# What the Home Office accepts as a certified translation in the UK A certified translation in the UK is a full translation with a dated statement that it is accurate, plus the translator's name, signature and contact details[1]. The UK has no sworn translators, so certification comes from a professional translator or a translation company, usually a member of CIOL, ITI or ATC[2]. Check the receiving office's own guidance before you order. ## What the Home Office asks for Paragraph 39B(f) of the Immigration Rules covers documents that are not in English or Welsh. You send the document in its original language with a full translation that the Home Office can independently verify[1]. The translation is dated and includes the following[1]: - confirmation that it is an accurate translation of the original document - the full name and signature of the translator or an authorised official of the translation company - the translator's or translation company's contact details - for leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain, certification by a qualified translator and details of the translator's or company's credentials The caseworker guidance for routes such as Skilled Worker is stricter in its wording. It asks for a fully certified translation from a professional translator or translation company that the Home Office can independently verify[3]. If no translation is supplied, the caseworker asks for one, and a translation that still is not provided or cannot be verified means the document is not accepted[3]. ## At a glance - **Who certifies**: A professional translator or translation company the Home Office can verify[3] - **What the statement says**: That it is an accurate translation of the original document, with the date[1] - **Signature**: The translator or an authorised official of the translation company[1] - **Language of the statement**: English only, for UK courts and government authorities[2] - **Sworn translators**: Do not exist in the UK, so no UK authority asks for a sworn translation[2] ## Can I translate my own documents for a UK visa? Not for the routes whose guidance asks for a professional. The Skilled Worker guidance names a professional translator or translation company that the Home Office can verify[3], and the Rules ask for a qualified translator's certification on leave to remain and indefinite leave to remain applications[1]. A statement you write and sign yourself does not match that wording. An editable English draft still helps. You can read the document and check names and dates before you order. If your translator agrees to work from a draft, it saves them retyping tables. Ask first, because not every translator does. ## Who can certify a translation in the UK? The UK has no sworn translators[2]. The guidelines published by the Association of Translation Companies (ATC), the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL) and the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) say certified translations in the UK are stamped or signed by a professional translator or company accredited by one of these bodies[2]. The three recognise each other's members[2]. - CIOL members, fellows and Chartered Linguists who hold the translator designation[2] - Qualified ITI members, MITI or FITI[2] - Translation companies that are accredited ATC members or ITI corporate members[2] CIOL recommends a qualified, registered translator or company and points to the public registers that CIOL, ITI and ATC keep[4]. Search those registers by language pair before you book. ## Do I need a solicitor or a notary? Not under the Home Office rule, which asks for the translator's confirmation and details and does not mention a notary[1]. A notary or solicitor does not check the translation itself. The ATC, CIOL and ITI guidelines say they certify only the translator's signature, because they cannot attest that it is true to the original[2]. A notary comes in when the translation goes abroad. To legalise a translation through the FCDO, it is first certified by a professional translator or company, then certified by a UK solicitor or notary public[2]. ## Certified translations and certified copies are different GOV.UK's page on certifying a document covers two things. For a copy, a professional person such as a solicitor, teacher or bank official writes Certified to be a true copy of the original seen by me, signs, dates and adds their details[5]. For a translation of a document not in English or Welsh, the translator states on it that it is a true and accurate translation of the original document, with the date and their full name and contact details[5]. In July 2024 ATC, CIOL and ITI said the revised GOV.UK wording no longer matches long-standing best practice, and they recommend a translator or company affiliated with a recognised professional body[6]. Follow the receiving office's own guidance first, and use an accredited translator when it names none. ## Where LoreAI fits LoreAI is not a certified translation service and cannot sign a translation for the Home Office. It turns a scan or photo of a document into an English Word file, with headings, lists and tables in the order of the original and names, dates and numbers as written. Use it to read a document before you order a translation, or to give your translator an editable draft if they accept one. Your first document is free, up to 3 pages. For the wording of a translator's statement, see the [certificate of translation template](https://www.loreai.org/certificate-of-translation-template), and for the difference from sworn translation abroad, [what a sworn translation is](https://www.loreai.org/sworn-translation). ## Questions people ask ### What does the Home Office accept as a certified translation? A dated full translation that confirms it is accurate and gives the translator's or company official's full name, signature and contact details, and that the Home Office can verify[1]. Caseworker guidance asks for a professional translator or translation company[3]. ### Does a UK certified translation need to be notarised? Not under the Home Office rule, which asks for the translator's confirmation and details[1]. Notarisation or legalisation comes in when a receiver abroad asks for it[2]. ### Is a certified translation the same as a sworn translation? No. Sworn translators are appointed by a government or court in some countries, and the figure does not exist in the UK[2]. ### Is a LoreAI translation enough for UKVI? No. LoreAI makes an editable machine translation in Word. A professional translator checks it and signs the certification. ## Sources 1. [GOV.UK: Immigration Rules part 1, paragraph 39B, specified documents](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-part-1-leave-to-enter-or-stay-in-the-uk), accessed November 2, 2026 2. [ATC, CIOL and ITI: Certified Translation, Getting It Right (PDF)](https://www.iti.org.uk/static/1e446b81-9d27-4fa9-923fedd264fac1b5/Certified-Translation-Guidelines.pdf), accessed November 2, 2026 3. [GOV.UK: Skilled Worker caseworker guidance, section 2.5 Translating documents (updated 3 August 2026)](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skilled-worker-visa-caseworker-guidance/skilled-worker-caseworker-guidance-accessible), accessed November 2, 2026 4. [CIOL: Guidance on certified translations](https://www.ciol.org.uk/certified-translations), accessed November 2, 2026 5. [GOV.UK: Certifying a document](https://www.gov.uk/certifying-a-document), accessed November 2, 2026 6. [ITI: Joint statement on certification of translations (25 July 2024)](https://www.iti.org.uk/resource/joint-statement-on-certification-of-translations.html), accessed November 2, 2026 By Matt Mountain ยท Updated November 2, 2026