Saudi Ministry of Justice Launches Unified Translation Center on Taqadhi — What Expats Should Know

In a significant move for foreign residents and legal practitioners in Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has launched the Unified Translation Center on its electronic litigation platform, Taqadhi, as of August 2025. The new service centralizes all translation requests related to court cases — from submission to delivery — with the goal of speeding up judicial proceedings, improving translation quality, and increasing transparency for everyone involved, especially the expatriate community.

Why this matters for expats

Expatriates are often required to present documents, affidavits, contracts or evidence in legal disputes, administrative proceedings, or family court cases. Historically, arranging certified translations and integrating them into court files could slow down a case and create confusion about authenticity and status. The Unified Translation Center aims to simplify that process by:

• Allowing translation requests to be submitted directly through a case file on Taqadhi or by court departments.
• Automatically assigning requests to approved and certified translators vetted by the Ministry.
• Providing real-time tracking of each request so users — including expatriates and their lawyers — can follow progress step by step.

For expats who rely on timely, certified translations (for example, for residency, family law matters, employment disputes, or commercial litigation), this digital integration should mean fewer delays and clearer next steps.

How the system works — a practical overview

The Unified Translation Center is built into the Taqadhi electronic litigation workflow. In practice, the process looks like this:

1. Submit — Parties or court staff submit a translation request via the relevant case file in Taqadhi.
2. Assign — The system assigns the job to an approved translator registered with the MoJ’s translation service network.
3. Manage — Workflow and quality controls are applied automatically; the platform records each milestone.
4. Deliver & Track — The completed translation is uploaded to the case file and users can track delivery status and any revisions in real time.

This automation reduces manual handoffs, ensures translated documents become part of the official electronic case record, and helps courts and litigants keep a single authoritative copy of translations attached to each case.

Benefits for the expat community

The centralized translation service brings specific advantages for expatriates:

• Faster case progress: Reducing wait times for certified translations can move hearings and rulings forward more quickly.
• Trust and standardization: Using Ministry-approved translators reduces disputes over translation accuracy and consistency.
• Transparency: Expats and their representatives can monitor the status of translation requests within the same judicial platform they use for case updates.
• Accessibility: Digitally attached translations minimize the chance of lost or mismatched documents in multi-language cases.

What expats should prepare when requesting translations

To make the most of the new service, expatriates and their legal representatives should prepare the following before submitting a request:

• Clear digital copies of documents to be translated (scans or high-quality photos).
• Identification of the target language and any legal format requirements (for example, notarization or certification expectations).
• Contact details for the requesting party and the case number or case file reference in Taqadhi.
• Any context notes that help the translator (technical terms, names, or preferred transliterations).

While the platform assigns certified translators automatically, providing precise instructions and good source files reduces back-and-forth and speeds delivery.

Quality, transparency and Vision 2030

The Unified Translation Center is part of the Justice Ministry’s wider push to digitize and modernize judicial services, consistent with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 objectives to improve government efficiency and public service delivery. By integrating translation management into the official e-litigation workflow, the MoJ aims to raise standards across the board and make access to justice more inclusive for non-Arabic speakers.

For more information on the Ministry’s digital services, visit the Ministry of Justice website: moj.gov.sa. To learn more about national reform and Vision 2030 priorities, see vision2030.gov.sa.

How to monitor your translation request

Once a request is submitted, users can monitor each stage in Taqadhi. Typical status updates you can expect to see include:

• Request received
• Assigned to translator
• In translation / under review
• Completed and attached to case file

If there are delays or quality questions, the platform’s traceability features provide a clear audit trail to identify where a request is in the workflow and which registered translator handled the job.

What this means for legal representatives and service providers

Lawyers, translation agencies and legal consultants who work with expatriate clients should take these steps:

• Familiarize themselves with the Taqadhi workflow and how translation requests are submitted within a case.
• Ensure documents are uploaded in acceptable formats and with clear instructions.
• Communicate expected timelines to clients and use the platform’s status updates to manage client expectations.

Legal practitioners may also find it beneficial to register as approved translators or partner with translators who are part of the Ministry’s network to streamline client service.

Where to get help

If you need assistance, start with the Ministry of Justice’s online support and e-service pages. The Najiz platform and other official portals provide guidance for electronic judicial services and user support for e-litigations: najiz.sa (official judicial services portal).

For case-specific questions, your lawyer or the court’s administrative office can advise on required documentation and procedural next steps.

Looking ahead

The Unified Translation Center is an important modernization step that should reduce friction for expatriates involved in Saudi legal processes. By combining certified translation workflows with the Taqadhi platform, the Ministry of Justice is improving speed, consistency and transparency — key concerns for foreign residents navigating court cases in a non-native language.

As with any new government service, users should expect ongoing refinements. If you are an expatriate involved in a Saudi court case or advising clients, review the MoJ e-services and consider updating your document-handling practices to take full advantage of the new translation workflow.

For official news and service guides, check the Ministry of Justice: moj.gov.sa, and for national policy context see vision2030.gov.sa.

Note: This article focuses on practical implications for the expatriate community and is based on the Ministry of Justice’s August 2025 announcement about the Unified Translation Center within the Taqadhi platform.