Insurance Policy Translation for France

Names of classes of cover and their counterparts

Classes of insurance in France go by their own settled names and must be bridged correctly in translation: liability insurance is assurance responsabilité civile, motor insurance is assurance auto, and health insurance is assurance maladie, with mutuelle for complementary health cover. Instead of equating the words “kasko” or “trafik sigortası” in a Turkish policy with a French class, the scope of the cover is conveyed as the document states it, with the counterpart explained in brackets where that helps, since the product definitions of the two countries do not map onto one another exactly. Terms such as cover, risk, loss and excess (franchise) travel with their settled equivalents.

Because most of the insurance relationship in France runs within the Code des assurances, the language of the general and special conditions the policy refers to (conditions générales, conditions particulières) is taken into account as well. The limit of cover, the amount of the franchise and the term stated in the policy are data the French insurer or the authority handling the matter assesses directly; those fields are carried across in full and exactly as they stand.

The ACPR context and validity abroad

Insurance companies in France are subject to ACPR supervision, whereas a Turkish policy has been issued within the Turkish regulatory framework (SEDDK) and is not converted into a French policy in translation but carried across with its own identity. How far the cover will be treated as valid in France is for the French insurer and the authority to assess; the translation prepares the ground for that assessment, it does not determine the outcome. Documents such as the green card (carte verte), issued for the international use of motor vehicles, are separate documents evidencing the cross-border validity of the policy, and they are translated consistently with it.

Where a loss occurs abroad, the policy becomes the basis of the claim for indemnity; a loss is called a sinistre in French, and the claim file, meaning the déclaration de sinistre, the loss adjusters’ reports and the invoices, is assessed together with the policy. A term in the policy that contradicts the wording of a claim document delays the examination of the claim, which is why the file is translated as a whole and in a consistent manner.

For motor insurance the French system rests on a statement setting out the driver’s claims history (relevé d’information) and on a no claims coefficient (bonus-malus); no claims or claims information from a Turkish policy may be used in that assessment. When such a document is translated, the number of years, the policy periods and the loss records are carried across exactly, because showing one year too few affects the coefficient, and so the premium, directly. The joint accident statement used across Europe and completed at the scene (constat amiable) is another frequent part of the claim file, and it is translated with the same vocabulary as the policy. The insurer can then read the policy, the no claims statement and the accident report as one whole, free of contradictions. The schedules and clauses of the policy belong to that whole as well; leaving a clause that narrows or widens a cover out of the translation makes the true limit of the cover appear other than it is. For that reason, a policy submitted in France is translated not only on its face but together with the general and special conditions it refers to. If the policy has been varied during its term by an endorsement (avenant), the date and the amounts of that variation are carried across in full, so that the document reflects its current state; otherwise it becomes unclear for which period the cover applied.

• Do not equate a Turkish class of cover with a French product; convey its scope.
• Carry the limit of cover, the franchise and the term across exactly.
• Translate the policy and the sinistre file consistently, with one vocabulary.

Certification: apostille and a listed translator

An insurance policy is a private law document; a sworn translation is often enough for an administrative claim file, while notarisation and an apostille may come into play once a dispute is taken to court. If the policy is to be notarised and submitted in an official procedure, the apostille is obtained from the governor’s office or the district governor’s office. A translation submitted in an official procedure in France must be made by a sworn translator (traducteur assermenté) on the list of a court of appeal (Cour d’appel), or else the chain in Türkiye is followed, meaning a sworn translator, a notary and an apostille. As France is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, confirm the current position from the official HCCH list. You can run your claim file through our single office in Ankara Kızılay, see the cost on our pricing page and request a quote by uploading your document. This page is for general information and is not insurance or legal advice; consult your insurer about the scope of your cover.