Document translation in Ivano-Frankivsk: when the name on the paper is no longer the name today
There is a problem people in Ivano-Frankivsk meet more often than elsewhere, and almost nobody names it out loud. The city’s leading university was renamed in 2025: today it is Vasyl Stefanyk Carpathian National University, while diplomas issued earlier say "Precarpathian". Same degree, same paper, different name.
That document then reaches someone who checks the university’s name online and sees a mismatch. This page is about what a translator does with that mismatch, what they are not allowed to do, and what you can prepare in advance. Etalon has no office in Ivano-Frankivsk.
- A translator reproduces the name as it stands on the document and never substitutes today’s name
- A 2024 diploma and a 2026 diploma name two different universities for the same degree — this is not an error
- The mismatch is resolved by a renaming certificate from the university, not by editing the translation
- One form from UAH 150; notarisation of the translator’s signature brings it to UAH 250
Our two other Ivano-Frankivsk pages look outward: one covers the apostille and the regional justice office, the other the Canadian corridor. This one is about what is on your desk right now — paper bearing a name that no longer exists.
What a translator may write, and what they may not
The rule is short and not open to negotiation: the translation says what the document says. If the diploma reads "Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University", the translation reads exactly that, even though the university has gone by a different name for three years. A translator does not update names, does not correct obsolete designations and does not insert explanations into the body of the text — otherwise the translation stops matching the original, and it is that match which the notary certifies.
Hence a conclusion that surprises most document owners: the gap between the paper and today’s name is not fixed by translation. It is closed by a separate document from the university itself — a renaming certificate — and you request that from the university, not from a translation agency.
| What the paper says | What the translation says | What we prepare separately |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-2025 university name | The same, word for word | The university’s renaming certificate — you request it, we translate it |
| Today’s university name | The same, word for word | Nothing extra is needed |
| An authority that no longer exists | The same, word for word | An archival certificate, if the recipient asks for proof |
| A former street name in the address | The same, word for word | Usually nothing: recipients do not verify the issuing address |
Two Frankivsk universities, two different cases
Vasyl Stefanyk Carpathian National University is a classical university, ranked 7th among 239 Ukrainian universities in the 2023 consolidated rating and 5th among classical ones. Its diploma is the one that most often carries the old name, simply because graduates from before 2025 vastly outnumber those after.
Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University is a separate institution and its name has not changed. A medical diploma raises a different question: it comes with a supplement listing subjects and hours, and that supplement is translated in full, every row of the table included. We do not state how many international students need this: we have no verified figure, and we will not publish an unverified one.
Where a finished translation goes in Frankivsk
There are two frequent recipients here and they want different things. A university admissions office reads the translation alongside the original and checks whether subject names and hour counts line up — which makes the supplement more important than the diploma itself. A notary, by contrast, does not check names at all: they certify the translator’s signature rather than the content, so only completeness matters to them.
The administrative service centre at 9 Nezalezhnosti Street is a third address, with one feature worth knowing in advance: it does not issue the criminal-record certificate. If that is what you need, the route is different, and our page about the apostille in this city describes it.
And if the institution on the document no longer exists
A renamed university is the most visible case but not the only one. Civil-registry offices have merged and changed names, district administrations have been resubordinated, and some bodies ceased to exist along with the former administrative division. The paper kept whichever name applied on the day it was issued.
For filing this is not an obstacle. The nearest civil-registry office, a notary or a state archive can take the application for a Ministry of Justice document, and it makes no difference to them which institution once drew up your paper or whether it still operates under that name. In other words, a trip to "the same" institution is unnecessary even when it is still there.
Working without an office: what changes and what does not
We have no premises in the city, and for translation that changes almost nothing — scans arrive via Telegram, Viber or WhatsApp, and the finished paper goes by Nova Poshta to any branch or parcel locker in Ivano-Frankivsk.
It changes one thing, and we say it plainly: the time buffer. If your filing date at the university is already set, tell us — we count the post’s round trip backwards from it and say immediately whether a buffer remains. If it does not, you hear that at the start, not the day before.
How we work
- 1Tell us what the document saysThe old or the new university name. It decides whether a renaming certificate is needed.
- 2Send a scan of the whole sheetDiploma and supplement, both sides. The supplement is translated in full, every row.
- 3Name the recipient and the dateAdmissions office, notary or a foreign authority — each has its own completeness rules.
- 4Receive the paper by Nova PoshtaTo any branch or locker in the city. We count the round trip in advance.
Prices
- One form bearing a former institution name up to one pagefrom UAH 150
- The same with the signature notarised the notary’s work includedfrom UAH 250
- Diploma together with its supplement by the supplement’s volumequoted
- Apostille on a Ukrainian document needed by a foreign recipient, not a Frankivsk onefrom UAH 950
A short form is priced per document; a diploma with its supplement is priced by volume, because a supplement is rarely a single page. A renaming certificate is a separate document and is priced separately. If part of your set turns out not to need translating, we will say so.
FAQ
My diploma carries the old university name. Will the translator correct it?
No, and it is not a matter of preference. The translation says what the original says: if the paper reads "Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University", so does the translation. A notary certifies that the translation matches the original, so any "updating" of the name would invalidate the document.
How do I then explain the name difference to the recipient?
With a separate document from the university — a renaming certificate. You request it from the university; we translate it and, if needed, submit it for certification together with the diploma. This is routine rather than exceptional: the university was renamed in 2025, so most diplomas in circulation carry the earlier name.
What exactly has to be translated in a diploma?
The diploma and its supplement in full. The supplement is a table of subjects, hours and grades, and an admissions office checks precisely that, row by row. This is why we ask for scans of every page of the supplement, not just the first.
The authority that issued my document was renamed or dissolved. What now?
For filing, nothing special. A Ministry of Justice paper can be submitted at whichever registry desk, notary or archive is closest to you, and whether the issuing body still exists changes none of that. In the translation its name stays as it appears on the paper; if the recipient wants confirmation, an archival certificate provides it.
How much does document translation cost in Ivano-Frankivsk?
A short form costs from UAH 150 per document, or from UAH 250 with the translator’s signature notarised. A diploma with its supplement is priced by the supplement’s volume. A quote costs nothing: drop the scans into a messenger and you will hear the figure before we start work.
You have no office in the city. How does this work?
You send scans via Telegram, Viber or WhatsApp, and we post the finished paper by Nova Poshta to any branch or parcel locker in Ivano-Frankivsk. If your filing date is already known, tell us: we count the post’s round trip backwards and warn you if no buffer remains.
Updated: 2026-10-13
