Which Documents Need a Certified Translation for Your Australian Visa?

Every Australian visa application built on foreign-language documents needs those documents translated before Home Affairs will look at them. The tricky part isn't the translation itself. It's knowing which documents actually need one, and which version of each document to submit.

The core checklist

Most applicants need certified translations for:

• Passport bio page
• Birth certificate
• Marriage or divorce certificate
• Police clearance certificate
• Academic transcripts and diplomas
• Employment reference letters

What counts as "needs translating"

If a document contains any text that isn't in English (stamps, handwritten notes, and official seals included), the whole document needs a certified translation, not just the parts that look important. Partial translations are one of the most common reasons Home Affairs sends a document back for correction.

Certified copy vs. certified translation

These are two different things applicants often mix up:

• A certified copy is a photocopy of your original document, verified as a true copy by an authorised person.
• A certified translation is an English translation of that document, produced and signed by a NAATI certified translator.

Most visa subclasses need both: a certified copy of the original, and a NAATI certified translation of it.

How T-NOVA handles it

Send us clear photos or scans of your original documents. We identify exactly which pages need translating, produce NAATI certified translations for each, and return signed, ready-to-submit PDFs, usually within 6–24 hours.