Public documents forms

I want to download a form : why is the country name of the issuing country not in the list for the form that I wish to download?

The Public Documents Regulation only applies to documents issued by the authorities of the countries of the European Union (EU). If the country where the document was issued is not in the EU, you cannot generate and use a multilingual standard form provided by the Public Documents Regulation as a translation aid for that document.

Some public documents do not exist in all EU countries (for instance, not all EU countries issue documents establishing domicile or residence). If a public document does not exist in a Member State, the multilingual standard form corresponding to that public document will not be available on the e-Justice Portal. You will find here an indicative list of the documents covered by the Regulation that are issued in each country of the EU (the list is available by clicking on the flag of the Country).

Why do the fields in the multilingual standard forms not correspond to the fields of the official document to which it must be attached?

For each type of public document (for example documents establishing birth), there is only one multilingual standard form that will be used by all EU countries. Each EU country has its own public documents, containing different information displayed in a different order. It means that the order and numbering of the headings and fields of the common EU form do not necessarily correspond to the ones of the public document issued in your country. However, the multilingual standard form shall reflect the content of the public document, even though the information is not displayed in the same order.

Where can I request the multilingual standard form? Where can I request the multilingual standard form if I currently do not live in the country that should issue the form?

The multilingual standard form is a translation aid and has no autonomous legal value. It shall be issued by the authorities of the country where the public document itself has been issued. You should therefore request a multilingual standard form from the authority which has issued the public document.

Is a private university/company/bank etc. obliged to accept a public document if it is accompanied by the relevant multilingual standard form, or can they still require me to translate the document at my own cost?

The Public Documents Regulation and the simplification regarding translation only applies to public documents that are presented to the authorities of another European country. It means that a public authority, or an entity acting in an official capacity or authorised to receive a public document, must accept a multilingual standard form as a translation aid (as long that the information provided by the form is sufficient for processing the public document). A public authority cannot in that case request a translation.

It also means that private persons or entities (individuals, companies or banks) that are not considered as public authorities in your country, or are not authorised under the law of your Country to receive a public document, are not bound by the Public Documents Regulation. They can ask you to provide a translation of the document.