Certified Translation for a UK Visa Application

If you are applying for a UK visa, settlement, or citizenship, any document that is not in English or Welsh must be accompanied by a full certified translation. This is a strict requirement of UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).

A machine translation (such as Google Translate) or a translation done by yourself is not accepted. The Home Office can refuse an application if the translation does not meet their standards — which often means losing your application fee and waiting weeks to reapply.

In the UK, a certified translation must include a signed statement from the translator or translation company confirming that it is an accurate translation of the original document. Specifically, UKVI requires the translation to contain:

The exact list depends on your visa type, but the most commonly requested documents include:

The most frequent reasons translated documents are rejected are: missing certification statement, partial translation (only translating part of a document), and mismatched names or dates. Always translate the document in full — including stamps, seals and signatures — and double-check that names match your passport exactly.