A UK spouse visa file is usually written in two languages. The sponsor's half is in English: UK payslips, a P60, council tax bills. The applicant's half rarely is: a marriage certificate from Lahore or Lviv, a decree ending an earlier marriage, savings held abroad.
Every foreign document carries the same rule, with a twist most couples miss. Apply from abroad and the translation needs four elements. Extend inside the UK, as every spouse visa holder does before settlement, and it needs a fifth: certification by a qualified translator, with their credentials.
Below: which documents need translating, what the financial rules mean for the translator, and the mistakes behind refusals, as the rules stand in October 2026.
Which spouse visa documents need a certified translation?
Any document you rely on that is not in English or Welsh, whether it is yours or your partner's. GOV.UK asks for "a certified translation of any document that is not in English or Welsh", and Appendix FM-SE paragraph 1(j) requires the original-language document alongside it.
| Document | Why it is needed | Translation notes |
|---|---|---|
| Marriage or civil partnership certificate | A valid marriage (E-ECP.2.7); a foreign certificate must be a "reasonable equivalent" of UK evidence (FM-SE paragraph 26) | Every entry, stamp and the reverse |
| Divorce, annulment or death certificate for an earlier marriage, yours or your partner's | Previous relationships "must have broken down permanently" (E-ECP.2.9) | The final decree, with the date it became final |
| Relationship evidence (unmarried partners) | 2 years in a relationship akin to marriage; GOV.UK wants evidence from "the government, a bank, landlord, utility provider, or a medical professional" | Tenancies, bills and bank letters in full |
| Partner's payslips, employer letter and statements from work abroad | Count only for a partner returning to the UK with you (E-ECP.3.2) | Gross pay, dates, currency as printed |
| Savings statements | Savings must have been held for 6 months (FM-SE paragraph 11) | Every page and line |
| Degree certificate for the English requirement | A non-UK degree taught in English needs an Ecctis assessment | If not in English |
| Children's birth certificates | If children apply with you | Both parents' names |
No translation is needed for a Secure English Language Test (SELT) result, which the caseworker checks online (Appendix FM-SE paragraph 27). For certificates in detail, see marriage certificate translation and divorce document translation.
What must a certified translation for the Home Office include?
Paragraph 39B(f) of the Immigration Rules, repeated in Appendix FM-SE paragraph 1(j), sets the standard:
"Where any specified documents provided are not in English or Welsh, the applicant must provide the version in the original language and a full translation that can be independently verified by the Entry Clearance Officer, Immigration Officer or the Secretary of State. The translation must be dated and include: (i) confirmation that it is an accurate translation of the original document; (ii) the full name and signature of the translator or an authorised official of the translation company; (iii) the translator or translation company's contact details; and (iv) if the applicant is applying for leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain, certification by a qualified translator and details of the translator or translation company's credentials."
So the translation covers the whole document, stamps and handwriting included, and the contact details let a caseworker check it with its author. The Rules do not define "qualified translator", list acceptable credentials or name any professional body. The UK has no sworn translators, and the Home Office does not approve translators or translation companies; see who can certify a translation. Every Official Translations certificate meets the whole of paragraph 39B(f), element (iv) included, and states the company's credentials as a member of the Association of Translation Companies (ATC).
Applying from abroad or extending in the UK: which version of the rule applies?
The first visa is entry clearance, for up to 33 months (D-ECP.1.1); extensions are leave to remain, for up to 30 months (D-LTRP.1.1); settlement is indefinite leave to remain. Element (iv) applies to the last two.
| Application | Made from | The translation must include |
|---|---|---|
| First spouse or partner visa (entry clearance) | Outside the UK | Date, accuracy confirmation, full name and signature, contact details |
| Extension or switch into the partner route (leave to remain) | Inside the UK | All of the above, plus a qualified translator's certification and credentials |
| Indefinite leave to remain | Inside the UK | The same as an extension |
What financial evidence does Appendix FM-SE require?
The partner route usually needs combined gross income of £29,000 a year, the threshold for applications made on or after 11 April 2024; Appendix FM, as updated on 8 October 2026, still states it. Couples extending with the same partner after a first application made before that date need £18,600, plus amounts for certain children.
Whose income counts trips people up. From abroad, E-ECP.3.2 counts "income of the partner from specified employment or self-employment", not the applicant's salary, so your own foreign payslips rarely help; savings and pensions of either of you do. A partner returning with you can rely on salaried work abroad only with a UK job starting within 3 months (FM-SE paragraph 13).
For salaried employment, Appendix FM-SE paragraph 2 asks for:
- Payslips covering the 6 months before the application (or salaried work in the last 12 months, after less than 6 months with the employer).
