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Will it be accepted?

Foreign degree certificate for a UK Skilled Worker visa

What the Home Office's official guidance requires when your degree certificate was not issued in English or Welsh, including the points where the rules genuinely stay silent.

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

The short answer

The Home Office asks for a fully certified translation from a professional translator or translation company, one it can independently verify.

One route · Certified translation

What the official guidance requires

  • Provide the document in its original language and a full English translation together. The rule asks for "a full translation that can be independently verified"
  • The Skilled Worker caseworker guidance says the translation must be "fully certified" and come "from a professional translator or translation company"
  • It must carry all four elements in the specification below
  • The Skilled Worker document list carries the blanket line "If your documents are not in English or Welsh you'll also need to provide a certified translation", and links those words to GOV.UK's certification page
  • Separately, if your qualification is from outside the UK, the same document list asks for "your unique Ecctis reference number". A translation is not a substitute for that

Source: Skilled Worker caseworker guidance, section 2.5, and the Immigration Rules, paragraph 39B

Where the bar rises

If you are applying for leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain, the Immigration Rules add a fifth element: "certification by a qualified translator and details of the translator or translation company's credentials". The guidance never defines "qualified translator" and names no register, so the practical answer is a certification that states the credentials in full.

The cost of getting this wrong is spelled out. If no translation is supplied, the caseworker requests one. If you still do not provide one, or the translation cannot be verified, "the document will not be accepted" and the application is processed as if you had not provided the document at all. A missing specified document means the requirement it evidences is not met.

  • 4 elements

    Every certified translation must include all four, listed below

  • Ecctis

    Foreign qualifications also need a unique Ecctis reference number on the Skilled Worker document list

  • Overseas checks

    The Home Office says it may verify documents directly with the issuing body, in the UK or overseas

The four elements your translation must carry

The Skilled Worker caseworker guidance sets out exactly what the translation must include:

  1. 1Confirmation it is an accurate translation of the document
  2. 2The date of translation
  3. 3The full name and signature of the translator, or an official from the translation company
  4. 4The translator or translation company's contact details
The Immigration Rules allow the signature to come from the translator or "an authorised official of the translation company". For leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain applications, add the qualified-translator certification and credentials described above. Wording from the Skilled Worker caseworker guidance, section 2.5, and the Immigration Rules, paragraph 39B.

What the official guidance does not say

Plenty of websites fill these gaps with invented rules. We would rather tell you plainly where the guidance is silent, as checked on 21 July 2026:

  • Sworn or court-appointed translators from other countries: the official guidance does not state a rule for or against them, anywhere we checked
  • "Qualified translator", the phrase used for leave to remain and settlement, is never defined. No register, body or qualification is named
  • Translator accreditation bodies such as ITI, CIOL and ATC are not mentioned in any official page we checked
  • An apostille or legalisation of the translation is not required by any UKVI page we checked

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
The professional-translator rule, the four elements and what happens if the translation failsSkilled Worker caseworker guidance, section 2.521 Jul 2026
The master translation rule and the leave to remain and settlement escalationImmigration Rules Part 1, paragraph 39B21 Jul 2026
The certified-translation line under the document list, and the Ecctis reference numberGOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: documents you must provide21 Jul 2026
The certification page the Skilled Worker document list links toGOV.UK, Certifying a document21 Jul 2026
Home Office checks with issuing bodies, in the UK or overseasGOV.UK, Appendix A, sponsor licence 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 your degree certificate translated for a Skilled Worker application?

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Common questions

Can I use a sworn translator from my home country?

The official guidance does not state a rule on foreign sworn or court-appointed translators, for or against. What it does require is a fully certified translation from a professional translator or translation company that the Home Office can independently verify. No register, accreditation body or country requirement is named in any of the official pages we checked.

Does my degree certificate or its translation need an apostille or legalisation?

None of the UKVI pages we checked requires an apostille or legalisation of translations for visa supporting documents. The Home Office does its own checking: it says it may check the details, validity or genuineness of any documents you send directly with the issuing body, in the UK or overseas.

What happens if my translation is missing or cannot be verified?

The Skilled Worker caseworker guidance is explicit. If no translation is supplied, the caseworker should request one. If you still do not provide one, or the translation cannot be verified, the document will not be accepted and your application is processed as if you had never provided that document. Under paragraph 39B of the Immigration Rules, a missing specified document means you do not meet the requirement it was evidence for.

Is the rule different when I apply for leave to remain or settlement?

One element is added. For leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain, the Immigration Rules require certification by a qualified translator and details of the translator or translation company's credentials. The guidance does not define qualified translator or name any register, so ask your translation company to state its credentials in full on the certification.

Will my degree 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 guidance requires, with the source, so you can prepare your documents exactly as the Home Office asks. The decision is always the Home Office's.