Irish Visa Translation Requirements, in ISD's Own Words

Irish visa pages contain one of the most specific translation rules in Europe, and one of the least understood. Most people know their documents need translating. Far fewer notice the sentence that says where the translation was made matters as much as who made it. This guide sets out what Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) actually says on its visa pages, in its own words, and what that means in practice for your translations. If you order your visa translation from us, the location question is already answered: it is certified and signed in the EU, inside the EEA.

A word on scope: this is an explainer, not legal advice, and the visa officer decides each application on its merits. If your case is complicated, an Irish immigration solicitor can advise on your specific file.

Rule 1: a full translation with four elements

Every ISD visa page we checked starts from the same baseline. On the page for joining a non-EEA family member, for example:

The page then lists four items:

The visit visa page phrases it as "a full and certified translation into the English or Irish language of any documents not in English or Irish" and links to ISD's general guidance on how to make a certified translation. "Full" is meant literally: stamps, seals, handwritten notes and the back of the document all count.

Rule 2: originals and hard copies

ISD's visa pages expect paper. The visit visa page is explicit:

It also warns against USB sticks, memory cards and file-sharing links, and says "We do not accept photocopies (except where stated)." Each page tells you to "Send us both the original documents and the certified translations." In practice, a translation emailed to you as a PDF is not enough on its own for a visa application. You need the signed translation on paper.

ISD returns certain originals. The joining an EEA national page says original documents "such as marriage, birth or death certificates or original translations etc. will be returned to you" after an appeal, while documents such as bank statements are kept. Keep your own copies of everything you send.

Rule 3: non-EEA documents must be apostilled or attested

Before any translation question, ISD looks at the source document itself:

So an Indian, Pakistani, Nigerian, Brazilian or Chinese birth or marriage certificate needs an apostille or attestation from the issuing country before it goes into an Irish visa file. This is separate from, and comes before, the translation. For documents from Hague Convention countries, we can arrange apostille certification of the source document.

Rule 4: where the translation was made

This is the sentence most people miss. It follows immediately after the source document rule:

And then:

The same wording appears on the marriage visa, visit family or friend visa, join a non-EEA family member and join an EEA or Swiss national pages. A visa translation we certify and sign in the EU sits on the right side of that line, so it needs no attestation of its own. The rule turns on where the translation was done, not on the language, the translator's nationality or where the applicant lives. Two consequences follow:

This rule appears on ISD's visa pages. ISD's general page on certified translations, which the citizenship and residence guidance points to, does not repeat it. If you are unsure which rules apply to a non-visa application, ask ISD directly.

The practical wrinkle

ISD's wording names the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country of translation, and the authority that issues apostilles differs from country to country. That wrinkle only matters for a translation made outside the EEA or Switzerland, where an apostille from a body other than the foreign ministry could raise a question with the visa office. When we prepare your visa translation, it is certified and signed inside the EEA, so the question does not arise: ISD does not need that translation attested or apostilled.

Rule 5: EEA documents and the multilingual form

The picture is much simpler for civil documents from the EEA or Switzerland. ISD says they "do not require to be attested as genuine from Member States", and:

If no MSF is provided, the documents must be translated into English or Irish. ISD also accepts "the Extract of a European marriage certificate, issued in accordance with the Convention on the issue of multilingual extracts from civil status records" as proof of a marriage within the EEA or Switzerland. See the EU multilingual forms guide for which documents qualify.

Putting it together

For a typical visa file, the order of work is:

How we can help, honestly

We do not claim that any translation is automatically accepted for a visa, because the visa officer decides. Irish visa applications are a core part of our immigration work, and the service is simple: a certified translation, no apostille needed on our translation, and a hard copy by tracked post. For your visa file, the translation is certified and signed in the EU, inside the EEA, so ISD does not need it attested or apostilled. It contains every element ISD lists, and because visa documents must be sent on paper, you add a signed hard copy by tracked post at checkout. If your original certificate was issued outside the EEA or Switzerland, it may still need an apostille or legalisation from the issuing country, and for Hague Convention countries we can arrange apostille certification of that source document. You can start your order online or get a quote first.

A visa translation costs the same as one for citizenship, residence or any other use: €29.95 per page (300 words), with the tracked hard copy added at checkout. See our birth certificate, marriage certificate and police certificate pages for document-specific details.