A downloaded PDF from a perfectly good bank can sink a spouse visa without a single translation error. Appendix FM-SE accepts electronic statements only if they come with "a letter from the bank on its headed stationery confirming that the documents are authentic" or "bear the official stamp of the issuing bank on every page."
That is why bank statement translation for a UK visa is exacting work. The caseworker tests names, dates, balances and periods against the rules, and reads all of them in your translation. A dropped page, a reordered date or a balance converted into pounds can look like missing money.
Below: the translation rule, each route's statement rules, what to translate, and why applications fail.
Do bank statements need a certified translation for a UK visa?
Yes, if any part of them is not in English or Welsh. Under paragraph 39B(f), you must provide "the version in the original language and a full translation that can be independently verified". The translation must be dated and include:
- Confirmation that it is an accurate translation of the original.
- The full name and signature of the translator or an authorised official of the translation company.
- The translator's or company's contact details.
- For leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain (applications made in the UK), certification by a qualified translator and details of the translator's or company's credentials.
Appendix FM-SE paragraph 1(j) repeats it for partner visas, and the visitor guide asks for the same core details. "Full" means every page you submit, every line on it, not a summary of balances. The Home Office approves no translators; see what a certified translation is.
Which rules apply to your bank statements?
Each route sets its own rules:
| Route | What the statements must prove | Time rule | Whose account |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spouse or partner (Appendix FM, FM-SE) | Salary paid in, matching payslips; or cash savings held for 6 months | Latest evidence dated no earlier than 28 days before applying (FM-SE 1(l)) | Applicant, partner or both |
| Student (Appendix Student, Appendix Finance) | Outstanding course fees plus £1,529 a month in London or £1,171 elsewhere, up to 9 months | Held 28 days in a row, latest evidence within 31 days of applying | Applicant, a parent or legal guardian with consent, or a partner |
| Skilled Worker (Appendix Skilled Worker) | £1,270, unless an A-rated sponsor certifies maintenance | Held 28 days, as Appendix Finance | Applicant, or a partner applying at the same time |
| Visitor (Appendix Visitor) | "Sufficient funds" for the whole visit | No fixed period | Applicant, or a sponsor under V 4.3 |
The student figures apply to applications made on or after 11 November 2025, when Statement of Changes HC 1333 raised them from £1,483 and £1,136. The partner route threshold remains a gross annual income of £29,000. See also our spouse visa checklist, student visa guide and visitor visa guide.
What does a spouse visa require of foreign bank statements?
Format first. Under FM-SE paragraph 1(a)(v), statements must be on official bank stationery, or electronic statements backed by a bank letter or the bank's stamp on every page. Paragraph 1(aa) also accepts a bank letter on headed stationery showing the account number, its date, the bank's name and logo, and the same transaction, balance and period information.
Then the source of the money:
- Salary earned abroad. A partner returning to the UK with the applicant can rely on overseas employment. Paragraph 3 asks for "a reasonable equivalent" of UK evidence: payslips, an employer's letter and personal bank statements for the same period showing the salary paid in. Home Office guidance adds a confirmed UK job offer starting within 3 months of return.
- Cash savings. Paragraph 11 requires statements showing the savings "held in an account(s) in the name of the person or of the person and their partner jointly throughout the period of 6 months prior to the date of application", plus a declaration of their source. The first £16,000 does not count and the rest is divided by 2.5, so savings alone must reach £88,500.
- Rent from property abroad. Paragraph 10(a) wants proof of ownership (title deeds, a title register "or overseas equivalent", or a mortgage statement), 12 months of statements showing the rent paid in, and the rental agreement, each translated.
Foreign currency is converted at the OANDA spot rate for the date of application (FM-SE 1(f)), and Home Office guidance says earlier exchange rate fluctuations are disregarded. Iranian rials, Syrian pounds and Mongolian tugrik use the FCDO consular rate instead. If one statement in a series is missing, paragraph D(b) lets the caseworker ask for it, but does not oblige them to.
How does the 28-day rule work for students and Skilled Workers?
The funds must stay at or above the required level on every day of a 28-day period. Appendix Finance fixes the dates: the period is counted "back from the date of the closing balance on the most recently dated piece of financial evidence" (FIN 7.2), the evidence must cover the whole period (FIN 7.3), and the latest piece must be "dated within 31 days before the date of application" (FIN 7.1). GOV.UK's example: applying on 1 January, you can show the 28 days ending on 1 December.
