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I am applying for a visa for my family in Russia to come to the UK. All the documents they provide will be in Russian, therefore they will need to be translated into English.

The GOV visa page states:

You’ll also need to provide a certified translation of any documents that are not in English or Welsh.

And on the supporting documents guide it states:

If you submit a document that is not in English or Welsh, it must be accompanied by a full translation that can be independently verified by the Home Office. Each translated document must contain:

  • confirmation from the translator that it is an accurate translation of the original document

  • original document

  • the date of the translation

  • the translator’s full name and signature

  • the translator’s contact details

I can translate the documents myself as I speak both English and Russian, I want to avoid paying a translator as it can be expensive. Is this allowed if I do all the things listed above or does it have to be translated officially?

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    I suspect doing it yourself isn't going to work with 'independently verified'
    – AakashM
    Feb 17, 2020 at 13:25
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    I wonder if you're allowed to translate your e.g. Russian documents into Welsh.
    – Harper - Reinstate Monica
    Feb 17, 2020 at 22:23
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    @Harper-ReinstateMonica I don't see why not. Almost all official UK government websites are available in English and Welsh, which are both official languages in Wales
    – alephzero
    Feb 18, 2020 at 0:19
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    One thing you can try to keep the price low is translating it yourself, then paying a certified translator to simply certify your translation. Assuming your translation is good enough, it would mean far less work for the translator and, theoretically, a far lower price. But do note that your translation will almost certainly not be good enough. I have two native languages (a parent from each) and I wouldn't trust myself to translate official documents between them. Legalese is its own dialect, it isn't enough to speak the language.
    – terdon
    Feb 18, 2020 at 12:57
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    @terdon the self translation will probably be good enough to reduce the translator's workload to simply applying corrections. Much of the material to be translated won't have much legalese (bank statements, for example) or won't depend on the proper legal term (for example, it should not matter whether a lessor is denoted as such or as a "tenant" or a "renter"). But finding a translator sympathetic to one's cost consciousness could be difficult.
    – phoog
    Feb 18, 2020 at 15:30

2 Answers 2

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Providing a certified translation means that your documents should be translated by a certified translator from Russian to English/Welsh.

Find/Google a Russian certified translator in UK. They will translate your documents and will attach an info page with their logo, signature, red stamp, and name/contact details. That's all it takes to call a document "certified translation" :)

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    Since the price tag is a concern here, one might consider finding a certified translator in Russia instead.
    – user108548
    Feb 18, 2020 at 11:22
  • You forgot to add "pay the bill", just before "that's all it takes". Which is actually the most important thing.
    – Giuseppe Negro
    Feb 18, 2020 at 16:02
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If your document originates from Russia then it should be legalized by the correct authority where the document was created or issued.

  • Step 1 is to find the official translator (authorized one) who is licensed for translating the document from Russian to English.
  • Step 2, some official documents such as Criminal records need to go through Apostille of Hague after you translated them.

Russian Offical location who can do Apostille of Hauge are:

The Ministry of the Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation Chief Informational and Analytical Centre of the Ministry of the Interior of the Russian Federation Novocheremushkinskaya street,

67 117418 MOSCOW

OR

The Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation Bolshaya Dmitrovka street,

15a 125993 MOSCOW

OR

The Federal Archives Agency

103132 MOSCOW

Ilyinka ul., 12

Simply, google with the Sworn translator living in the UK who can do Russian. Translate it and send the original to your parent. Get Apostille of Hauge from your original country on those official documents that the translator has translated for you and apply.

You can't do it on your own. They verify the translator while doing Apostille of Hauge. And without Apostille of Hauge, your document will not be valid beside origin coutnry.

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    My understanding is that for a visa application the UK does not require documents to be authenticated, and that therefore an apostille is unnecessary.
    – phoog
    Feb 18, 2020 at 15:31
  • Agree with phoog. Where I live (not UK), apostille is usually needed for official documents that have really serious legal consequences (e.g. if a foreign person wants to marry a local and has to provide foreign documents as proof that he/she is not married yet). I have not yet seen anybody needing an apostille for anything related to a visitor visa.
    – Jan
    Feb 19, 2020 at 21:40

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