Official Documents: Criminal Record Certificate, Apostille and Certified Translation

You often need three things together: a document, its legalisation, and a sworn translation. The order matters.

A. Get a Cyprus criminal record certificate

Option 1: online. The Cyprus Police launched DigiPol, a portal on GOV.CY with over 30 services, including applications for criminal record certificates. You need a verified CY Login account at gov.cy.

Option 2: in person. Apply at the Police Headquarters Criminal Record Office in Nicosia. For foreign nationals, bring a photocopy of your alien registration document (pink or yellow slip) and passport, and pay the €20 fee. Phone: 22 808 080. (To verify: whether online submission is open to your document type.)

B. Legalise foreign documents (apostille)

Documents from your country must be authentic and legalised, either by an apostille or by the foreign ministry’s seal, before translation. For Cyprus-issued documents, apostille is done at the Ministry of Justice and Public Order in Nicosia or at a Citizen Service Centre (KEP).

If you are a refugee or asylum seeker, you may not be able to contact your country’s authorities. Ask your caseworker about alternatives before paying for anything.

C. Get a certified translation

Certified translations must be done by a sworn translator listed in the Register of the Council of Sworn Translators. Information and the register: pio.gov.cy/en/translations. Sworn translators work on documents such as birth and marriage certificates, criminal record certificates, passports and education certificates.

If you need a Cyprus-issued document translated into another language, ask the issuing authority to issue it in Greek first for direct translation.

D. Final checks

• Ask the office requesting the document exactly what it accepts: original or copy, validity period, language
• Compare names and dates on every document. A one-letter difference can cause a rejection
• Keep scans of everything