Student guidance accepts bank statements, "paper or electronic downloads", building society passbooks, certificates of deposit and letters from the bank, showing your name, the bank's name and the money in the account. The other limits:
- Parents' money: an account in a parent's or legal guardian's name needs proof of the relationship, usually a birth certificate, and their written consent (FIN 5.3).
- Not counted: overdrafts, cryptocurrency, stocks and shares, and accounts at banks that are unregulated, do not use electronic record keeping, or cannot be verified (FIN 2.1).
- Differential evidence: nationals of listed countries, including China, Japan and the USA, need not upload financial evidence but may be asked for it, so keep translations ready.
Skilled Worker funds of £1,270 follow the same rules, unless your employer completes the "sponsor certifies maintenance" section of your certificate of sponsorship.
What must a bank statement translation show?
The whole document, laid out so the caseworker can match it line by line:
- The bank: name, logo text, branch, address and contact details, which paragraph 39B(e) needs for verification.
- The account: holder's name exactly as printed, account number or IBAN, account type and currency.
- The period: statement dates and issue date.
- Every transaction: date, description, debit, credit and running balance, in the original order, with opening and closing balances.
- Column headers translated literally. If the bank labels a column "debit", so does the translation.
- Figures exactly as printed, in the original currency. The decision-maker converts; the translator never does.
- Every stamp, signature and seal, on every page where it appears. For a spouse visa, that stamp is what makes an electronic statement acceptable.
- QR codes, verification codes and electronic signatures, described, and footers translated in full.
Why bank statement evidence gets refused or delayed
- The latest statement is too old: more than 28 days before the date of application for a spouse visa, or more than 31 days under Appendix Finance.
- One day below the line: the balance dipped under the required amount inside the 28-day period.
- An unstamped download: an electronic statement for a partner visa with no bank stamp on each page and no bank letter.
- The wrong name: a student relying on an uncle's account, or a partner's savings in a joint account with a parent.
- Parents' funds without the birth certificate and consent letter.
- A gap: one month's statement missing from a six-month series.
- Recently moved savings without the paragraph 11A evidence for transfers from investments or property sales.
- A translation that converts currency, summarises transactions or reorders dates.
- For visitors, statements more than a year old or credit card statements, both on the guide's list of "documents you should not use as evidence". The guide asks for statements "which detail the origin of the funds held", so explain any large recent deposit.
Mortgage lenders set their own rules; see foreign income documents for mortgages.
Checklist: bank statements for a UK visa
Questions people ask
Do I need to translate every page and every transaction?
Yes. Paragraph 39B(f) requires a full translation of each document you submit, so every page and line of the statements you upload must be translated. You can limit the cost by submitting only the statements that cover the period your route requires.
Should the translation convert the money into pounds?
No. Appendix Finance tells the decision-maker to convert foreign currency at the OANDA spot rate for the date of application, or the FCDO consular rate for a few currencies. A translator's conversion would use a different rate on a different day.
My statement is in English but the bank's stamp is not. Do I need a translation?
Yes, of every part that is not in English, including stamps, seals and footers. For electronic statements on a partner visa, the stamp is part of the evidence, so the caseworker needs to read it.
Can I submit downloaded or online bank statements?
For students, yes: GOV.UK accepts paper statements or electronic downloads. For partner visas, an electronic statement must come with a letter from the bank on headed stationery confirming it is authentic, or carry the bank's official stamp on every page.
Does a bank statement translation need to be notarised or done by an approved translator?
No. The Home Office has no approved translator list and does not ask for notarisation. It asks for a dated translation with confirmation of accuracy, the translator's full name, signature and contact details, plus credentials for applications made in the UK. On Official Translations' certificates, those credentials are its membership of the Association of Translation Companies (ATC).
How recent must my bank statements be?
For a spouse or partner visa, the most recent evidence must be dated no earlier than 28 days before the date of application. For students and Skilled Workers, it must be dated within 31 days of applying and show funds held for 28 days in a row.
What happens if the Home Office refuses the translation?
If the UK authority the translation was certified for refuses it on grounds of accuracy, completeness or certification, Official Translations corrects and reissues it free, normally within 24 hours of receiving the refusal. If a corrected translation cannot resolve a refusal caused by the translation, the translation fee is refunded. The guarantee does not cover the outcome of the application or a refusal of the statements themselves.
How much does a bank statement translation cost, and how long does it take?
Official Translations charges £29.95 per page, a page being up to 300 words of the original, so a dense statement page can count as more than one page. Most single-page documents arrive as a signed PDF within 24 hours, and longer sets take 1 to 3 business days.
