What is a certified translation in the UK?

The GOV.UK definition

The UK has no statutory register of translators and no state seal for translations. What makes a translation “certified” is the written statement that comes with it. GOV.UK's guidance on certifying a document asks the translator or translation company to confirm in writing that the translation is a “true and accurate translation of the original document”, to give the date of the translation, and to give their full name and contact details. For most UK bodies, including the Home Office, HM Passport Office, the General Register Office, universities and employers, that is the whole test.

There is no Home Office list of approved translators. A translation is judged on its content and on whether the statement is present and complete, not on where the translator sits. What your certified translation looks like shows the statement we attach to every translation.

The extra line for leave to remain and ILR

Appendix FM-SE of the Immigration Rules repeats the same items for family-route evidence and adds a fourth for applicants applying for leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain: certification by a qualified translator and details of the translator's or translation company's credentials. Our certificate page therefore carries the company's legal name, Ankara trade registry number, address, signature and date, which is how a translation company shows its credentials under that paragraph. The original document must be supplied alongside the translation. See translations for ILR and translations for a spouse or partner visa.

What a certified translation is not

• Not a notarised translation. A notary public in England and Wales certifies the translator's signature, not the accuracy of the translation. UKVI does not ask for notarisation.
• Not an apostilled translation. An apostille from the FCDO Legalisation Office authenticates a UK public signature or seal so that a document can be used abroad. It has no role when a Turkish document is used inside the UK.
• Not a sworn translation. Türkiye has notary-sworn translators (yeminli tercüman); the UK does not. A Turkish notary's stamp on a translation is not what a UK body is looking for, although it does no harm.

The differences are set out side by side in Certified, notarised or apostilled: which do you need?

What our certified translation includes

• A complete translation of every page and every element on the page: headings, tables, stamps, seals, signatures, handwritten notes and margin annotations. Nothing is summarised.
• A certification statement with the wording quoted above, dated and signed for Hacettepe Translation, giving our company details and contact details.
• Our company stamp on each page and a page count so the receiving body can see the set is complete.
• A PDF by e-mail as standard; a signed hard copy by courier if you need one.

Certification is included in the page price. We do not charge a separate certification fee.

Who accepts it

Because UK rules are content-based, a translation that carries the statement is accepted across public bodies. HM Passport Office's guidance says customers must supply translations for foreign documents that are not in English. The GMC asks for a complete translation with the translator's or translation service's contact details, stamped and signed. In the civil courts, Practice Direction 32 asks the translator to sign the original statement and certify that the translation is accurate. Each body may add its own conditions, such as the GMC's rule that the translation must be made directly from the original language, and we follow them where you tell us the purpose.

A few private organisations, such as some banks and letting agents, have their own internal policies. If one of them rejects a translation because of its format, we re-issue it free of charge under our accuracy and acceptance policy.