Document Translation in Norway: Why is it so important?

When traveling abroad or staying in another country for work purposes, it is worth bringing documents that may be necessary for handling many formalities. They may be related to obtaining the right to stay, finding a good job, or obtaining social benefits. Familiarize yourself with which translated documents are worth having with you and what they can be useful for.

Curriculum Vitae – Your education and experience

The key to obtaining a satisfying job is preparing an appropriate CV tailored to the Norwegian job market. It is important that it not only looks professional but also presents your detailed education, experience, and skills. Remember, this is your business card for potential employers. If you don't know what to include in your CV or how it should look, it is worth using a translation agency that will not only translate your CV into Norwegian but also ensure that its entire structure and content encourage companies you wish to work for to get to know you better. This way, you guarantee that the CV will not contain language errors and that its description will consist of professional terminology of the jobs or positions you have previously held. Norwegian companies are more likely to invite those who make an effort to send a CV in Norwegian rather than English for interviews. If you decide to work in Norway, it is worth having such a document with you.

Residence Permit – Family Reunification Process

If you decide that your family members, such as your wife and children, should move to you, you can go through the family reunification process with them. Besides completing formalities such as registration with UDI and submitting the necessary applications, it will be necessary to attend a meeting with your family at the police station you have chosen. During this visit, you will need to present documents confirming your employment status, such as an employment contract, pay slips, a certificate from your employer, or a balance sheet if you run a business. These documents are likely in Norwegian. Additionally, it will be necessary to present the child's birth certificate and/or marriage certificate. They must be translated by a sworn translator into Norwegian and contain an apostille. This is a condition for carrying out the family reunification process, so it is important to have them if you want to go through it.

Tax Settlements and Corrections

It is worth noting that despite changes in recent years related to the limitations of tax deductions, it is still possible to include deductions for commuters traveling to family or housing in Poland. These provide the opportunity to increase tax refunds by several thousand kroner. However, this requires having translated documents confirming the right to deductions that this status guarantees. These primarily include:

• translations of birth certificate/marriage certificate/property deed/land registry extract,
• translated, updated certificate of registration at the address in Poland for the year the settlement concerns.

If you wish to apply for deductions related to your child's stay in kindergarten or nursery, you will need to additionally translate a certificate from the relevant institution showing the costs incurred for your child's stay. A popular deduction in tax settlements and corrections in recent years is the inclusion of interest on a mortgage held in Poland. The certificate from the bank, which you must obtain, should contain information about who the borrower is and how much interest you paid in the given tax year. It will also be necessary to translate this document into Norwegian.

Benefits in Norway

People working in Norway have the opportunity to apply for benefits such as: child benefit – 1,054 NOK per month per child from birth until they turn 18; cash-for-care benefit – 7,500 NOK per month, from the 13th to the 24th month of the child's life; parental benefit, the amount of which depends on the income previously earned and the percentage of the benefit one wishes to receive. If you are going to apply for any of them, depending on which one it is, it will be your duty to translate the following documents:

• the child's birth certificate,
• marriage certificate,
• certificate of your and the child's mother's membership in the social security system from ZUS/KRUS for at least 5 years,
• certificate of the child's mother's return to school or work.

The above documents are basic, and NAV, responsible for paying benefits, may request additional ones. However, it is often emphasized that they must be translated into Norwegian. This does not apply to certificates that can be obtained on an EU form.

Other Official Matters

All the above matters are some of the few for which you may need translations. Equally important are situations where you want to obtain a loan in Poland based on your employment in Norway. This will often involve translating your annual income statement – Skattemelding or Skatteoppgjør, income certificate, annual summaries from NAV - Årsoppgave fra NAV, as well as your employment contract. Additionally, you do not need to be fluent in understanding all correspondence from Norwegian offices. It is worth finding a quick and professional translation agency that can help you translate documents for all official matters – for performing regular translations, sworn translations, or performing CV translation with proofreading.