A translation of a marriage certificate arrives with one line at the bottom: "I certify that this is a true translation," signed "Anna". The translation may be flawless. The certificate still fails three of the Home Office's requirements: it has no date, no full name and no contact details.
Paragraph 39B(f) of the Immigration Rules is short, and every element can be checked at a glance. Below, it becomes a field-by-field specification, with sample wording, signatures and PDFs, and what UK courts add.
What must a certified translation statement include?
Paragraph 39B(f) says the translation "must be dated and include" four things, the last only for applications made in the UK. Appendix FM-SE paragraph 1(j) repeats it for family routes. Here is what each element means on the page:
| Element | The rule's words | What to write |
|---|---|---|
| Date | "must be dated" | The date of the translation, as GOV.UK puts it |
| Accuracy | "confirmation that it is an accurate translation of the original document" | A sentence confirming the translation is accurate and complete, naming the document and the languages |
| Name and signature | "the full name and signature of the translator or an authorised official of the translation company" | Full name, not initials or a first name; for a company, the signatory's position and the company name |
| Contact details | "the translator or translation company's contact details" | Postal address, email and telephone that an officer can actually use |
| In-country extra | "certification by a qualified translator and details of the translator or translation company's credentials" | The qualified translator's name and checkable credentials |
GOV.UK's Certifying a document page sets the same core in plainer words: the translator should "confirm in writing on the translation" that it is a "true and accurate translation of the original document", the date, and their full name and contact details. Home Office guidance on the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme asks for the same: a "full dated and signed translation in English that can be verified". There is no official template; what matters is that each element is clearly there. For background on the rule itself, see what is a certified translation in the UK.
What extra does a leave to remain or ILR application need?
Two things: certification "by a qualified translator" and "details of the translator or translation company's credentials." The Immigration Rules define neither term, so write credentials an officer can check: a translation qualification and its awarding body, a professional membership grade and number, or a company's accreditation. "Experienced translator" on its own gives an officer nothing to check.
If a company official signs, the safest certificate also names the qualified translator who did or certified the work. Which qualifications count is covered in who can certify a translation in the UK, and the wider file in our indefinite leave to remain documents guide.
Sample certification statement for the Home Office
How should the statement be linked to the translation?
So that nobody can doubt which pages it covers. GOV.UK asks for the confirmation "on the translation", so the statement belongs on it or on a page firmly attached to it. Joint guidance from the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI), the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL) and the Association of Translation Companies (ATC) adds practical habits:
- Head the translation "Translation of a..." so it cannot be mistaken for the original.
- Identify the document in the certificate by title, number, issuing authority and date; where one certificate covers several documents, list them in a table with source and target languages.
- Number every page and, as ITI recommends, initial each one "to prevent any tampering or misuse."
- Keep the set together: a copy of the original, the translation and the certificate, in a consistent order.
Courts agree: Practice Direction 22 requires a separate statement of truth to identify the document it verifies.
Wet ink or electronic signature: is a signed PDF enough?
For the Home Office, usually yes. Paragraph 39B(d) says specified documents "may be originals or copies", and documents for online applications are usually uploaded as scans. In law, the Law Commission concluded in 2019 that "an electronic signature is capable in law of being used to execute a document", and section 7 of the Electronic Communications Act 2000 makes electronic signatures admissible in evidence.
Some offices still want paper. The NMC requires certified copies and says "We do not accept photocopies of these documents", and a postal passport application needs physical documents. Ask before choosing the format; translation delivery formats compares the options.
What do courts in England and Wales require?
More formality, depending on the document:
- Foreign-language witness statement: the party files the original and a translation, and "the translator must sign the original statement and must certify that the translation is accurate" (PD 32, paragraph 23.2). The statement's first page should show "the date of any translation" in its top right-hand corner (paragraph 17.2).
- Foreign-language affidavit: the translator must make an affidavit "verifying the translation" and exhibiting both versions (PD 32, paragraph 10.2).
- Documents for service abroad: the translator's statement must include "that person's name, address and qualifications for making the translation" (CPR 6.45(3)).
- Family proceedings: for a foreign-language affidavit or statement, "the translator must sign the translation to certify that it is accurate" (FPR PD 22A, paragraph 8.2). For a marriage certificate in a divorce, the translation must be certified by a notary or "authenticated by a statement of truth" (PD 7A).
A statement of truth must be dated with the date it was signed (PD 22, paragraph 2.7). This sample adapts the standard family wording in PD 17A to a translator's statement:
Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules; our guide to certified translations for UK courts covers bundles and exhibits.
Common mistakes on certification statements
- No date anywhere on the certificate or the translation.
- A first name or initials instead of a full name and signature.
- No usable contact details: a web address alone gives an officer nobody to ask.
- No credentials on an in-country application, or credentials nobody can check.
- A loose certificate that names no document, so it could belong to anything.
- "The attached documents" with no list, when one certificate covers several.
Checklist: before you submit the certificate
Questions people ask
Is there an official template for a certified translation statement?
No. Paragraph 39B(f) of the Immigration Rules lists what the statement must contain, and GOV.UK's Certifying a document page lists the same core, but neither prescribes wording. Wording that clearly covers every element meets the rule.
Can the certificate be on a separate page?
Yes, as long as it is attached to the translation and identifies the document by title, number and date. GOV.UK asks for the confirmation "on the translation", so a certificate that is physically or digitally part of the same file is the safest form.
Does the certificate have to state the translator's qualifications?
Only for some uses. Under paragraph 39B(f)(iv), applications for leave to remain and indefinite leave to remain, made from inside the UK, need certification by a qualified translator and details of the translator's or company's credentials, while the Immigration Rules do not ask for them on an application from abroad. Courts can ask too: a translation of documents for service abroad must come with a statement giving the translator's "name, address and qualifications for making the translation" (CPR 6.45(3)).
Does the statement have to be in English?
For UK authorities, yes in practice, because the officer must read it. The joint ITI, CIOL and ATC guidance says the certification should be written in the language of the intended recipient only, which for a UK authority means English.
Can one certificate cover several documents?
Yes, if it lists each document clearly; the joint industry guidance suggests a table of the documents covered, with source and target languages. A separate certificate for each document is simpler when the documents will be uploaded or used separately.
What happens if the Home Office refuses a translation because of the certificate?
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, it refunds the translation fee. The accuracy guarantee does not cover the outcome of the application or a refusal of the original document.
