Certified translation requirements for immigration, by country
What USCIS, U.S. consulates, IRCC, UKVI, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Ireland actually require from a translation — each with a link to the official source.
Last verified: 2026-10-01 · Beijing Smartlink Translation Co., Ltd. (zhityun.com)
Summary: USCIS requires a full English translation with the translator's certification of accuracy and competence — no notarization and no "approved" translators. UKVI wants the translator's name, signature, date and contact details. IRCC requires an affidavit when the translator isn't certified in Canada. Australia requires NAATI only for translations made in Australia. New Zealand requires no specific accreditation but wants the translator's details and qualifications. Three exceptions are often missed: U.S. immigrant visa interviews use Chinese notarial certificates (with their own English translation) for civil documents; Singapore accepts only notarized or embassy-certified translations; and Ireland requires translations made outside the EEA to be legalized or apostilled.
Requirements by immigration authority
The same translation is treated differently in each country — start from where you are filing.
United States — USCIS
Any foreign-language document must be accompanied by a full English translation that the translator certifies as complete and accurate, and a certification that the translator is competent to translate from the foreign language into English. The regulation does not require notarization or any particular translator credential.
Smartlink Translation: Meets it: every order includes a translator's declaration with the translator's full name, signature, credentials, date and statement of competence.
Official source:eCFR: 8 CFR § 103.2 (full text)
United States — immigrant visas (NVC / U.S. consulates)
Non-English documents need certified English translations with a translator's statement of accuracy and competence. However, civil documents issued in mainland China — birth, marriage, divorce and police records — must be notarial certificates issued by a Chinese notary office; the notarial certificate already carries an English translation and a statement that it conforms to the Chinese original, so it does not need a separate translation.
Smartlink Translation: Partly: get notarial certificates for Chinese civil documents from a notary office; for all other Chinese supporting documents, our certified translation with translator's declaration applies.
Official source:U.S. Department of State: Collect Civil Documents (translations)U.S. Department of State: China civil documents (notarial certificates)
United Kingdom — UKVI
Translations must be dated and include confirmation that the translation is accurate, the full name and signature of the translator or an authorized official of the translation company, and the translator's or company's contact details. Some in-country applications also ask for the translator's credentials.
Smartlink Translation: Meets it: the declaration includes the translator's name, signature and date, our seal, company contact details and the translator's credentials.
Official source:GOV.UK: Guide to supporting documents (translations)
Canada — IRCC
Translations cannot be done by the applicant, a family member or the applicant's representative or consultant. If the translator is not certified by a Canadian provincial or territorial association, the translation must come with an affidavit sworn by the translator before a person authorized to administer oaths in the country where the translator lives.
Smartlink Translation: Partly: we provide the translation and translator's declaration, but a declaration is not an affidavit — the sworn affidavit has to be arranged separately.
Official source:IRCC: What is an affidavit for a translation?IRCC: What language should my supporting documents be in?
Australia — Department of Home Affairs
Translations done in Australia must be by a NAATI-certified translator. Translations done outside Australia do not need NAATI, but must include the translator's full name, address, telephone number and details of their qualifications and experience in the language.
Smartlink Translation: Offshore translations meet it: add "Australia" in your order notes. We do not have NAATI translators — if the receiving body specifically requires NAATI, please choose a NAATI provider.
Official source:Home Affairs: Check twice, submit once (translations)
New Zealand — Immigration New Zealand
Non-English documents need English translations submitted with the original or a certified copy. Translations cannot be done by the applicant, a family member or an adviser working on the case. Certified translations must be confirmed as accurate and signed or stamped by the translator or translation company (on letterhead where possible), with the translator's full name, address, phone number and evidence of their qualifications and experience. INZ does not require NAATI or any specific accreditation.
Smartlink Translation: Meets it: signed accuracy confirmation, our registered seal and company letterhead; add "New Zealand" in your order notes so the declaration lists the translator's address, phone and qualifications.
Official source:Immigration New Zealand: Providing English translations of supporting documents
Singapore — ICA
ICA accepts only translations provided by the issuing country's embassy, translations by a notary public in Singapore or the issuing country, or private translations that are certified by the embassy or notarized. ICA does not endorse any private translation company.
Smartlink Translation: Partly: our translation must additionally be notarized (or embassy-certified) before submission.
Official source:ICA Singapore: Apply for PR (translations of non-English documents)
Ireland — Immigration Service Delivery
Documents not in English or Irish need a complete certified translation stating "Certified to be true copy/translation of the original seen by me", signed and dated, with the translator's printed name, occupation, address and phone number. Translations made outside the EEA and Switzerland must also be legalized or apostilled by the foreign ministry of the country where the translation was made.
Smartlink Translation: Partly: we issue the certified translation with the required statement; a translation made in China then needs foreign-ministry legalization or an apostille, arranged separately.
Official source:Immigration Service Delivery (Ireland): How to make a certified translationImmigration Service Delivery (Ireland): visa documents (apostille for translations made outside the EEA)
Our verifiable credentials
Every item below can be checked: business registration, the seal registered with the Public Security Bureau, and translator certification.
Common misconceptions
Is there such a thing as a "USCIS-certified translation company"?
No. USCIS requires a certified translation — the translator's certification of accuracy and competence — not a translation from an approved vendor. 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) creates no list of approved companies, so claims of "USCIS-certified" status are marketing.
Does USCIS require notarized translations?
No. The regulation requires the translator's certification. Notarization is only needed if another receiving body asks for it.
Do Australian visa documents always need a NAATI translation?
No. Home Affairs requires NAATI only for translations made in Australia. Translations made outside Australia need the translator's full name, address, phone and qualifications instead. Some assessing bodies set their own rules — follow their checklist.
Can I translate my own documents for Canada?
No. IRCC prohibits translations by the applicant, relatives and their representative or consultant — even if they are translators or lawyers — and requires an affidavit when the translator is not certified in Canada.
For my US immigrant visa interview in China, do my notarial certificates need another translation?
No. Chinese notarial certificates for civil documents already include an English translation. Only other Chinese supporting documents need a certified translation.
Can I translate it myself and have a company stamp it?
We don't recommend it, and reputable companies won't do it: the declaration means the translation company takes responsibility for accuracy, which it can't do for work it hasn't translated and reviewed.
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Upload your documents and tell us the destination in the order notes — the declaration is prepared to match that authority's rules.