A divorce or a death registered abroad often has to be shown to UK organisations: to marry again, to deal with an estate or a will, to update a pension, an insurance policy or a bank account, or to correct official records. A certified translation lets them rely on the document without reading Farsi, Dari or Kurdish.
Iranian divorce documents
In Iran a divorce is registered at a divorce registry office, which issues a divorce certificate (talaq-nameh). The divorce is also noted in both spouses’ birth certificates (shenasnameh) and on the marriage certificate. Depending on the organisation, you may be asked for one or more of these, and sometimes for the court ruling that came before the registration.
Death certificates
An Iranian death certificate is issued by the civil registration office (Sabt-e Ahval), and the person’s shenasnameh is usually stamped as cancelled. Death certificates from Afghanistan and from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq have their own layouts and are often printed in two languages. Every part of the document is translated, including the cause of death if it is shown, the stamps and the reference numbers.
What the translation includes
- every page and side with an entry, including the back of cards
- stamps, seals and signatures, described in square brackets
- dates converted from the Solar Hijri or lunar Hijri calendar to the Gregorian calendar
- names spelled to match your passport and your other documents