When you submit documents for certified translation, remember that a translator can only translate what is in the frame. Crop off the registrar's stamp, skip the back of the page or photograph a photocopy, and the translation inherits the gap.
That matters because the Home Office asks for "a full translation that can be independently verified", and its visitor guidance says digital images "should be taken of original documents, not copies". Ten minutes with good light and a flat surface prevents most problems.
Below: what to send, scanning, file types, page counts, names, and the Home Office's upload rules.
What should I send for a certified translation?
The whole document, taken from the original, in the version you will actually submit:
- Every page, in order, including pages that carry only a stamp or a page number.
- The reverse of any page with printing, stamps, seals, handwriting or a registration note. If a back is blank, say so in the special instructions.
- Anything attached to the document: an apostille or legalisation certificate, annexes, continuation sheets.
- The copy the authority will see. If you will submit a newly issued certificate, send that one. Paragraph 39B(f) of the Immigration Rules requires "the version in the original language" alongside the translation, and the two must match.
You do not need to post originals to us; a good scan or photo is enough to translate from.
Scan or phone photo: which is better?
Either works if every character and stamp is readable; a flatbed scan is the most reliable. Place the page flat on the glass with nothing covering any text, and scan in colour: coloured seals and stamps often fade to grey or vanish in black and white. 300 dpi is a sensible setting.
For a phone photo, GOV.UK's upload guidance asks for a well-lit area, the document in focus and the flash off for reflective documents such as a laminated passport page. Also hold the phone parallel to the page, keep all four edges in frame and take one page per photo.
Then test it. Zoom to 100 percent and read the smallest line and the text inside the stamp. If you cannot read it, neither can the translator.
Which file types can I upload?
The order page takes PDF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, BMP, GIF, WEBP, TXT and RTF files up to 95 MB each, and also reads iPhone HEIC photos and Word DOCX files dragged onto it. The Home Office's self-upload service is narrower, which matters when you file the translation later:
| File type | Our order page | Home Office self-upload |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | Yes, for scans | |
| JPG, JPEG, PNG | Yes | Yes |
| HEIC, HEIF (iPhone photos) | Yes, dragged onto the page | No: convert to JPG first |
| Word (DOCX) | Yes, dragged onto the page | No |
| TIFF, BMP, GIF, WEBP | Yes | No |
Recent iPhones can save photos as HEIF. To switch to JPEG, Apple's instructions are: open Settings, tap Camera, tap Formats, then tap Most Compatible.
Send a multi-page document as one PDF with the pages in order, one file per document, and give each file a descriptive name. GOV.UK suggests names like "bank statement 2019".
How are pages counted?
By the words in the source document: 300 words per page, with a 20-word buffer. The order page counts the words in your files automatically and rounds up only when the remainder exceeds 20 words, at £29.95 per page.
If the order page cannot read a file, you can send it to our team for review and we reply with a quote. Handwritten pages are priced separately on the order page, so mark how many there are.
How should names be spelled in the translation?
As in the passport of each person named. For languages not written in the Roman alphabet, the order form requires the English spelling of every name in the document, "not only yours: also parents, spouses, children and anyone else named", as written on a passport or other English document. Names you do not list are transliterated by the translator, or you can choose the standard transliteration.
Your passport, application form and translations should spell each name the same way, or a caseworker has a mismatch to resolve.
Latin-script names can differ too, through accents, double surnames or a married name, so note in the special instructions how each appears in the passport. A spelling you supply that differs from the passport falls outside our accuracy guarantee. For identity documents themselves, see passport and ID translation.
What else should I tell you when I order?
Three things save the most time:
- The destination. Home Office, court, register office, DVLA, university or an authority abroad. Each authority sets its own requirements, including whether it wants a printed copy or an apostille.
- The deadline. A biometrics appointment, hearing date or admissions deadline.
- Delivery. The standard is a signed PDF by email; a printed hard copy by post is available. See delivery formats.
Several documents can go in one order. Upload each as its own file so every translation maps to one original.
What will the Home Office need from your files later?
Both the original-language document and the translation, readable, in a format its upload route accepts.
- If you use the UK Immigration: ID Check app, you use the self-upload service. Photos must be PNG, JPG or JPEG and scans PDF, PNG, JPG or JPEG. "The full document must be visible", and you must check everything before submitting, because "You cannot upload any other evidence after you submit."
- If you give biometrics at a visa application centre abroad, you scan and upload documents yourself through the commercial partner's website, or pay for an optional scanning service. GOV.UK notes that paying for optional services "does not mean your application is more likely to be successful."
- If you apply in the UK through UKVCAS, you either upload documents into the online service or have them scanned at the appointment. At the 6 core UKVCAS service points you must upload before the appointment unless you pay for the added value scanning service. EU Settlement Scheme applicants must upload when they apply.
Keep each translation next to its original in the same upload where the form allows it.
Common mistakes that slow a translation down
- Cropped edges that cut off a stamp, a page number or a registration note.
- A missing reverse side, often where the registration stamp sits.
- A photo of a photocopy or a screen, which blurs small print.
- HEIC files sent to the Home Office, which its self-upload does not take.
Checklist: before you upload documents for translation
Questions people ask
Do I need to send you the original document?
No. A clear scan or photo of the original is enough to translate from, so the original stays with you. The Home Office accepts originals or copies of specified documents, and its visitor guidance asks for digital images of originals rather than of photocopies.
Is a phone photo good enough for a certified translation?
Yes, if the page is flat, evenly lit, in focus and fully in the frame, with the flash off for laminated documents. Zoom to 100 percent before uploading: every word and stamp must be readable.
What file types can I upload?
PDF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, BMP, GIF, WEBP, TXT and RTF files up to 95 MB each, plus iPhone HEIC photos and Word DOCX files dragged onto the order page. For the Home Office's self-upload service, convert HEIC photos to JPG, because it accepts only PNG, JPG and JPEG photos and PDF, PNG, JPG and JPEG scans.
Do I need to send the back of the document?
Yes, if anything is printed, stamped or written on it. The Home Office asks for a full translation, and registration stamps and annotations often sit on the reverse. If the back is blank, say so in the special instructions.
How do I make sure names are spelled correctly?
Type every name in the order form exactly as it appears in the passport of the person named, including parents and children. Names you do not list are transliterated by the translator, and a spelling you supply that differs from the passport is not covered by our guarantee.
How do I upload the translation with my visa application?
Upload the original-language document together with its translation, as paragraph 39B(f) requires both. Use PDF, JPG, JPEG or PNG files with descriptive names, and check everything before you submit, because the self-upload service does not take evidence after submission.
How much does it cost and how long does it take?
Official Translations charges £29.95 per page, a page being up to 300 words of the source document. The signed PDF arrives by email, most single-page documents within 24 hours and longer documents in 1 to 3 business days.
