Locations Turkish ↔ English
Turkish translation in South London (Lewisham, Croydon)
South of the river the Turkish-speaking population is smaller and more scattered than in the north-east London boroughs. Croydon also happens to be where the Home Office sits, which raises a question we answer often.
A different pattern from north London
The 2021 Census language data that puts Turkish second in Enfield, Haringey and Hackney has no equivalent south of the river; the Turkish-speaking population in Lewisham, Croydon, Southwark and Bromley is smaller and dispersed rather than clustered around a high street. That changes how people find a translator — by search rather than by word of mouth — and it changes what they ask for, because there is no local shop offering to certify a translation over the counter.
Croydon, the Home Office and a common misunderstanding
The Home Office has long been based at Lunar House on Wellesley Road in Croydon, and people living nearby often assume they can take documents and translations there. Immigration applications are made online and evidence is uploaded or scanned at an appointment centre; nothing is handed in at the door, and a translation is judged by what its certification says, not by where it was submitted. What matters is the wording the Home Office expects, which is set out on translations for a spouse or partner visa and translations for indefinite leave to remain.
Local services that ask for translations
Croydon and Lewisham both run register offices that take notices of marriage and hold ceremonies. Hospital records come from Croydon University Hospital and University Hospital Lewisham, and Goldsmiths in New Cross generates the usual student paperwork: transcripts and diplomas into English on the way in, degree certificates into Turkish on the way out. Councils here ask for translated evidence in housing and school admission files as a matter of routine.
How documents get to us and back
Nothing is collected and there is nowhere to visit; our address is in Çankaya, Ankara. You send images, we quote a fixed price, and the certified PDF arrives by e-mail, usually within one to two working days. Paper is optional: a stamped set couriered from Türkiye is £30 and takes two to four working days to a south London address. Because the receiving bodies here are national rather than local — Home Office, HM Passport Office, UK ENIC — distance makes no difference to acceptance, and the price stays at £10.00 per 1,000-character page from Turkish, £6.50 into Turkish, certification included.
Frequently asked questions
Can I hand documents in at Lunar House?
No. Immigration applications are submitted online with documents uploaded or scanned at an appointment centre. A certified PDF is what you need, not a trip to Croydon.
Is there anywhere in south London I can collect from?
No. We have no UK premises. Hard copies travel by courier from Ankara to the address you give us.
Does the Home Office require the translator to be UK-based?
Its published requirements concern the certification: a statement that it is a true and accurate translation of the original document, the date, and the translator’s or company’s name and contact details. Location is not among them.
My university asks for a certified transcript. Is a PDF enough?
Almost always. Admissions systems take uploads. If a registry asks for paper, we courier a stamped set.