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Will it be accepted?

Foreign birth certificate for the Home Office

What the official rules require when a birth certificate in a family or child application was issued abroad, including the rule most people miss: the translation must be full, not a summary.

Every fact below links to its official source. Last checked 17 August 2026.

The short answer

A birth certificate in any language can go into your application, but if it is not in English or Welsh the Home Office asks for the original plus a full certified translation.

The requirement · Full certified translation

What the official pages require

  • The family visa evidence list asks for a certified translation of any document that is not in English or Welsh, and a birth certificate is no exception
  • Keep the original language certificate in the application: the translation sits alongside it, not in its place
  • The translation must be full, the rule's own word, and one the Home Office can independently verify
  • It must be dated and include the elements listed below, from paragraph 39B of the Immigration Rules
  • The rules treat any document they require as a specified document, so the same translation rule follows the birth certificate whichever route asks for it

Source: GOV.UK, Family visa: provide information, and the Immigration Rules, paragraph 39B

Watch out: a partial translation is not what the rule describes

The rule asks for a full translation, and the family visa guidance offers no summary or extract option, so a translation covering only the names and dates is not what the rule describes. The rules also say that if a required document is not provided in the way they set out, you will not meet the requirement it was evidence for, and a document the Home Office doubts and cannot verify is discounted for the application.

Applying for leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain? The rules add a fourth element: certification by a qualified translator, with details of the translator or translation company's credentials. The guidance never defines qualified translator and names no register, so include the credential details as the rule asks.

One thing the rules do not ask for: an apostille. No UKVI page we checked requires an apostille or embassy legalisation of a birth certificate or its translation. The Home Office says it may check any document with the issuing body itself, in the UK or overseas.

  • Full

    The rule's own word: a full translation the Home Office can independently verify

  • 4 elements

    Every translation must be dated and include the first three; the fourth applies only to leave to remain and ILR (paragraph 39B of the Immigration Rules)

  • 1 extra step

    Leave to remain and ILR applications add certification by a qualified translator

Where the official guidance is silent

We only publish what an official source says. On these points the guidance says nothing, so we say that plainly rather than fill the gap:

  • Foreign sworn or court-certified translators: no rule for or against them appears anywhere in the pages we checked
  • Qualified translator: the leave to remain and ILR tier never defines the term, and no register, accreditation body or qualification is named
  • Apostille or legalisation: no UKVI page we checked requires it for translations or for foreign originals
  • Fees: the Home Office publishes no translation fee and no approved price list

Each silence was checked in the live text of the sources listed below on 21 July 2026.

What the translation must contain

Paragraph 39B(f) of the Immigration Rules says the translation must be dated and include:

  1. 1Confirmation that it is an accurate translation of the original document
  2. 2The full name and signature of the translator, or of an authorised official of the translation company
  3. 3The translator or translation company's contact details
  4. 4For leave to remain and indefinite leave to remain applications only: certification by a qualified translator and details of the translator or translation company's credentials
The family visa guidance links the words certified translation to GOV.UK's Certifying a document page, which matches: the translator confirms in writing on the translation that it is a true and accurate translation of the original document, and gives the date plus their full name and contact details.

Sources for this page

We only publish what an official source says, and we re-check these pages on a schedule. If a source changes, this page is reviewed before we rely on it again.

What it confirmsOfficial sourceChecked
Certified translation on the family visa evidence listGOV.UK, Family visa: provide information21 Jul 2026
The full translation rule, its four elements and the specified documents scopeImmigration Rules, Part 1, paragraph 39B21 Jul 2026
What a certified translation must confirmGOV.UK, Certifying a document21 Jul 2026
The Home Office checks documents with issuing bodies itselfGOV.UK, Appendix A supporting documents21 Jul 2026

This page is general information based on the official guidance linked above, as it stood on the date shown. It is not legal or immigration advice, and requirements can change. The decision on any application always rests with the receiving organisation, so confirm the current requirements with them before you apply. Lingo Service is not responsible for decisions made by third parties.

Related official requirements

More pages in this series, each quoting the receiving organisation's own published wording, plus the prices if you need the translation done.

Need a birth certificate translated for the Home Office?

Our certified translations are full translations of the whole document and carry every element paragraph 39B asks for: the accuracy confirmation, the date, and the translator's full name, signature and contact details.

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Common questions

Do I need to translate the whole birth certificate, or just the key details?

The whole document. The rule asks for a full translation that can be independently verified, and the word full appears in the Immigration Rules themselves. The family visa guidance offers no summary or extract option.

Does the Home Office require an apostille on a foreign birth certificate?

No UKVI page we checked requires an apostille or embassy legalisation of a birth certificate or its translation. The Home Office's guidance says it may check the details, validity or genuineness of any document you send with the issuing body, in the UK or overseas. If another organisation asks for legalisation, that is their own requirement, so confirm it with them directly.

Can the translation be done in my home country?

The official guidance does not state a rule on foreign sworn or court-certified translators, for or against. What matters on the page is the certification content: the accuracy confirmation, the date, the translator's full name, signature and contact details, and for leave to remain and ILR applications, certification by a qualified translator with credentials. No page defines qualified translator or names any register, and we say that plainly rather than guess.

Will the birth certificate definitely be accepted?

No page can honestly promise that, and you should be cautious of any that does. What we can tell you is what the official rules require, with the source, so you can prepare the application exactly as the Home Office asks. The decision is always the Home Office's.