- An employer's letter confirming "the person's employment and gross annual salary", the length of employment, how long that salary has been paid and the type of contract.
- Personal bank statements for the same period, showing the salary paid in.
Work abroad needs "a reasonable equivalent" (paragraph 3). Savings must have been held for 6 months, with a declaration of their source (paragraph 11), and must reach £16,000 plus 2.5 times any income shortfall: with £20,000 of income, £38,500; with savings alone, £88,500.
How should bank statements and payslips be translated?
Line by line, with nothing converted:
- Keep the currency. Appendix Finance converts at "the spot exchange rate which appears on www.oanda.com for the date of the application". A translator's conversion is not used and only adds a second set of figures.
- Translate the bank's authentication. Electronic statements count only with a bank letter "on its headed stationery" or the bank's stamp on every page (FM-SE paragraph 1(a)). Translation cannot fix an unstamped printout.
- Watch the 28 days. Evidence covering a period up to the application date "must be dated no earlier than 28 days before the date of application" (paragraph 1(l)). Order these translations last.
See also bank statement translation and payslips and employment letters.
English language, the TB test and the fees
English. You need CEFR level A1 for the first visa, A2 in speaking and listening at the extension if you passed at A1, and B1 at settlement, rising to B2 for settlement applications made on or after 26 March 2027 (Statement of Changes HC 1691, laid 5 March 2026).
TB test. Needed if you are coming for 6 months or more after living at least 6 months in a listed country, including within the last 6 months. The certificate is valid for 6 months from the x-ray.
Fees. Since 8 April 2026 a partner visa costs £2,064 from outside the UK (previously £1,938) and £1,407 from inside (previously £1,321), plus the health surcharge of £1,035 a year: £3,105 for 2 years and 9 months. Decisions usually take 12 weeks from abroad and 8 weeks in the UK.
Why spouse visa applications get refused or delayed over documents
Appendix FM-SE paragraph D leaves little room for errors: a caseworker "may contact the applicant" about a missing or wrongly formatted document, but not where the application would fail anyway. Typical problems:
- A converted currency that does not match the OANDA rate.
- An unstamped online statement, translated perfectly and still not specified evidence.
- Payslips and statements covering different months.
- An earlier marriage with no proof of its end, or a judgment without its date of finality.
- A UK extension filed with translations from abroad that lack a qualified translator's certification and credentials.
- Names spelled three ways across passport, certificates and bank records.
- A false or doctored translation. Part Suitability, which replaced Part 9 on 11 November 2025, makes refusal mandatory for deception (SUI 9.1) and allows refusal over false documents from a third party "whether or not to the applicant's knowledge" (SUI 10.1). After deception, entry clearance applications must be refused for 10 years (SUI 11.1 and 12.1).
Checklist: spouse visa translations before you apply
Questions people ask
Does my marriage certificate need an apostille for a UK spouse visa?
No. Paragraph 39B and Appendix FM-SE ask for the original-language certificate and a full translation, and say nothing about an apostille or legalisation. A foreign certificate must be a reasonable equivalent of UK evidence and valid under the law of the country where the marriage took place.
Can my partner or a relative translate my documents?
The Immigration Rules do not ban it, but the translation must be independently verifiable and carry the translator's name, signature and contact details. For an extension or settlement it needs a qualified translator's certification and stated credentials, which most relatives cannot provide, and a sponsor's own translation invites doubts about impartiality.
Do I need a notarised or solicitor-certified translation for a spouse visa?
No. Paragraph 39B(f) asks for the translator's own dated certification, name, signature and contact details, not a notary's or solicitor's endorsement. Notarisation adds cost without meeting any extra requirement.
Do I have to translate every page of my bank statements?
Yes, every page you submit. The rule asks for a full translation, and the caseworker checks deposits, balances and the account holder across the period, so headers, transactions and bank stamps are all translated.
Can I reuse my translations for the extension and for ILR?
Yes, for documents that have not changed, provided the translation meets the in-country standard, including a qualified translator's certification and credentials. Financial evidence must be new for each application, so it needs fresh translations each time.
What happens if the Home Office finds a problem with a translation?
The caseworker may ask for a missing or wrongly formatted document, but can also refuse outright. If the Home Office refuses our translation on grounds of accuracy, completeness or certification, Official Translations corrects and reissues it free, normally within 24 hours of receiving the refusal, and refunds the translation fee if a corrected translation cannot resolve a refusal caused by the translation.
How much does a spouse visa translation cost, and how long does it take?
Official Translations charges £29.95 per page, a page being up to 300 words. Most single-page documents, such as a marriage certificate, arrive as a signed PDF by email within 24 hours, longer documents take 1 to 3 business days, and a printed copy by post costs £14.95.
