Hijri and Gregorian Dates in Official Translations

A lunar calendar

The Hijri (Islamic) year has 12 lunar months of 29 or 30 days, so it is about 11 days shorter than the Gregorian year. Hijri dates drift through the Gregorian seasons over the years.

Sighting versus calculation

Whether a month has 29 or 30 days may be decided by moon sighting or by a calculated calendar such as Saudi Arabia's Umm al-Qura calendar. Online converters use different methods, so two tools can give dates one day apart.

The consequence

A translator who "converts" a Hijri birth date may produce a Gregorian date that differs by a day from the one in the person's passport. The documents then no longer match, which is exactly what authorities check.

That is why the Gregorian equivalent should come from the document itself, or from another official document such as the passport, not from a converter.

Documents from Iran and Afghanistan usually use the Solar Hijri (Persian) calendar, marked هـ.ش, with Persian month names such as Farvardin. It is a different calendar from the lunar Hijri calendar (هـ) used in Arab countries, although both count from the same starting year. A Solar Hijri year of 1405 and a lunar Hijri year of 1448 can both fall in 2026. Confusing the two produces a date decades off. The translator must identify which calendar the document uses and name it in the translation.

Watch for 4, 5 and 6, which are written differently in Arabic and in Persian or Urdu. A ٥ (Arabic 5) looks like a small circle and is easily misread as a zero by someone unfamiliar with it, while ٠ (zero) is a dot.

• Reversed digits in mixed text. Arabic runs right to left but numbers run left to right. When software mixes the two, a date such as 14/11/2026 can display as 2026/11/14, or digits in a reference number can appear in the wrong order. Check the printed output, not just the file.
• Day-month order. The UAE writes day/month/year. A US-style date in a foreign document (month/day/year) must be read correctly before translating. Writing the month as a word removes the doubt.
• Decimal and thousands marks. Arabic uses ٫ as a decimal mark and ٬ to separate thousands. Misreading them can turn 1٫5 into 15. European documents often use a comma for decimals and a point for thousands.
• Month names. Gulf and Egyptian Arabic use يناير، فبراير for January and February; Levantine and Iraqi documents use كانون الثاني، شباط. Both must be recognised. كانون الأول is December, not January.
• Hijri month names. Rabi' al-Awwal and Rabi' al-Akhir, or Jumada al-Ula and Jumada al-Akhira, are easily swapped.
• Age thresholds. Because the Hijri year is shorter, an age counted in Hijri years is higher than the same age in Gregorian years. Where an age limit matters, rely on dates, not on a stated age.

Contracts, cheques, judgments and invoices often state amounts both in figures and in words (تفقيط). The translation should give both. If the figure and the words in the original do not match, the translator must not correct either one: translate them exactly as written and add a translator's note pointing out the discrepancy. Which one prevails is a legal question for the parties or the court, not for the translator.

1. Every date in the translation matches the original, in the same calendar.
2. Any added conversion is marked as a translator's note.
3. Dates of birth match the passport and the other documents in the set.
4. Every number has been checked digit by digit, including reference and ID numbers.
5. Amounts in figures and in words agree with the original, and discrepancies are noted.
6. The printed translation has been checked for reversed digits in mixed Arabic and English lines.

Mismatched dates cause the same problems as mismatched names; see our guide to name spelling mismatches between documents.

Not silently. Translate the date as the document states it. If a Gregorian equivalent is useful, it should come from the document or another official record and be marked as a translator's note, unless the receiving authority asks otherwise.

Months have 29 or 30 days depending on moon sighting or the calculated calendar used, such as Umm al-Qura. Different tools use different methods, so results can differ by a day.

The lunar Hijri calendar (هـ) is used in Arab countries. The Solar Hijri calendar (هـ.ش) is used in Iran and Afghanistan, with Persian month names. The years differ by decades, so the translator must identify the calendar.

The translator translates both exactly as written and adds a note about the discrepancy. Deciding which one prevails is a legal matter, not a translation one.

Documents with Arabic-Indic digits are common. In the translation, digits are usually given in the form used in the target language, checked one by one against the original. Follow any instruction from the receiving authority.

Dates do not change the price. Arabic⇄English legal translation is AED 60 per 200-word page (excl. VAT), with same-day delivery available.

Our legal translators check every date, number and amount against the original, identify the calendar used, and flag discrepancies instead of guessing. See legal translation in the UAE and certified translation in Dubai.

This article is general guidance on the language side of events and documents. It is not legal advice. Platform features, venue rules and authority requirements change; confirm current requirements with the venue, the platform provider or the authority concerned.

Send us a scan of the document and tell us which authority it is for. Smart World Legal Translation – Sole Proprietorship L.L.C. (SWLT) is a UAE Ministry of Justice-licensed legal translation company in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, led by Dr. Hani Elimam. Our federal accreditation is accepted across the UAE, including by Dubai Courts, and we hold exclusive interpretation contracts with the UAE Federal Courts and the Federal Public Prosecution. Arabic⇄English legal translation is AED 60 per 200-word page (excl. VAT), with same-day delivery available. Send us the details on WhatsApp (+971 50 864 8439), email info@swlt.ae, or use our contact page.