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İleri Tercüme

Kyrgyz Translation

Kyrgyz documents present a different picture from Kazakh ones: with no alphabet transition, documents are consistently issued in Cyrillic. Russian, on the other hand, is present on almost every one.

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Short answer

Kyrgyzstan has been a party to the Hague Apostille Convention since 31 July 2011, so the apostille chain is valid. Documents are issued in Cyrillic and usually bilingually in Kyrgyz and Russian; because there has been no alphabet transition, older and newer documents share one writing system.

Alphabet
Cyrillic, 36 letters; no transition
Second language
Russian, an official language by constitution
Name structure
-ov/-ova or uulu/kyzy
Apostille
Kyrgyzstan is a party (since 2011)

Writing system

Нотариалдык күбөлөндүрүлгөн котормо

Notarialdyk kübölöndürülgön kotormo

A notarised translation

Kyrgyz Cyrillic has 36 letters: the 33 of Russian plus ң, ө and ү. Only three of the nine extra letters found in Kazakh Cyrillic appear in Kyrgyz; the two alphabets are related but not identical.

No alphabet transition

Several Central Asian countries have moved, or are moving, to the Latin alphabet. Kyrgyzstan has not; official documents are issued in Cyrillic, continuously from the Soviet period to today.

For translation that is a convenience: a birth certificate issued in 1970 and a diploma issued today use the same writing system. The "which alphabet" question that arises with Kazakh and Turkmen documents does not arise here.

Alphabet status across Central Asia
CountryCurrent alphabetTransition
KyrgyzstanCyrillicNone
KazakhstanCyrillic, moving to LatinYes, in stages
TurkmenistanLatinMade in 1993, revised in 1999
AzerbaijanLatinMade in 1991
Alphabet status across Central Asia

The place of Russian on documents

Russian holds official status in Kyrgyzstan by constitution, and most official documents are issued bilingually, with the same information in Kyrgyz and Russian side by side. Some documents are issued in Russian alone.

As to which text governs in a bilingual document: the state language is Kyrgyz and the Kyrgyz section is the original. Where the two sections differ in name spelling or institution name, we state it in the translation.

Two naming traditions

Names in Kyrgyzstan may be written with Soviet-era Russian suffixes or in the Kyrgyz pattern. The Kyrgyz pattern adds a word meaning "son of" or "daughter of" to the father's name, written as a separate word.

Two naming traditions
TraditionMaleFemale
Soviet patternAsanovAsanova
Kyrgyz patternAsan uuluAsan kyzy
Without suffixAsanovAsanov
Two naming traditions

The Kazakh page describes two traditions too, but the endings differ: Kazakh writes -ұлы and -қызы attached to the word, while Kyrgyz keeps uulu and kyzy as separate words. That distinction directly affects how many parts a Turkish institution counts in the name.

letters in Kyrgyz Cyrillic
36letters in Kyrgyz Cyrillic
letters absent from Russian: ң ө ү
3letters absent from Russian: ң ө ү
the year the apostille entered into force
2011the year the apostille entered into force

Kyrgyz documents and how we render them

Frequently seen documents
DocumentWhat it isOur approach
Туулгандыгы жөнүндө күбөлүкBirth certificateMay be bilingual; which section governs is stated
ПаспортIdentity document and passportThe internal and international passports are separate
Диплом / ТиркемеDiploma and supplementTwo separate documents
Эмгек китепчесиEmployment record bookUsed to calculate length of service; every page is translated
МаалымкатAn official letter issued by an institutionWhat it attests is explained in the heading
Frequently seen documents

Frequently asked questions

My document is entirely in Russian. Do I need a Kyrgyz translator?

No. If the document is only in Russian, a translator with a Russian oath record is sufficient. If it is bilingual, the Kyrgyz section is treated as the original and a Kyrgyz oath record is required. Send one page and we will determine which it is.

Kyrgyz resembles Turkish. Does the document still have to be translated?

For an official procedure it does. Both belong to the Turkic family, but Kyrgyz is in the Kipchak group and stands noticeably further from Turkish than Azerbaijani does, and the alphabet differs. The institution also requires a text signed by a sworn translator.

My name contains "uulu". Is that my surname?

No. "Uulu" is a word meaning "son of" and is used with the father's name. Because a Turkish registration system can take it for a separate surname, the translation states explicitly which element is the given name and which the patronymic.

Is an apostille enough for a document going to Kyrgyzstan?

Yes. Kyrgyzstan has been a party to the Hague Apostille Convention since 2011, so sworn translation, notarisation and an apostille are valid; consular legalisation is not required.

Where do I get an apostille for a Soviet-era document?

From whichever country the city of issue lies in today. For a document issued in Frunze, now Bishkek, the Kyrgyz authorities are competent. Where the document carries an older place name, we note today's equivalent in brackets.

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