Translation
Services
Translation of supporting documents for a visa application, certified to what the Department actually asks for — which differs depending on where the translation is done.
The rule, and the part everyone gets wrong
The general requirement is short: documents in a language other than English must be accompanied by an English translation. What varies — and what causes most of the trouble — is who may do it.
In Australia, the Department directs applicants to use translators credentialed by NAATI, and the credential details must appear on the translation.
Outside Australia, no NAATI credential is required. The translator must be qualified, and must endorse the translation with their full name, address, telephone number, and details of their qualifications and experience in the language being translated. The Department directs applicants outside Australia to contact the Australian diplomatic mission in the country that issued the documents for guidance on acceptable translators and on certifying originals.
So the belief that Home Affairs requires NAATI certification for every translation is wrong. NAATI is the Australian-side requirement. A translation done in the applicant’s home country by a qualified local translator who endorses it properly is what the Department asks for there — and paying for a NAATI translation of a document already properly translated overseas is a cost nobody needs. Equally, a translation done in Australia by someone without a NAATI credential is the version that gets questioned.
It is a Departmental requirement, not a statutory one
This distinction matters when something has gone wrong. There is no provision of the Migration Act or the Migration Regulations imposing a NAATI requirement. The requirement is administrative — a Departmental document requirement, published in its own guidance, not a criterion in the legislation.
In practice that makes very little difference to what you should do and quite a lot of difference to how a problem gets fixed. A translation the Department will not accept is a document deficiency, usually dealt with by a request for further information and a replacement translation — not a failed criterion. The cost is time, and on a file with a tight deadline, time is the expensive part.
Also worth knowing: when providing a translation, provide a copy of the original document with it.
“Accredited” and “certified” are not the same word any more
The Department’s own pages still say translators must be “accredited by NAATI”. That wording is pre-2018, and it describes a system that no longer exists.
NAATI replaced accreditation with certification in 2018, after forty-one years. Accredited practitioners could transition to the new system until 31 December 2019, and that window has closed — anyone seeking a NAATI credential now must meet the training and prerequisite requirements and sit a NAATI test.
So what the Department is asking for, in current language, is a NAATI-certified translation. There are only two translator credentials:
Certified Translator The only certification currently available for translators, and the highest available — covering complex but non-specialised content, assessed by translating non-specialised texts and revising a translation.
Recognised Practising Translator For language pairs where no test exists — low testing demand, and new and emerging communities. It is granted on evidence of work practice rather than a test, and NAATI states expressly that Recognised Practising credentials do not have equal status with certification and do not specify a set level of transfer competency.
If your language pair has no Certified Translator test, that is not a problem — it is the reason the second credential exists. We tell you which credential applies to your language pair before you commit, because it affects both price and how the translation should be presented.
What appears on a certified translation
NAATI’s own position is that there is no single mandatory list, and that practitioners should check what the receiving organisation requires. In many cases a translation can be certified by including:
The translator’s first and last name
Their NAATI Practitioner ID
The credential direction — for example English into the other language, or the other language into English
The credential expiry date
Their signature
Plus the things NAATI adds
A credentialed translation should include the date the translation was completed. Some organisations, including government departments, accept only stamped translations — official NAATI stamps are printed in blue ink, and a digital stamp must include its QR code so the credential can be verified. Some bodies also want a statement that the document is a true translation.
The expiry date that worries people, and should not
NAATI credentials run for three years, and a stamp carries a “valid to” date. That date marks the recertification point of the credential as at the time the stamp was issued — it does not make the translation invalid afterwards. Where the translation date falls before the “valid to” date, NAATI considers the translation should be accepted where it is presented. Translations bearing stamps issued under the old pre-2018 accreditation system also remain valid indefinitely, even though those stamps are no longer issued.
This is why the completion date on the translation matters, and why we date every one.
What we need — and the thing that causes most rejections
The documents themselves, scanned clearly and in full — including stamps, seals, endorsements and reverse sides
The language pair, in both directions where both are needed
Whether the translation is being done in Australia or overseas, because the requirement differs
The visa application the translations are for
Your deadline
Partial scans are the single commonest reason a translation is rejected. A birth certificate scanned without its reverse side, a qualification without the seal, a police certificate without the stamp — the translation is then incomplete on its face, and the request for further information that follows costs more time than rescanning would have. We will not translate a document we have not received in full, and we will tell you what is missing rather than translate around it.
