Documents that are not in English or in the primary official language of the country where you wish to secure a visa from, should be accompanied by certified translations. This means that the translator or the translation company must certify that the written translation is an accurate and true translation of the original. It must bear the date the translation was made, the translator’s signature, stamp and seal of the translation company and the translator’s full name and contact information or that of the translation company’s representative.
Visa application in the UK
In the UK, visa applications are filed with the Home Office. All supporting documents that are required to be submitted together with the visa application should be in Welsh or English. Otherwise, there is a need to have each of these specific documents translated and certified by a qualified translator or translation company.
Documents required
The Home Office collects four types of information from visitor visa applicants, namely:
• Personal information
• Finances and employment
• Accommodation and travel details
• Information about the UK visit
Personal information include a current and valid passport or any other official travel document. You should also include one passport-sized photo in color that is subject to the requirements of the Home Office; evidence of your permission to travel to the UK; previous passports to show your travel history; your marital status (civil partnership, marriage, divorce or death certificate) and evidence of your current studies or employment, which could be in the form of an official letter from your employer showing your current employment status, your salary, and official leave of absence (paid or unpaid). This could be supported by pay slips or tax returns. If you are a student, you could submit an official letter from your school detailing your leave of absence and your enrollment. If you are a businessmen you could submit documents pertaining to business registration and operation.
Finances is one of the most important things to support a visa application. You could have certified translations of evidences of your monthly sources of income including any of the following: bank books/bank statements; balance certificate or a letter from your bank; at least six months’ worth of pay slips; tax returns; business bank account statements and income from land or other properties.
If you are not paying for your trip, you should provide evidence of the income sources of the person or entity financing your trip to the UK. If you will be using funds from a joint account, be sure that you provide evidence that you have permission to use the account. The Entry Clearance Officer from the Home Office would also like to know the financial details and employment of your spouse if he or she is working.
It is also a good idea to provide the Home Office with your accommodation and travel arrangements, which could support your visa application. This could either be the confirmation of your flight booking or your accommodation booking or the confirmation of your flight and accommodation bookings from your travel agent. You could submit a confirmation from the owner of the house or apartment where you will be staying temporarily while in the UK.
In some cases, an explanation of why you need to travel to the UK and what you intend to do in the country during your temporary stay could be required.
Certified translations
Remember that certified translations must have a statement on the official stationery of the translation company that attests to the accuracy of the translation from the source language to Welsh or English and have the stamp and seal of the company, the signature of the translator or the company representative and the date the translation was created. Moreover, each document that needs to be translated must have its own certified translation document.
Related Posts:
Part 1 – Understanding Certified Translation
Part 3 – Understanding EN15038 and Certified Translation in European Countries
