Terms & Conditions — How We Work Together
The basis on which we quote for, prepare and deliver your translation — including what we are responsible for, what we are not, and what to do if something goes wrong.
These terms and who they apply to
These terms and conditions govern the supply of translation, certification, notarisation and legalisation services by Divorce Certificate Translations ("we", "us", "our") to you, whether you are a private individual, a solicitor, a firm or an organisation.
By accepting a quotation, placing an order or paying an invoice, you agree to these terms. Please read them before you instruct us. If you do not agree with them, do not place an order.
Where you are acting for purposes wholly or mainly outside your trade, business, craft or profession, you are a consumer, and sections 5, 11 and 12 give you additional rights that cannot be excluded. Where you instruct us in the course of a business — for example as a solicitor or organisation — you are a business client, and those consumer-specific provisions do not apply.
What we do and what we do not do
We translate divorce and marital-status documents into or out of English and certify those translations for use with UK authorities. Depending on what you order, this may include notarisation by a notary public and apostille or legalisation through the FCDO.
What every certified translation includes
- A complete translation of the document supplied, including stamps, seals, endorsements and marginal annotations, with untranslatable elements described in square brackets
- A signed certificate of accuracy naming the translator, with their qualifications, signature, date and contact details
- A translator's note where a name, date or term can legitimately be rendered more than one way
What we do not do
- We do not alter the content of a document. We cannot change a name, date or wording so that it matches another document, because that would make the certificate of accuracy untrue.
- We do not guarantee that any third party will accept a translation. See section 5.
- We do not verify that the document you send us is genuine, current or complete, and we translate what we are given.
Quotations, orders and prices
- A quotation is an invitation to place an order and is not a binding offer. Unless stated otherwise, a quotation is valid for 14 days.
- A contract is formed when we confirm your order in writing, or when work begins with your agreement, whichever is earlier.
- Quotations are based on the documents and information you supply. If the material actually provided differs materially — additional pages, a different document, poor legibility or a change of turnaround — we will tell you before continuing and give you a revised price to approve. We will not increase the agreed price without your agreement.
- All prices are stated per document. Third-party costs such as notary fees, FCDO apostille fees, courier and postage are itemised and passed on at cost.
- [Confirm whether prices include or exclude VAT and state it here.]
Your responsibilities
The quality and timeliness of our work depends partly on what you give us. You agree that:
- You will supply complete and legible copies of every page of the document, including reverse sides, annexes and any handwritten annotations.
- You have the right to send us the documents and the personal data they contain, and you have any consent needed from other people named in them.
- You will tell us which authority requires the translation and your deadline before we begin, since both affect how the work is prepared.
- You will tell us about known name spelling variations between your identity documents and the document being translated.
- You will check the draft or delivered translation promptly for factual details such as names, dates and reference numbers, and raise anything that looks wrong.
Where a delay, error or additional cost arises because information was not provided, was incomplete or was inaccurate, we are not responsible for that consequence and additional work may be chargeable at the rate agreed with you in advance.
Our standard of service, and acceptance by third parties
We will perform our services with reasonable care and skill. If you are a consumer, this is a statutory right under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 which we do not exclude or limit.
If something is wrong with our work
If a translation contains a genuine error or omission attributable to us, tell us within 30 days of delivery, or as soon as the issue comes to light where a receiving authority raises it later. We will correct and reissue it at no additional charge and as a priority. Where we cannot put it right within a reasonable time, you may be entitled to a price reduction or, for consumers, a refund under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
Acceptance by authorities
Where a document is rejected for a reason attributable to our work, we will correct it free of charge. Where it is rejected for another reason — an incomplete source document, a legal recognition issue, a change in the authority's requirements, or information you did not disclose — further work may be chargeable, and we will tell you before doing it.
Turnaround and delivery
- Turnaround times are stated in working days, excluding weekends and English public holidays, and run from the point at which we have received full instructions, all pages of the document, and payment or an agreed purchase order.
- Express and same-day routes are subject to translator availability at the time of instruction and are confirmed to you before you commit.
- Translations are delivered as a certified digital PDF by email unless you have ordered a hard copy. Where a hard copy is posted, we are not responsible for delays or loss in the postal system beyond arranging a tracked service where you have paid for one.
- We are not liable for delay caused by events outside our reasonable control, including postal disruption, third-party processing times at a notary or the FCDO, or your own delay in providing information. See section 13.
Payment
- Payment terms are confirmed with your quotation. Unless we have agreed account terms in writing, payment is due in full before work begins.
- Business clients with agreed account terms are invoiced on delivery, payable within [30] days of the invoice date.
- We may charge interest on overdue business invoices, and recover reasonable recovery costs, under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998. This does not apply to consumers.
- Where payment is overdue we may suspend further work and withhold delivery of completed translations until the account is settled.
- Third-party disbursements such as notary and FCDO fees are payable in advance and are non-refundable once incurred on your behalf.
