Visa Document Translation and Copies

Three different things get confused when people prepare visa documents: a translation, a certified copy, and an apostille. They are not the same, they are not interchangeable, and each is asked for in a different situation. This guide follows GOV.UK’s published rules for all three, and flags what it does not publish. Based on GOV.UK guidance retrieved 2026-09-28.

Three jobs, not one

A translation makes a document that is not in English or Welsh readable to the decision maker. A certified copy is a photocopy that a professional has signed to confirm it matches an original they have seen. Legalisation, usually as an apostille, is a stamped official certificate attached by the Legalisation Office so that an official in another country accepts a UK document. Being asked for a certified copy does not mean you need an apostille, and a plain photocopy is never a certified copy.

A translation: the four things it must contain

If you submit a document that is not in English or Welsh, it must be accompanied by a full translation that can be independently verified by the Home Office. Each translation must contain:

• confirmation from the translator that it is an accurate translation of the original document;
• the date of translation;
• the translator’s full name and signature;
• the translator’s contact details.

The phrase to notice is independently verified: the Home Office must be able to check the translation with the person who made it, which is why contact details are one of the four required elements rather than an optional extra.

A certified copy: what can be certified

GOV.UK’s certification page lists the kinds of copy that are commonly certified:

• passports;
• photocard driving licences;
• letters from a government department;
• bank, building society or credit card statements;
• gas, electricity or council tax bills;
• letters from a hospital or doctor.

Who can certify a document

The person must be a professional or someone well respected in the community, described in the guidance as ‘of good standing’, and they must offer the service. The published list is a bank or building society official, a councillor, a minister of religion, a dentist, a chartered accountant, a solicitor or notary, or a teacher or lecturer.

Who must not certify

The person you ask should not be related to you, should not be living at the same address, and should not be in a relationship with you. That rules out the convenient option of asking a family member. GOV.UK also says to check with the organisation that needs the certified copy, because it may have its own rules about who is acceptable.

The exact wording of the certification

Take the photocopy and the original to the certifier, and ask them to certify the copy by:

• writing ‘Certified to be a true copy of the original seen by me’ on the document;
• signing and dating it;
• printing their name under the signature;
• adding their occupation, address and telephone number.

The certifier may charge you a fee for this.

Certifying a translation

If a translation of a document not written in English or Welsh needs to be certified, the translator confirms in writing on the translation that it is a ‘true and accurate translation of the original document’, gives the date of the translation, and gives their full name and contact details.

Legalisation: when an apostille is needed

You use the Legalisation Office when an official in another country has asked for a UK document and said it must be legalised. The office checks the document and sees whether its signatures, stamps or seals match their records; if they do, it attaches an apostille, a stamped official certificate. Documents issued outside the UK cannot be legalised through this service — they are legalised in the country that issued them.

Documents that can be legalised include ones issued by a court and sealed with a wet ink court seal, a public registry such as a birth, marriage or death certificate or a company certificate from Companies House, a government department and signed by an official, or a registered doctor such as a signed medical certificate. Other documents can be legalised if they have been certified by a UK public official such as a UK notary or solicitor — a power of attorney, a contract or a qualification certificate, or a copy of a passport or driving licence.

Paper apostille or e-Apostille

There are two types. A paper-based apostille means sending your documents by post, or submitting them in person if you are a registered business. An e-Apostille means uploading your documents as PDF files that have been electronically signed by a UK notary or solicitor. Both are applied for online and you can choose, but you may need a paper-based apostille if the person asking wants one, or if the type of document is not eligible for an e-Apostille.

Documents that cannot get an e-Apostille

You cannot get an e-Apostille for birth, death, marriage, civil partnership and adoption certificates or any other document from the General Register Office; ACRO police certificates for England and Wales; Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificates for England and Wales; disclosure certificates for Scotland and Northern Ireland; fingerprint certificates; or membership certificates for the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).

What it costs

The fee is per document, and if your document cannot be legalised you are not refunded.

Returning paper documents adds courier costs per 1.5kg: £6 within the UK including the British Forces Post Office, £32 for European countries excluding a listed set, and £42 for the rest of the world. Legalised documents currently cannot be returned to Russia, Ukraine or Belarus.

What GOV.UK does not publish

GOV.UK does not publish a general list of which visa applications require a certified copy. Its certification page is about certifying a document for organisations such as a bank or mortgage provider, so the requirement to provide a certified copy is not published as a visa rule, and is not asserted here — confirm it case by case with the guidance for the visa you are applying for, and with whoever is asking for the document.

Related guides

Gather the papers first with the UK visa documents checklist, then check a similar list for the Schengen visa documents, the US visa documents or the Australia visa documents. Scan and upload the finished set with the document scanner and document photo preflight; if a file is turned down see rejected — next steps, and for what a camera records in a file see image metadata.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: GOV.UK, “Visiting the UK: guide to supporting documents” (gov.uk/government/publications/visitor-visa-guide-to-supporting-documents); GOV.UK, “Certifying a document” (gov.uk/certifying-a-document); GOV.UK, “Get your document legalised” (gov.uk/get-document-legalised), all retrieved 2026-09-28. Rules change, so confirm the current guidance before you apply.