Tex. Property Code § 11.002
This is the official text of Tex. Property Code § 11.002, part of Texas’s Property Code — governs real property, landlord-tenant law, and property transactions.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
§ 11.002. ENGLISH LANGUAGE.
Official statutory text
(a) An instrument relating to real or personal property may not be recorded unless it is in English or complies with this section.
(b) An authenticated instrument not in English that was executed before August 22, 1897, may be recorded and operate as constructive notice from the date of filing if:
(1) a correct English translation is recorded with the original instrument; and
(2) the accuracy of the translation is sworn to before an officer authorized to administer oaths.
(c) An instrument acknowledged outside the United States or its territories in accordance with Section 121.001(c)(3), Civil Practice and Remedies Code, that contains a certificate, stamp, or seal of a notary public or other official before whom the acknowledgment was taken or an apostille relating to the acknowledgment, any portion of which is not in English, may be recorded and operate as constructive notice from the date of filing if:
(1) a correct English translation of any non-English portion of the certificate, stamp, seal, or apostille is recorded with the original instrument;
(2) the accuracy of the translation is sworn to before an officer authorized to administer oaths; and
(3) any apostille relating to the acknowledgment complies with the Hague Convention dated October 5, 1961, titled Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents.
(b) An authenticated instrument not in English that was executed before August 22, 1897, may be recorded and operate as constructive notice from the date of filing if:
(1) a correct English translation is recorded with the original instrument; and
(2) the accuracy of the translation is sworn to before an officer authorized to administer oaths.
(c) An instrument acknowledged outside the United States or its territories in accordance with Section 121.001(c)(3), Civil Practice and Remedies Code, that contains a certificate, stamp, or seal of a notary public or other official before whom the acknowledgment was taken or an apostille relating to the acknowledgment, any portion of which is not in English, may be recorded and operate as constructive notice from the date of filing if:
(1) a correct English translation of any non-English portion of the certificate, stamp, seal, or apostille is recorded with the original instrument;
(2) the accuracy of the translation is sworn to before an officer authorized to administer oaths; and
(3) any apostille relating to the acknowledgment complies with the Hague Convention dated October 5, 1961, titled Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Dealing with a real estate matter in Texas?
See all Texas Real Estate lawyers
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.