Explainers
Digital certified translation vs hard copy
Every translation is delivered as a signed, stamped PDF by e-mail. Most UK applications are made online and accept that PDF. A hard copy with wet signature is available by courier for the bodies and processes that still want paper.
What the digital version is
The PDF you receive is not a scan of a draft. It is the certified translation: the translated text, our company stamp on every page, and the certification statement with a signature, date and company details, produced as a PDF with the signature and stamp applied. It can be printed by you or uploaded directly. For UK purposes it carries the elements GOV.UK asks for: the accuracy statement, the date, and the name and contact details of the translation company. Nothing in the GOV.UK wording requires ink.
What the hard copy is
The hard copy is the same translation printed on our letterhead, signed in ink, stamped, and sent by tracked courier (DHL or UPS) from Ankara to your UK address in two to four working days for £30. Where we produce a notarised translation in Ankara, the notarised bundle is itself a paper document and is sent the same way. We do not offer collection, because we have no UK office.
Comparison
| Certified PDF | Hard copy by courier | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Included | £30 |
| Time | On completion, by e-mail | 2–4 working days after completion |
| Signature | Applied signature and stamp | Wet signature and stamp |
| Typical use | Online visa applications, UCAS, ENIC, GMC and NMC portals, e-mail to solicitors and employers | Postal passport applications, register office appointments, court bundles, some banks, Turkish notarised translations |
| Re-issue | Free, immediate | Courier fee again |
Who accepts the PDF
- Home Office / UKVI: applications are made online and supporting documents are uploaded as scans or PDFs. Our PDF is uploaded with a scan of the original. If you use a visa application centre's document scanning service, take a printout of the PDF with you.
- UK ENIC, UCAS, GMC, NMC: upload portals; the PDF is what they expect.
- Universities, employers, letting agents, insurers: e-mail the PDF.
- Solicitors and courts: usually happy with the PDF for review; for a hearing bundle or sworn statement they may want the paper version with a wet signature under Practice Direction 32.
Who still wants paper
- HM Passport Office postal applications, where the translation goes in the envelope with the original certificate. Print the PDF or order the courier copy if the examiner asks for a signed original.
- Register offices when you give notice of marriage: bring the printed translation with the original document.
- Turkish authorities: a notarised translation is a physical document with the notary's seal. If a Turkish office also needs an apostille on it, that is attached in Ankara before dispatch.
- Banks and some mortgage lenders occasionally insist on ink. Ask before ordering; if they later refuse a printed PDF, we send the hard copy at the courier cost only.
Our recommendation
Order the PDF first in every case. Use it for the online steps, and decide on the hard copy once you know whether the receiving body wants ink. If you know already that paper will be needed (postal passport application, court, Turkish notary route), add the courier at the outset so both arrive together. Delivery details: delivery: certified PDF and hard copy by courier. What the document itself looks like: what your certified translation looks like.
Whichever you choose, keep the PDF. It is the version we can re-send in minutes if a receiving body asks for a second copy, and it is the one you will upload for the next application.
Frequently asked questions
Is a printed PDF a “certified translation”?
Yes. The certification is the statement, the signature and the contact details, all of which are on the printout. Some bodies prefer an ink signature; for those we send the hard copy.
Can you post the hard copy from inside the UK to save time?
Not at present; hard copies are dispatched from Ankara by DHL or UPS, which takes two to four working days. If a UK print-and-post option becomes available we will list it on the delivery page.
Do you send the hard copy to an address outside the UK?
Yes, at the courier rate for that country. Turkish addresses are cheaper and faster, which suits notarised translations for Turkish offices.
Will the courier need a signature?
Yes, deliveries are tracked and signed for. You receive the tracking number when the parcel is dispatched.