So I am applying for a visa for my mom so that she can visit family in the UK. We live in Denmark. The gov.uk website states that all documents that are not in English or Welsh must be translated (no mention of the translations being certified). I was wondering whether I could translate the documents myself since I am fluent in both: Danish and English. Or could I ask a friend to translate documents for me (I think maybe the immigration office would mind if I translate the documents myself)? Also, I heard from a few friends that you don't need to translate documents that are in Danish. So what is the truth in all of this? Should I get documents like bank statements (which are pretty self explanatory) translated by a certified translators (who are crazy expensive in DK)?
2 Answers
You should refer to the detailed guidance in https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visitor-visa-guide-to-supporting-documents/guide-to-supporting-documents-visiting-the-uk
“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
the date of the translation
the translator’s full name and signature
the translator’s contact details”
AFAIK, it is not typically necessary to get bank statements translated, given that the information provided is usually self-explanatory - a debit/credit is a debit/credit in any language.
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5My mother in law was refused a UK visa some years ago and among the reasons given was the failure to translate her bank statements.– phoogCommented Sep 10, 2020 at 18:19
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Does each paper in the document need a separate stamp of the certified translator or would a single stamp be okay for the entire bundle? Since, 1 stamp costs 250 DKK (stupid expensive for a stamp). Commented Sep 10, 2020 at 22:40
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@SelenaCarlos Sarajevo. The statements were written in Bosnian, in the Latin alphabet. It's probably not necessary for the translation to be certified. Which visa are you applying for?– phoogCommented Sep 10, 2020 at 22:45
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@phoog I applied for a standard visitor visa for my momma. Your assumption that the translations need not be certified may be correct, since, the gov.uk website does not explicitly state that the translators need to be certified. However, I've read other forums and sources which point towards the importance of a certified translation. What a bummer! Commented Sep 10, 2020 at 22:53
Assuming your mother has a Danish passport you shouldn't need a Visa at all. See https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa/y/denmark
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Where did you get that OP and the mother are Danish citizens? Plenty of people live in other countries than where they have their passports from.– Willeke ♦Commented Sep 13, 2020 at 18:15