Italy Guide
Criminal Record Certificate Translation
The apostilled, notarised sworn Italian translation of the criminal-record certificate (the “sabıka kaydı”) for Italy’s visa, residence and certain university/employer procedures. It is the document that officially shows a person’s criminal past to be clean.
2 min read Updated: 19.07.2026
What is the criminal-record certificate?
The criminal-record certificate shows whether a person carries a finalised conviction. A clean record certifies no criminal past. The Italian authorities ask for it on security grounds in long-stay residence and certain work/education procedures.
What is it needed for in an Italian application?
It is asked for to prove the record is clean in long-stay residence (permesso di soggiorno) applications, some work visas and certain university/scholarship processes. A current criminal-record certificate is requested in citizenship and some professional procedures too.
Where and how do you get the document?
Obtain the document via e-Devlet or from the Criminal Records and Statistics unit at the nearest courthouse, with the “for an official institution” option. The apostille on criminal-record documents is taken through the relevant Justice Commission Presidency (the courthouse) or the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The apostille and sworn-translation process
Take the document with the note “to be used abroad”, have it apostilled and have the notarised sworn Italian translation made from the apostilled version. Note that the apostille authority for a criminal-record document is the courthouse, not the civil registry/governorate — this is the most-confused point of the process.
What to watch in the sworn translation
The document is wanted current-dated; most Italian authorities accept a criminal record taken within the last 3–6 months. If a “criminal-record archive record” is also requested, obtain that too; the archive record and the current record are different documents.
Our Ankara Kızılay-based office runs the apostille tracking and the notarised sworn Italian translation of your document end to end — no need to visit the office, by courier and e-document. For an exact price, take a free quote from the box on the right.
Frequently asked questions
Is the criminal record I took from e-Devlet enough?
For procedures abroad, a wet/certified and apostilled document marked “for an official institution” is generally wanted; whether the barcoded e-Devlet printout is accepted on its own varies by authority.
Where do I get the apostille?
The apostille on a criminal-record document is taken through the Justice Commission/Prosecutor’s Office at the relevant courthouse, not the governorate.
Is the archive record needed too?
Some residence and citizenship procedures ask for the criminal-record archive record separately; check the application requirement and you can have both prepared.
Document formats, apostille/certification authorities and application requirements can change over time. Before starting the process, verify the relevant consulate’s or institution’s current requirements from the official source.