FAQ topics
Home Office and visa FAQs
What UKVI requires of a translation, the extra credentials line for leave to remain and ILR, whether originals and apostilles are needed, which Turkish documents come up in spouse, work and student applications, and how e-Devlet documents fit.
Home Office rules on translations are short and content-based. A document not in English or Welsh must come with a full translation that can be independently verified, showing confirmation of accuracy, the date, the translator's full name and signature, and contact details. For leave to remain and indefinite leave to remain under Appendix FM, the translation must also be certified by a qualified translator with details of the translator's or company's credentials, and the original document must be supplied alongside. There is no approved-translator list and no apostille requirement. The questions below apply those rules to Turkish documents; route-specific pages start at translations for a spouse or partner visa, and the rule itself is explained in what is a certified translation in the UK?.
Frequently asked questions
What must a translation for a UK visa contain?
Confirmation from the translator that it is an accurate translation of the original, the date of the translation, the translator's full name and signature, and their contact details. For family-route leave to remain and ILR, certification by a qualified translator and details of the translator's or company's credentials as well. Our certificate contains all of these.
Do I need to send the original Turkish document?
Appendix FM-SE says the original must be supplied with the translation. In an online application you upload a scan of the original and the translation; keep the original in case it is requested. For e-Devlet documents the PDF is the original.
Does the Home Office require the translator to be UK-based or on a list?
No. There is no Home Office list of approved translators, and the rules do not mention location. What the caseworker checks is that the certification is complete and verifiable. Our certificate carries UK contact details as well as our Ankara registration.
Which Turkish documents are usually needed for a spouse or partner visa?
Most often the nüfus kayıt örneği (showing marital status and family), the marriage certificate or evlenme cüzdanı, any divorce decree with its kesinleşme şerhi, bank statements or payslips for the financial requirement, and sometimes a tapu or SGK record. See the guide UK spouse visa: which Turkish documents need translating.
Does a Skilled Worker applicant need a translated criminal record certificate?
Applicants in certain health, education and social-care occupations, and their partners, must provide an overseas criminal record certificate from countries where they have lived. For Türkiye that is the adli sicil kaydı, obtainable through e-Devlet with an e-Apostil, plus a certified translation. Check whether your occupation code is on the list before ordering.
Can I upload the translation as a PDF?
Yes. Visa applications are made online and supporting documents are uploaded as scans or PDFs, so our certified PDF is uploaded alongside the scan of the original document. If you use a visa application centre's scanning service instead, take a printout of the PDF and the original with you to the appointment.
Does the translation need an apostille or notarisation?
No. Neither is part of the Home Office supporting-document rules, and the Institute of Translation and Interpreting confirms that UKVI does not require notarisation. A certified translation with the required statement is sufficient. Paying for an apostille or a notary for a Home Office application adds cost without adding anything the caseworker looks for.
Are e-Devlet documents accepted?
UK rules concern language, not format. In our clients' applications e-Devlet PDFs with a certified translation that reproduces the verification code have been used in the same way as paper documents. Download the PDF rather than photographing a printout. More: Are e-Devlet documents accepted in the UK?
Can a visa be refused because of a bad translation?
Yes: if a required document's translation does not meet the rules, the document can be treated as not provided. Caseworkers sometimes ask for a corrected translation instead, but you should not count on it. If a translation of ours is queried, we re-issue or answer the query at no charge.
I hold ECAA (Ankara Agreement) leave. Do the same translation rules apply?
Yes. The route closed to new applicants at the end of 2020, but extension and settlement applications under Appendix ECAA use the same general translation rules as other routes: a full translation with the accuracy statement, date, name and contact details. See translations for ECAA extension and settlement.