One sentence in the Companies Act 2006 decides who carries the risk of a weak translation. Where the original and the certified translation differ, "the company may not rely on the translation as against a third party", but a third party may rely on it unless the company shows they knew the original.
That is why Companies House puts the certification on the company itself. The registrar's rules give the job to a director, secretary or permanent representative, not to the translator, so the officer who signs is vouching for a document in a language they may not read. A complete professional translation is what makes that signature safe.
This guide covers which filings may be in another language, who certifies, overseas company registration, charges, accounts, identity verification and names, and the mistakes that get filings rejected.
Can you file documents in another language at Companies House?
Only certain ones. Section 1103 sets the rule: "all documents required to be delivered to the registrar must be drawn up and delivered in English". Section 1105 and the regulations under it list the exceptions, which "must be accompanied by a certified translation into English":
| Filing | Legal basis | What is translated | Who certifies the translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charge registered by a UK company (MR01) | Section 1105(2)(c) | The certified copy of the charge instrument | A person interested in the charge |
| Agreements affecting the constitution | Section 1105(2)(a) | The agreement | A director, secretary or other listed officer |
| Group accounts of a non-UK parent (section 401 exemption) | Section 401(2)(f) and (g) | The parent's consolidated accounts, annual report and auditor's report | A director, secretary or other listed officer |
| Overseas company opening a UK establishment (OS IN01) | Overseas Companies Regulations 2009, regulation 78 | Constitution and, where required, latest accounts | A director, secretary or permanent representative |
| Overseas company annual accounts (OS AA01) | Regulation 78 | Accounts and auditor's report | A director, secretary or permanent representative |
Companies House's accounts guidance adds a general line: "If you prepare accounts in another language, you must also send with them a certified translation into English." Welsh is the one language with its own rule: under section 1104 a Welsh company may file in Welsh, and Companies House says it can send accounts in Welsh "without an English translation".
Who must certify a translation for Companies House?
An officer of the company, not the translator. The Act defines a certified translation only as "a translation certified to be a correct translation"; the detail is in the registrar's rules for paper documents.
- Rule 158: for a UK company, certification "must be given by" a director, secretary, person authorised, administrator, receiver or liquidator of the company; for an overseas company, by a director, secretary, permanent representative, administrator, receiver, liquidator or judicial factor.
- Rule 157: for a charge instrument, by "a person interested in the charge", in practice the company or the lender.
- Both: the certificate must be in black type or ink, and "The person giving the certificate must sign at the end of the certificate."
Companies House's OS IN01 guidance says the same in plain words: the constitution's translation "needs to be certified to be a correct translation by the director, secretary or permanent representative."
So the working order is: a professional, complete translation first, then the officer's certificate at the end. A translator's own certificate of accuracy is useful evidence for the officer and for any bank that later sees the file, but it does not replace the signature the registrar asks for.
What does an overseas company file to register a UK establishment?
Form OS IN01, "within one month of the opening of the UK establishment", for £124. With it go:
- A certified copy of the constitution (charter, statutes, memorandum and articles), certified "to be a true copy by a director, secretary or permanent representative".
- A certified translation of the constitution if it is not in English.
- The latest accounts, with a translation, where the company must prepare and disclose accounts under its parent law.
- Each director's Companies House personal code, confirming they have verified their identity.
The guidance is blunt about one common error: "An extract or report from the registry in the country of incorporation is not the company's constitution." A German Handelsregisterauszug or a Polish KRS extract proves the company exists; the Gesellschaftsvertrag or umowa spółki is what Companies House wants. An overseas company that has not yet confirmed its directors' verification must file form OS VS01 by the anniversary of the date its UK establishment was opened. For the full branch or subsidiary decision, see opening a UK branch or subsidiary.
Do charges and security documents need translating?
Yes, if the instrument is not in English, and the clock does not wait. A UK company's charge must be registered within 21 days, which "start the day after the charge is created"; after that "you'll need a court order". The filing (MR01, £14 online or £24 on paper) includes "a certified copy of the instrument", and a foreign-language instrument goes in with a certified translation signed by a person interested in the charge.
