Stop asking “Do I need to get my documents translated into English for a UK Visa Application”.

Once and for all the truth:

“Every document needs to be in English, or at least understood by an English-only speaker. We have been lenient in the past, but since the elections this summer, we’ve been directed by London to be more stringent. We need to be assured of what the documents are conveying because our biggest concern is granting a visa to someone who may later become an asylum seeker.” — ANON, Employee, British Consulate, Visa Section, August 2024.

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Why Is Translating Supporting Documents into English Important?

If you’re preparing for a UK visa application, you may wonder why it's crucial to translate your supporting documents into English. You might assume that the consulate staff in Istanbul can easily interpret a bank statement from Halk Bank or read a simple payslip. However, here’s the reality:

Fact 1: The Consulate in Istanbul is often busy and may send some visa applications to other UKVI regional hubs in countries such as India and South Africa. Do you think the staff at those hubs understand Turkish? Are they familiar with terms like "SGK" (the Social Insurance Institution in Turkey)?

Fact 2: An Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) must be a citizen of an English-speaking country. While local Turkish staff may be present at the consulate, their roles are typically limited to administrative tasks. They do not make decisions on applications. The official reviewing your case and documents must fully comprehend what they read. If they cannot understand your supporting materials, it negatively impacts their perception of your application. They may feel frustrated by spending time on documents that do not meet the required standards.

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Do I Need to Get All My Documents Translated?

This raises an important question: Do I need to get all of my documents translated? The straightforward answer is yes, and this is clearly stated on the official UK governement website—but let’s clarify what this entails.

1. Certification Over Notarization:

   • The documents do not need to be notarized; they only need to be certified. 

   • Certifying a translation means that a translator or translation service provides a signed statement asserting that the translation is accurate and complete, reflecting the content of the original document. This certification is often necessary for legal, immigration, or official purposes to ensure the translation meets certain standards.

2. Risk Assessment:

   • If you believe that a specific document does not require a certified translation, make sure you carefully weigh the risks involved.

   • It is true that some applicants have been successful even though they have included documents that were not translated. But this is likely to have been because the ECO did not need it, particularly if the rest of the application was sufficient. This is indeed something that many people have been lucky with but this approach carries inherent risks. 

Three Golden Rules

If you are in doubt about what you need for an application, or have doubts about how to apply, why not download our English Visa Life free Ebook - The Three Golden Rules

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Conclusion

Investing in the translation of your supporting documents into English can significantly enhance your chances of success for your UK visa application. Ensure that your documents are not only accurate but also certified to meet the requirements set by UK authorities. Doing so helps you avoid unnecessary complications and increases the likelihood of a favourable outcome.

TIP – At English Visa Life, we also mark the PDF with a circle or highlight to bring specific areas of text to the ECO’s attention. An example would be an official deposit of a work bonus to justify the balance in a financial bank statement.

TIP – It is perfectly normal to send a document electronically to a translator, as it does not need to be notarised. A certified document can then be electronically returned for uploading to the application system.

At English Visa Life, all translations, certifications and uploads are done as standard with no extra cost to the applicant. We also offer a 30 minute consultation where together, we can discuss the strenghts and weaknesses of your application.

Consultation Call

The information in this blog is for general information purposes only, and should not be taken as legal advice. Detailed and comprehensive research is completed but once published any commentary, quotes, societal direction and legal references may not be remain current and accurate. Subsequently, English Visa Life cannot accept responsibility for loss which may arise from information contained in this blog. For assistance in translating and certifying necessary documents, in addition to accurately reflecting your responses in English and cataloguing supporting documents please don’t hesitate to contact UK Turkey Life to assist in your application. English Visa Life is operating under a registered sole trader license, Izmir, Turkey.