by a listed translator in France or through the chain in Türkiye. The translation is bound to the source document with a seal, and that integrity is preserved in electronic submissions as well.

A secondary school diploma is read as a diploma too

For undergraduate applications it is not only the higher education diploma that is assessed as a diploma: the secondary school diploma and the central examination result are weighed the same way, since they establish the right of entry. Here too the translation conveys what the document is and what it contains, not a degree title. The same false-equivalence trap applies to the secondary school diploma: rather than describing it outright as a “Baccalauréat”, it is sounder to render it as a Turkish secondary education certificate and add a note. The French side then determines the level by its own criteria.

Consistency of seals, signatures and dates

Institutional seals and signatures on the diploma are marked in square brackets in the translation, because the French assessor reads the original and the translation side by side. One detail that surfaces often is a mismatch between the graduation date on the diploma and the date on the transcript; at Turkish universities the graduation decision and the printing of the diploma can fall on different dates, so this is unremarkable, but the French side has no way of knowing that. The translation must carry these dates across exactly, and where necessary a letter of explanation from the university should be attached.

QR-coded e-diplomas and the form of the copy

Some Turkish universities issue the diploma not as a wet-signed printed copy but as a QR-coded, electronically signed document obtained through the e-Devlet portal. With a document of that kind, the translation records the presence of the QR code and of the electronic verification wording with the notes [QR code] and [electronic signature verification]; no attempt is made to decode the code itself, and whatever stands on the document is what is conveyed. ENIC-NARIC France and the Campus France unit may take different positions on whether a QR-coded document is acceptable; since the great majority of applications to France run electronically, the scan must also show the verification elements legibly. Because the required form varies from one institution to the next, preparing the electronic and the printed copy together is the safest route; the translation works from the same text in either case, though the verification elements on the document are reflected separately in the translation.

If the diploma runs to several pages or has annexes, the page order is preserved and the translation is presented in the same arrangement as the source document; a translation delivered in pieces invites questions about the integrity of the document during assessment. Any verification link or reference code visible on the printout of an electronic document is noted in the translation as well.

Order of approval and common mistakes

The order is: the original diploma, an apostille if one is needed, then a translation that includes the apostille. France is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention; confirm the current position from the official HCCH list. The most frequent mistake is translating “Lisans” as “Licence” and thereby generating a claim of recognition; the second is working with a translator who is not on the list. You can see the level of approval required for other documents on our document types page, review the cost on our pricing page, and upload your document to request a quotation. This account is offered as guidance; the binding requirement is set by the institution handling your case.