In short:
- We translate to and from almost any language, including Urdu, Bengali, Tagalog, Indonesian and African languages.
- Most requested documents: birth and marriage certificates, driving licences, school certificates and court papers.
- Names are spelled exactly as in your passport and iqama so your documents never contradict each other.
- Every client gets a stamped e-copy on WhatsApp plus a printed copy.
Walk through any market in Jeddah and you will hear Urdu, Bengali, Tagalog, Indonesian, Swahili and Hausa within a few minutes. The city is home to large communities from South Asia, Southeast Asia and Africa, and each community has documents that need to be read in Arabic by Saudi authorities. One of our most frequent requests is Urdu to Arabic certified translation, followed by Bengali, Tagalog and Indonesian.
A common frustration is that some translation offices decline less widely spoken languages, or pass them on to someone else with no guarantee of quality. This article explains how we handle these languages and what you need to prepare.
Languages we translate
We work to and from almost any language. Those we see most often in Jeddah include:
- South Asia: Urdu, Bengali, Hindi, Nepali, Sinhala, Tamil, Malayalam and Pashto.
- Southeast Asia: Indonesian, Tagalog (Filipino) and Malay.
- Africa: Amharic, Somali, Swahili, Hausa, Tigrinya and Oromo, as well as French and English, which are official languages in many African countries.
If your language is not listed, send the document on WhatsApp and we will confirm. We also translate between two non-Arabic languages, for example Urdu to English or Indonesian to English, when an employer or another country’s embassy asks for it.
Documents communities translate most
Birth and marriage certificates
Needed when adding a dependant, registering a baby, or proving marital status to an employer or school.
Driving licences
For example a licence issued in Pakistan, Bangladesh or the Philippines, which may need translating when you apply to convert it or obtain a Saudi licence, as the competent authority requires. See our iqama and ID translation service for related personal documents.
School certificates
For enrolling children in school, or presenting your education and experience to an employer.
Court papers and powers of attorney
Divorce or custody judgments issued at home, or an official power of attorney from there, that you need to present to a Saudi authority.
Police certificates
Some jobs and procedures ask for a police clearance certificate from your home country, translated into Arabic.
Names: the biggest source of problems
Urdu and Bengali names are written in their own scripts and can be rendered in Arabic or English in several ways. One name might appear one way in the passport and another way in a translated birth certificate. That is where trouble starts: a system that will not match the two documents, or an officer asking you to prove they refer to the same person.
So we always ask for your passport and iqama. We write names in Arabic as they appear on the iqama and in English as they appear in the passport. If you already have a translation accepted by an official body, send it to us and we will keep the same spelling.
Dates and numbers
Some countries use local calendars or different date formats (day first or month first). We carry dates over exactly and make sure day and month are never swapped. ID and licence numbers are copied character by character.
Double-checked, even in rarer languages
Every translation is reviewed by a second translator before it is stamped and signed. For less common languages this matters even more, because the reader at the Saudi authority usually cannot compare the translation with the original. Our office has been licensed since 1982 (licence No. 64) and has served more than 20,000 clients.
Before you send: questions to ask the receiving body
- Do you accept a translation into Arabic only, or do you also need English?
- Is a stamped e-copy enough, or do you need paper?
- Must the original be attested by my embassy or consulate before translation?
- Do you need the whole document translated, or specific pages?
Translation is not attestation
People often mix these up. A certified translation renders the document’s content accurately into Arabic and carries our stamp and signature. Attestation is a step performed by official bodies, such as your embassy or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to confirm the original document or a signature on it. Some bodies require both, others only the translation. We provide the translation; attestation is done by the competent authorities, and the receiving body decides what it needs.
E-copy and printed copy
Every client receives:
- A stamped, signed PDF on WhatsApp, which you can upload to online platforms or send to your employer.
- A printed, stamped copy, collected from the branch or delivered within North Jeddah, including Obhur, with the delivery fee shown in your quote.
How to order
- Photograph the whole document clearly, every page and both sides.
- Add a copy of your passport and iqama.
- Tell us which authority the translation is for.
- Receive and approve the quote and timing.
- Receive the e-copy, then the printed copy.
WhatsApp is open 24/7 on +966569442222, and the branch at Office 8, 3rd Floor, 8153 Prince Sultan Road, Al Basatin receives visitors Sunday to Thursday, 10:00 to 16:00. See How to order and our translation for expats and workers in all languages service.
If the document is for your consulate, read our guide to consulates in Jeddah.
FAQ
Do you also translate from Arabic into Urdu?
Yes. We translate in both directions, to and from almost any language.
Does Bengali take longer?
Not necessarily. Short documents such as IDs and passport data pages are usually ready in about an hour. For longer documents, the timing is in your quote.
Will Saudi authorities accept your translation?
It is stamped, signed and double-checked, but acceptance is decided by the receiving authority alone, so check its requirements first.
My document is handwritten. Can you translate it?
Usually yes, if the handwriting is legible and the photo is clear. Send it and we will assess it before quoting.
Can I order from outside Jeddah?
Yes, on WhatsApp, and you will receive the e-copy. The printed copy is collected from the branch, as we do not send it outside Jeddah.
Note: Government requirements change, and the receiving authority decides which translations it accepts. This article is general guidance only.
Written by the Almadani Translation Team · Information last reviewed: October 2026