Documents and Translation Issues: Are Notary and Apostille Necessary? 📑 | DSU Toscana

One of the most confusing points for students applying for DSU Toscana scholarships and accommodation in Italy is how to translate documents. "Is translation alone sufficient for social security statements, bank statements, and lease agreements, or do they absolutely require notarization and apostille?" is a question that comes up in almost every student group.

In this article, we explain in detail the most common document-related problems and solutions.

Which Documents Are Required?

The following documents are generally requested during the application:

• Social Security Institution service statement / income document

• Bank statements (annual average balance + year-end balance)

• Lease contract (for students living in rented accommodation)

• Tax certificate / income documents (according to family income status)

• Pension statement (for retired families)

• A certified copy of the civil registration record → An official document showing the family members and their marital status. The number of family members is especially important when calculating scholarships.

  
  

Situations Where Translation Is Sufficient

For some documents, only a sworn translator's translation may be sufficient.

• Only translation is acceptable unless the university or DSU office explicitly requests “notarization + apostille”.

• Especially for standard documents such as the Social Security Institution service statement, sometimes translation alone is sufficient.

👉 However, this may vary from university to university and region to region .

Documents Requiring Notary + Apostille

According to most students, the safest way is to submit documents with both notarization and apostille certification .

• Bank account statements → usually notary + apostille is required.

• Lease contract → the document that causes the most problems; translation alone may not be sufficient.

• Pension statement → Since it is a regular income document, notary + apostille is often required.

👉 An apostille ensures your documents are valid abroad. It can be easily obtained from district governorships or provincial governorships in Turkey.

The Most Common Mistakes Students Make

• Just getting a translation and forgetting to add a notary and apostille

• Submitting documents with incomplete dates (e.g., only a mid-year statement)

• Acting with the logic of "they accepted it last year" without receiving clear information from the university

• Having the translation done by a simple translation office instead of a sworn translator

  
  

Solution Suggestions ✅

• Always check the official band call sheet. It's clearly stated there.

• If you are not sure → presenting it with a notary + apostille is the safest way.

• Make sure to have your documents translated by a sworn translator.

• Try to get written confirmation from your university's international office.

• Start the process at least 2-3 weeks in advance when preparing the documents.

  
  

The clear answer to the question, "Is a translation sufficient, or is a notary and apostille required?" is: It depends on the official summons. However, if you prefer not to take risks, have all your documents prepared with a notarized translation and apostille certification . This way, you can minimize the risk of encountering problems due to missing documents during your application.