What this page does not cover
Translation and interpretation are, expressly, not immigration assistance — which is why we can provide translation directly to you. But the boundary is a real one and we keep to it.
We translate the document. We do not advise what the document means for your application, which documents you need, or whether what you have is sufficient. Those are matters for a registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner. If a translation reveals something you did not expect, take it to your adviser.
Tell us the language pair on the form and we confirm availability, the applicable credential and a price before you commit. We quote with a delivery date within one business day.
General information, current at October 2026. This page describes the Department of Home Affairs’ published translation requirements and NAATI’s current credentialing system as they stand. Requirements can differ between visa programs and between receiving bodies, and the Administrative Review Tribunal publishes its own practice directions — check the requirement that applies to your matter. Zeolla Solutions is not a law practice and not a registered migration agent.
Translation Services
Complete the form and you receive a case reference immediately. Nothing is payable until we confirm scope and price in writing.
Common questions
Does Home Affairs require a NAATI translation?
For translations done in Australia, yes — the Department directs applicants to use NAATI-credentialed translators, and the credential details must be recorded on the translation. For translations done outside Australia, no NAATI credential is required: the translator must be qualified and must endorse the translation with their full name, address, telephone number, and details of their qualifications and experience in the language being translated.
Is the NAATI requirement in the law?
No. There is no provision of the Migration Act or the Migration Regulations imposing it. It is a Departmental document requirement published in the Department’s own guidance — which is why a non-compliant translation is usually dealt with as a document deficiency and a request for further information, rather than as a failed criterion. It still costs time.
What is the difference between accredited and certified?
NAATI replaced accreditation with certification in 2018, and the transition window for accredited practitioners closed on 31 December 2019. The Department’s pages still say “accredited”, but what it is asking for in current terms is a NAATI-certified translation. There are two translator credentials: Certified Translator, and Recognised Practising Translator for language pairs with no available test.
What has to appear on the translation?
NAATI says there is no single mandatory list and that practitioners should check the receiving organisation’s requirements. In many cases: the translator’s name, their NAATI Practitioner ID, the credential direction, the credential expiry date and their signature — plus the date the translation was completed. Some bodies accept only stamped translations, and a digital stamp must carry its QR code.
My translation’s stamp shows a date that has passed. Is it still valid?
Yes. The “valid to” date on a NAATI stamp marks the recertification point of the credential when the stamp was issued — it does not make the translation invalid afterwards. NAATI considers that where the translation date falls before that date, the translation should be accepted where presented. Translations bearing pre-2018 accreditation stamps also remain valid indefinitely.
What if there is no NAATI test for my language?
Then the applicable credential is Recognised Practising Translator, which exists precisely for language pairs with no available test and is granted on evidence of work practice. NAATI notes that Recognised Practising credentials do not have equal status with certification. We tell you which credential applies to your pair before you commit.
Do I need to supply the original document too?
Yes — provide a copy of the original alongside the English translation. The Australian Government’s own guidance says so, and a translation lodged without its source document is routinely queried.
Which languages do you cover?
Tell us the language pair on the form and we confirm availability, the applicable credential and the price before you commit.
Can you translate a document I only have part of?
No. Partial scans — a missing reverse side, an uncaptured stamp or seal — are the commonest reason a translation is rejected, because the translation is incomplete on its face. We will tell you what is missing rather than translate around it.
Can you tell me whether my documents are enough for my application?
No — that is advice on a visa matter, and only a registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner may lawfully give it. Translation and interpretation sit outside immigration assistance, which is why we can translate for you directly, and we keep to that side of the line.
Often ordered with this
Case Review
A second opinion on a file before it is lodged - what the evidence supports, where it is thin, and what would strengthen it.
Quoted per case →DHA Request for Further Information
A written response to a section 56 request - the material addressed point by point, with the evidence assembled and referenced.
Quoted per case →407 Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) Statement
A first-person statement addressing circumstances in the home country, the purpose of the stay, incentives to return and immigration history.
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