When an Irish authority such as ISD (Immigration Service Delivery) receives a Greek document, it wants an English translation certified by the translator: signed, dated and carrying their name, occupation, address and phone number. Our Greek to English translation in Ireland gives you exactly that for civil records from Greece and Cyprus, including certificates downloaded from gov.gr, delivered as a signed PDF.
Greek orders reaching us lately include three birth certificates for one family, where every transliterated name had to match the passports, and a set of army draft and service-postponement papers for an ISD file. A single gov.gr birth certificate needed within 24 hours is also a regular request.
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Where our Greek translations usually end up
ISD lists what a certifying translator must add to a translation: a line confirming it is a true translation of the original they have seen, their signature and the date, and their printed name, occupation, address and telephone number. Any Greek document going into an Irish file in Greek alone normally needs that kind of English version.
There is one exception worth checking first. ISD notes that where an EU public document comes with a multilingual standard form, a translation is not required. Greece and Cyprus are EU states, so ask the issuing office whether that form is available for your certificate before paying for a translation.
Greek civil records come in two families. The registry act (ληξιαρχική πράξη) records the event itself, while certificates such as the birth or family status certificate come from the municipal register. gov.gr now issues many of both digitally, with an electronic seal and a verification code.
Based on the Greek enquiries we receive
Volume, act number and every marginal note translated in full.
The electronic seal and verification code reproduced in English.
Conscription status certificates, draft records and postponements.
Πιστοποιητικό οικογενειακής κατάστασης listing every family member.
Civil and church marriage acts, and court divorce decisions.
These situations all came from real requests. Each one turns on a different detail, from name endings to a code on a digital certificate.
Families often send birth certificates for a parent and children together. We translate them as one set, so the parents' names, the municipality and the spelling of the surname stay identical across every certificate in the bundle.
Digital extracts arrive as PDFs with an electronic seal and a verification code. We translate the seal wording and keep the code exactly as printed, so anyone checking the English copy can trace it back to the Greek original.
Some ISD applications call for evidence covering time spent in Greece. We have translated draft papers and service-postponement records for this, rendering ranks, recruitment offices and military registration numbers without adapting them to Irish terms.
Greek records give the father's name in the genitive, so Γεωργίου appears where the passport says Georgios. We render each name in the form a reader expects, following the passport spelling you send us, and never guessing.
Cypriot birth, marriage and education records written in Greek fall under this service too. If parts of a Cypriot certificate are already in English, we keep those parts as they stand and translate the Greek entries around them.
Employers, universities and QQI may ask for an English version of a πτυχίο and its transcript. Course titles, grades out of ten and the awarding institution are translated exactly, with no attempt to convert them into Irish grades.
Greek documents are usually clear and well printed. The questions we get back almost always concern names, digital formats or military papers that people did not realise were needed.
Transliteration matters more than translation. Greek and Cypriot passports romanise names under the ELOT 743 standard, but since 2011 holders may also carry an irregular Latin spelling. We ask which form your passport shows and apply it everywhere.
Digital certificates are complete as they are. A gov.gr PDF does not need printing and stamping by a municipality before we work on it. We translate the electronic seal text and the verification code, so the English copy points back to the online record.
Older acts may not be online. gov.gr generally holds registry acts from 2013 onward, plus older ones that were amended or issued again since 2018. For anything earlier, people usually request a copy from the local registry office first.
Military papers come in more than one form. A conscription status certificate can list the full service history or only the essential changes. Check which version your checklist asks for before requesting it, because the translation follows whatever the certificate shows.
These five points save most rework
We follow its Latin spelling for every name.
A screenshot can cut off the seal and code.
It may remove the need for a translation.
Later entries beside a registry act matter.
Each body has its own current checklist.
The Greek and Cypriot records below are the ones we see most. Anything else in Greek can be quoted from a photo.
The whole job runs online. Paper originals stay with you.
Upload the gov.gr PDF as downloaded, or clear photos of paper records, together with the passport page.
We send an estimated price and delivery time, normally within about 15 minutes during opening hours.
A native Greek-speaking translator prepares the English text, and a second reviewer checks names, act numbers and dates.
The signed PDF arrives by email, and paper copies can be posted to any address in Ireland.
These extracts show how three common Greek documents read in English. Every name, number and date here is invented sample data.
Send a photo or the gov.gr PDF and we will tell you what the English version will cover, and whether an EU standard form might apply.
Each Greek to English order includes the following as standard.
All text, stamps and marginal notes, with no line summarised or skipped.
Signed and dated, giving the translator's name, occupation, address and phone.
Greek names written in the Latin form your passport uses, consistently.
gov.gr seals and verification codes reproduced exactly.
Signed PDF by email, with paper copies posted anywhere in Ireland.
Queried detail? We correct it and reissue without charge.
Single-page certificates sit in the standard band. Degree transcripts, court decisions and multi-page military records are priced by length after we see them.
Per Document
24–48 hour delivery
Family Set
Reduced per-document rate
Same-Day / Urgent
Per document · same day
Starting prices; itemised quote approved before work starts; translation fee separate from any authority fee.
Most problems with Greek files come down to names and digital formats. This is how we handle them.
If an Irish body questions any detail, we amend it and send a fresh signed copy at no cost.
Our translators know the difference between a registry act, a municipal certificate and a family status record.
Translators affiliated with the Irish Translators' and Interpreters' Association.
Most Greek certificates are ready in 24–48 hours, and the same day when urgent.
A second reviewer matches every name, act number and date to the Greek document.
Files are used only for your order and are not passed to anyone else.
| Feature | IrelandTranslations.ie | Generic agencies | Freelancers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genitive names converted to passport spelling | ✓ | Sometimes | Varies |
| gov.gr seal and verification code reproduced | ✓ | Sometimes | Varies |
| Statement with translator's name, occupation, address and phone | ✓ | Sometimes | Varies |
| Free reissue if an authority queries a detail | ✓ | ✗ | Varies |
| Same day, urgent & priority delivery | ✓ | Sometimes | Depends |
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This page is about the Greek language. If you are putting together a whole naturalisation file in several languages, our page on translating documents for Irish citizenship sets out that process. For birth records from any country, read about our certified birth certificate translations, and for a Greek wedding record see marriage certificate translation.
Greek degrees and grade sheets are covered in more depth under academic transcript translation. When a file is due tomorrow, our same-day certified translation service explains how urgent orders work.
Upload a gov.gr PDF or a photo of your paper record for a fixed quote on certified Greek to English translation.
Prefer to ask first? WhatsApp us on +353 87 441 3817 or email info@irelandtranslations.ie.