Two practical points. You may redact some personal information from the copy before filing, such as account numbers and signatures, so the translation should match the redacted copy. And a foreign-law security agreement can be long, so commission the translation when the deal is signed, not when the 21 days are nearly gone. For drafting and governing-language issues, see legal contract translation.
What about accounts in another language?
Three situations come up:
- A UK subsidiary of a foreign group that skips group accounts under section 401 must deliver copies of the parent's group accounts, annual report and auditor's report, and section 401(2)(g) applies the certified translation requirement to every document in that package.
- An overseas company with a UK establishment files its parent-law accounts with form OS AA01: £50 online as iXBRL package accounts, or £110 on paper. Include the auditor's report in the translation.
- Voluntary certified translations into an official EU language can be filed with form VT01, under section 1106.
From 1 April 2028, Companies House says accounts can only be filed "using commercial software, in inline extensible Business Reporting Language (iXBRL) format", so plan translated accounts as files your software can package.
Does identity verification need translated documents?
Usually not. Since 18 November 2025, directors, people with significant control (PSCs) and directors of overseas companies with a UK establishment must verify their identity. Existing directors give their personal code in the company's next confirmation statement, and PSCs have a 14-day window; verification for people who file for a company and for corporate directors comes "at a later date". The free GOV.UK One Login route accepts a "biometric passport from any country", so most foreign directors need nothing translated.
Directors who cannot use that route can verify through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), "from any country". The ACSP standard accepts supporting documents such as a birth or marriage certificate or a bank statement, requires "at least one government issued document" from people living outside the UK, and tells agents to ask for more evidence if the person "has changed their name". It sets no translation rule, so each agent decides what it needs to read a foreign document; see passport and ID translation.
How should company names and legal forms be translated?
Leave them as they are. Names and addresses filed with the registrar may use only permitted characters, "including accents and other diacritical marks", and the OS IN01 guidance wants the corporate name "exactly as shown in the company's constitution, including punctuation and permitted characters". A company may also file a transliteration into Roman characters under section 1109.
In practice: keep GmbH, S.A., sp. z o.o. or OOO as written, with an English gloss in brackets the first time; keep registry numbers, dates and amounts exactly as in the original, with currency as written; and spell the company name the same way in every document.
Why Companies House rejects foreign-language filings
- A registry extract filed instead of the constitution.
- The translator's certificate only, with no certificate from a director, secretary or permanent representative.
- An unsigned certificate, or one signed anywhere but the end.
- Part of the document translated: schedules, the auditor's report or the registry's endorsements missing.
- A charge filed late because the translation was ordered after the 21 days began.
- A company name or legal form "anglicised" so it no longer matches the constitution.
Checklist: before you file a foreign-language document
Questions people ask
Does Companies House accept documents in other languages?
Only those the law lists, such as charge instruments, a foreign parent's group accounts and an overseas company's constitution and accounts, and only with a certified translation into English. Everything else must be drawn up in English, with Welsh companies allowed to file in Welsh.
Who can certify a translation for Companies House?
The registrar's rules require a director, secretary or similar officer of the company, or a permanent representative of an overseas company; for a charge, a person interested in the charge. The certificate must be in black ink or type and signed at the end, so a translator's certificate alone does not meet the rule.
Does a translation for Companies House need to be notarised or apostilled?
The registrar's rules and guidance ask for certification by the company's officer, not a notary or an apostille. Banks and foreign registries may want more, and the FCDO can apostille "a company certificate issued by Companies House" for use abroad; see what an apostille is.
What if the translation and the original disagree?
Under section 1107, the company cannot rely on the translation against a third party, but a third party can rely on it unless the company proves they knew the original. An error in a translated charge or constitution is the company's problem, which is a reason to check the translation before an officer certifies it.
Do foreign directors need translated passports for identity verification?
No, if they verify through GOV.UK One Login, which accepts a biometric passport from any country. Directors verifying through an authorised agent provide documents from Companies House's approved lists, and the agent decides whether it needs any foreign document translated.
How much does a certified translation of company documents cost, and how long does it take?
Official Translations charges £29.95 per page, a page being up to 300 words, and every translation is complete, with a signed certificate of accuracy. Single pages usually arrive as a signed PDF within 24 hours and longer documents in 1 to 3 business days, so a set of articles fits well inside the one-month and 21-day deadlines.
