Certified Translation Services

Certified translation

Certified translations for the Home Office, courts, universities and more

A certified translation is a translation someone has put their name to. The UK has no system of sworn translators, so certification here means a signed statement from the translator or the translation company confirming that the translation is true and accurate, with their details, so the organisation receiving it knows who did the work. We have made that process easy, and we have earned trusted-provider status for certified translation, in more than 350 languages.

Every week, numerous customers ask us to translate and certify their documents. Some need legal and immigration documents translated; others need marriage certificates and other personal documents. We take the work very seriously, because many of them depend on it to obtain citizenship or another legal status.

Who asks for a certified translation

• UK Visas and Immigration
• HM Passport Office
• Courts and tribunals
• Universities and colleges
• Register offices, when you give notice of marriage
• Professional bodies registering overseas qualifications
• Employers checking overseas qualifications
• Banks, solicitors and conveyancers

What a certified translation from us includes

Each certified translation carries a signed statement that it is a true and accurate translation of the original, dated and with the details of who translated it. That covers what UK Visas and Immigration asks for: confirmation that the translation is accurate, the date, the translator's full name and signature, and their contact details. Most other UK organisations accept the same.

The translation follows the layout of the original as closely as the language allows. Stamps, seals, signatures and handwritten notes are noted where they appear, so the reader can match the translation to the original page by page.

Details that hold applications up

Names. A name spelt one way on a birth certificate and another on a passport can delay an application for weeks. Send a copy of your passport with the documents, and names will be spelt to match it.

Dates. Iranian and Afghan documents use the Persian solar calendar, Ethiopian documents the Ethiopian calendar and Nepali documents Bikram Sambat. A careful translator gives the date as written and its equivalent in the Western calendar, so nobody at the other end has to work it out.

Missing pages. Send every page, including the back of certificates. An officer who sees a stamp on the original that is missing from the translation will ask why.

Certified, notarised or apostilled?

For almost every purpose in the UK, a certified translation is enough. Some authorities abroad want more. A notarised translation adds a notary public, who confirms the identity of the person certifying it; in England and Wales, notaries are regulated by the Faculty Office. An apostille from the FCDO Legalisation Office then confirms the notary's signature, so the document is recognised in the countries that signed the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. A few countries outside the Convention want embassy legalisation as well.

Ask the organisation that will receive the document which it needs before you order, and tell us when you order if the translation is going abroad.

How to order

1. Send your documents. A scan or a clear photo is fine. We accept documents in many formats, including JPG, PDF, GIF, TXT and Word.

2. Confirm the quote. You get the price and delivery date before we start.

3. Translation, checking and certification. A qualified translator translates the document into their own language, the translation is checked, and the certificate is signed.

4. Delivery. You receive the certified translation as a PDF by email, and on paper by post if the receiving organisation wants a hard copy.

Our process is very transparent: once you have placed your order, you have complete visibility of its progress.

Languages

We certify translations in more than 350 languages, including Polish, Romanian, Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, Bengali, Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese, Ukrainian, Turkish and Amharic. The full list is on our languages page.

Questions about certified translation

Will the Home Office accept your certified translations?

Yes. Our certified translations can be used for immigration applications, in the courts and by other official organisations.

Do you need my original document?

No. A clear scan or photo of every page is enough. Keep the original safe, because the organisation you are applying to may ask to see it alongside the translation.

Can I get it quickly?

Yes. If you have an appointment or a deadline coming up, our urgent translation service delivers certified translations on the same day.

Can you certify a translation for use abroad?

Yes. Tell us which country it is for, so the translation is prepared in the right form for any notarisation or apostille that follows. For contracts and court papers, see our legal translation service.