Cancellation and refunds
If you are a consumer
Under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 you normally have 14 days from the date the contract is formed to cancel a distance contract and receive a refund.
Because translation is usually needed urgently, we ordinarily begin work before that period ends. If you expressly ask us to start within the 14-day period, you acknowledge that:
- you lose the right to cancel once the service has been fully performed; and
- if you cancel while the service is partly performed, you must pay a proportionate amount for the work done up to the point we received your cancellation.
To cancel, email us at info@divorcecertificatetranslations.co.uk. Any refund due is made within 14 days using the same payment method you used.
If you are a business client
You may cancel an order at any time before delivery by written notice. You will be charged for work completed up to that point, plus any third-party fees already incurred on your behalf.
Cancellation by us
We may decline or cancel an order and refund any sums paid for work not performed if the document is illegible, if we do not have a suitably qualified translator available, if we have reason to believe the request is unlawful or fraudulent, or if the conduct of the person instructing us is abusive.
Intellectual property and confidentiality
- You retain all rights in the documents you supply. You confirm you are entitled to have them translated.
- Copyright in the translation passes to you once payment has been received in full. Until then, we retain it.
- We retain the right to identify ourselves as the certifying translator on the document, which is a requirement of certification and cannot be removed.
- We treat all documents and information as confidential. We will not disclose them except to the translator, reviser, notary or provider necessary to complete your order, or where required by law.
- We do not use your documents to train machine translation or artificial intelligence systems, and we require the same of our suppliers.
- Non-disclosure agreements and data processing agreements are available on request and are signed before any client file is transferred.
How we handle personal data is set out in our Privacy Policy, which forms part of these terms.
Reviews and feedback
We publish reviews only where the client has given permission, and only from clients whose work we have actually delivered. We do not write, commission, incentivise or edit the substance of reviews.
If you leave us a review, you confirm it reflects your genuine experience. We may correct obvious typographical errors and, at your request, shorten your displayed name. You may ask us to remove your review at any time.
We do not remove a review because it is critical.
Our liability to you
Nothing in these terms limits or excludes our liability for:
- death or personal injury caused by our negligence;
- fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation;
- any other liability that cannot lawfully be limited or excluded, including your statutory rights as a consumer under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
If you are a consumer
We are responsible for loss or damage you suffer that is a foreseeable result of our breaking this contract or failing to use reasonable care and skill. We are not responsible for loss or damage that is not foreseeable — loss is foreseeable if it was obvious it would happen, or if both parties knew it might happen when the contract was made.
If you intend to rely on our translation for something with a significant financial consequence — for example a hearing date, a booked venue or a visa submission — tell us in writing when you instruct us, so that consequence is known to both of us.
If you are a business client
Subject to the paragraph above, we are not liable for loss of profit, loss of business, business interruption, loss of opportunity, wasted expenditure, or any indirect or consequential loss. Our total liability arising out of or in connection with an order, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), breach of statutory duty or otherwise, is limited to [ten times] the fee paid for the order to which the claim relates.
Complaints
If you are unhappy with any part of our service, contact us first at info@divorcecertificatetranslations.co.uk or on +44 7482 545337, setting out what has gone wrong.
- We will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days.
- We will investigate and give you a substantive response within 14 days, or tell you why we need longer.
- Where the complaint concerns the accuracy of a translation, we may ask an independent qualified linguist to review it.
Nothing in this section affects your right to take legal action, or your statutory rights as a consumer.
Events outside our control
We are not liable for failure or delay in performing our obligations where that failure or delay results from an event outside our reasonable control, including but not limited to failure of public or private telecommunications networks, postal disruption, industrial action, epidemic, fire, flood, or the acts or delays of a notary, government department or other third party.
If such an event occurs, we will contact you as soon as reasonably possible and take reasonable steps to minimise the delay. If the delay is substantial, you may cancel the affected order and receive a refund for any work not performed.
General terms
- Variation. These terms may only be varied in writing. The version in force is the one published on this page when your order is confirmed.
- Assignment. You may not transfer your rights or obligations under a contract with us without our written consent. We may transfer ours to another business, and will tell you in writing if we do.
- Third parties. A contract between us does not give rights to any third party under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.
- Severance. If any provision is found to be unlawful or unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full force.
- Waiver. A delay in enforcing any provision does not prevent us enforcing it later.
- Entire agreement. Our quotation, these terms and our Privacy Policy form the entire agreement between us in relation to an order.
Governing law and jurisdiction
These terms and any dispute or claim arising out of them, including non-contractual disputes or claims, are governed by the law of England and Wales.
Both parties agree to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales. If you are a consumer resident in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you may also bring proceedings in the courts of the country in which you live.
Questions About This Policy? Ask Us Directly
If anything here is unclear, or you want to exercise a right described above, contact us and we will respond within the timeframes set out in this document.