Vietnamese Divorce Decree: IRCC Apostille or Certified Translation?
💡 For a Canadian IRCC application, your Vietnamese divorce decree needs a complete certified English translation bearing the translator's professional seal, and nothing else for the language step. No apostille. No notarized copy. IRCC requires the translation to come from a member of a professional translation association, not a family member or representative.
- IRCC requires a complete certified English or French translation of your Vietnamese divorce decree, plus the original document or a copy.
- No apostille is required. Vietnam's apostille (effective 11 September 2026) is now available but optional for IRCC filings.
- No routine notarization is needed. A qualified translator's stamp or seal satisfies IRCC; a notarized affidavit is an alternative only when a certified translator is unavailable.
- The translation must cover every element: court name, case number, date, both parties' details, the full text of the order, and all stamps and signature blocks.
- IRCC explicitly bars family members and representatives from translating, even if they are bilingual professionals.
| Document or step | What it is | Who provides it | Does IRCC require it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certified translation | Complete, word-for-word English or French translation with the translator's professional seal and certificate of accuracy | A member of a professional translation association | Yes |
| Original decree (or copy) | The Vietnamese People's Court document itself | You already hold it | Yes - submit alongside the translation |
| Apostille | Authentication of the court's official seal for use in Hague Convention member countries | Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs | No |
| Certified true copy | A notarially verified copy of the original decree | Vietnamese notary office or People's Committee | No - a plain copy is normally accepted |
| Notarized translation | A translation with an affidavit sworn before a notary or commissioner of oaths | Translator plus Canadian notary or commissioner | Only if a certified translator is unavailable |
What does IRCC actually require for a Vietnamese divorce decree?
Every Canadian immigration application - spousal sponsorship, Express Entry, family class - requires that documents not in English or French be accompanied by a certified translation. For a certified translation Vietnamese divorce decree submitted to IRCC, the requirement is straightforward: a complete certified translation plus the original document or a copy of it.
According to IRCC's published documentation requirements, the translation must be complete, word-for-word, and produced by a translator who is a member in good standing of a professional translation association in Canada or abroad, with the translation stamped or sealed to confirm that membership. If a certified translator is unavailable, the alternative is a translation accompanied by an affidavit sworn before a notary public or commissioner of oaths.
IRCC does not ask for an apostille on incoming foreign documents. It does not require the translation itself to be notarized as a routine matter. The translator's professional certification is the only language-step document IRCC needs, beyond the copy of the original Vietnamese court order.
Three documents people confuse: apostille, certified true copy, and certified translation
These three terms often appear together in searches, but they answer three completely different questions.
An apostille answers: is this court's seal genuine? It authenticates the official stamp on the original Vietnamese court document for international recognition under the Hague Convention. Vietnam joined the Convention on 11 September 2026, so apostilles are now available on Vietnamese court documents through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. An apostille says nothing about language and IRCC does not request one.
A certified true copy answers: is this photocopy an exact replica of the original? A Vietnamese notary office or People's Committee certifies a copy as matching the original. IRCC generally accepts a plain photocopy alongside the translation and does not require a notarially certified copy as a standard rule.
A certified translation answers: what does this Vietnamese document say in English? It converts the full text into English or French, with the translator's seal confirming accuracy. This is the only language-step document IRCC requires.
For more on how these three terms differ in the Canadian immigration context, see Does IRCC need an apostille or certified translation for Vietnamese documents?
Does Vietnam's new apostille (September 2026) change what IRCC needs?
No, not for IRCC filings. From 11 September 2026, Vietnam is a full member of the Hague Apostille Convention. Canada joined in January 2024. Both countries now recognize each other's apostilles under the same treaty.
You can request an apostille from the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on your divorce decree before sending your application to Canada. But IRCC's translation rules have not changed: they still require a certified translation and a copy of the original. The apostille is an optional layer of authentication that may be useful if you later submit the same decree to a provincial court, a financial institution, or another Canadian authority that requests it - but it does not replace or add to the certified translation requirement for IRCC.
How to get a certified translation of your Vietnamese divorce decree for IRCC
Send a clear scan of your complete divorce decree - all pages, all stamps, all handwritten entries, all signature blocks. The translation will render everything: the full name of the People's Court, the case number and date, both parties' full names and dates of birth, the grounds for dissolution, the operative order (including any property or custody terms), and a faithful description of every court seal and judicial signature.
The translation comes with a signed certificate of accuracy identifying the translator and confirming completeness. I am a professional certified Vietnamese-English translator. I translate the document and certify the accuracy. I do not notarize, and I do not issue certified true copies: those steps belong to a Vietnamese notary office or People's Committee.
Need a certified Vietnamese civil document translation for your IRCC package? Send the document and I will confirm turnaround within one business day.
For a US-filing comparison, see how USCIS handles a Vietnamese divorce decree - the rules overlap but differ in detail.
What if my Vietnamese divorce decree was issued before 2007?
Vietnam's civil registration system was reformed in 2007. Older decrees use different court name formats, earlier legal terminology, and may have faded stamps or handwritten entries in a less standardized layout. None of that prevents a certified translation. Provide the clearest scan you can and every legible element will be rendered faithfully. If any portion of the original is genuinely illegible, that will be noted explicitly rather than guessed at.
Older decrees remain legally valid for IRCC purposes. For broader context, see certified Vietnamese translation for IRCC and certified true copy vs certified translation: which do you need?
FAQ
Does IRCC accept a photocopy of my Vietnamese divorce decree, or do I need to send the original?
IRCC accepts a copy submitted alongside the certified translation. Keep your original - do not mail it. A plain photocopy is normally sufficient; a notarially certified copy is also accepted but is not required as a standard rule.
Can my Vietnamese spouse or a family member translate the decree since they are bilingual?
No. IRCC explicitly prohibits translations by the applicant, a family member, or a representative, even if that person is a professional translator or bilingual lawyer. The translation must come from an independent certified translator with no personal interest in the application.
My divorce was a mutual-agreement decision, not a contested judgment. Is it treated the same way?
Yes. Both the contested court judgment (bản án ly hôn) and the mutual-agreement decision (quyết định công nhận thuận tình ly hôn) are Vietnamese People's Court documents and treated identically by IRCC: submit original or copy plus a complete certified English or French translation. The type of decree does not change the language requirement.
Does the apostille go on the translation, the original Vietnamese decree, or both?
An apostille authenticates the official seal on an original government-issued document, so it goes on the original Vietnamese court decree only. Translations are not government-issued originals and cannot carry an apostille. For IRCC, neither the translation nor the original requires an apostille.
I already have a certified translation obtained in Vietnam. Will IRCC accept it?
Possibly, but check carefully. Vietnamese-style certified translations are notarized by a Vietnamese notary rather than certified by a member of an internationally recognized professional translation association. IRCC may accept them, but the safest route for a Canadian application is a translation certified by a professional translator recognized under IRCC's own standards. If unsure, consult a licensed Canadian immigration representative.
Have a Vietnamese divorce decree to translate for your Canadian immigration application? Send the document and I will confirm turnaround within one business day.
Written by Dao Huy (Lucas), Vietnamese translator & localization specialist (EN · ZH · FR → Vietnamese). See translation services → · Certified Documents →