Will it be accepted?
Foreign marriage certificate for a UK spouse visa
What the Home Office's official rules require when your marriage certificate was issued abroad, including the extra step that applies when you apply from inside the UK.
Every fact below links to its official source. Last checked 21 July 2026.
The short answer
If your marriage certificate is not in English or Welsh, UKVI asks for the original plus a full certified translation. The rules say exactly what that translation must contain.
What the official pages require
- The family visa evidence list includes a certified translation of any document that is not in English or Welsh
- Provide the certificate in its original language too: the translation goes alongside it, not instead of it
- The translation must be a full translation that the Home Office can independently verify
- It must be dated and carry the elements listed below, from paragraph 39B of the Immigration Rules
- The same wording is repeated in Appendix FM-SE for the financial evidence in partner applications, so one standard runs through the whole application
Source: GOV.UK, Family visa: provide information, and the Immigration Rules, paragraph 39B
Watch out: applying from inside the UK raises the bar
If you are applying for leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain, the rules add a fourth element: the translation must be certified by a qualified translator, with details of the translator or translation company's credentials. The official guidance never defines qualified translator and names no register, body or qualification, so include the credential details with the translation as the rule asks.
The stakes are written into the rules. If a required document is not provided in the way the rules set out, you will not meet the requirement it was evidence for. And if the Home Office doubts a document and cannot verify it, the document is discounted for the application.
One thing the rules do not ask for: an apostille. None of the UKVI pages we checked requires an apostille or embassy legalisation of your marriage certificate or its translation. The Home Office's own guidance says it may check the details, validity or genuineness of any document you send with the issuing body, in the UK or overseas.
4 elements
Every translation must be dated and include these, from paragraph 39B of the Immigration Rules
Full
The rule asks for a full translation that can be independently verified, not a summary
2 languages
Only documents already in English or Welsh need no translation
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:
- 1Confirmation that it is an accurate translation of the original document
- 2The full name and signature of the translator, or of an authorised official of the translation company
- 3The translator or translation company's contact details
- 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
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 confirms | Official source | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Certified translation on the family visa evidence list | GOV.UK, Family visa: provide information | 21 Jul 2026 |
| The master translation rule and its four elements | Immigration Rules, Part 1, paragraph 39B | 21 Jul 2026 |
| The same rule repeated for partner route evidence | Immigration Rules, Appendix FM-SE | 21 Jul 2026 |
| What a certified translation must confirm | GOV.UK, Certifying a document | 21 Jul 2026 |
| The Home Office checks documents with issuing bodies itself | GOV.UK, Appendix A supporting documents | 21 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.
Need your marriage certificate translated for UKVI?
Our certified translations carry every element paragraph 39B asks for: the accuracy confirmation, the date, the translator's full name, signature and contact details, and our credentials for leave to remain and ILR applications.
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Common questions
Does UKVI need my marriage certificate apostilled or legalised?
None of the UKVI pages we checked asks for an apostille or embassy legalisation of a marriage 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 a different organisation asks you for legalisation, that is their own requirement, so confirm it with them directly.
Can I use a sworn translator from my own country?
The official guidance does not state a rule on foreign sworn or court-certified translators, for or against. What it does require is the certification content: the accuracy confirmation, date, name, signature and contact details, plus certification by a qualified translator for leave to remain and ILR applications. No page defines qualified translator or names any register, and we say that plainly rather than guess.
Do I need to translate the whole certificate, or just the names and dates?
The rule asks for a full translation that can be independently verified, and that word full appears in the Immigration Rules themselves. The family visa guidance offers no summary or extract option, so translate the whole document.
I am applying for leave to remain or ILR. Does anything extra apply?
Yes. Paragraph 39B(f) adds a fourth element for leave to remain and indefinite leave to remain applications: certification by a qualified translator and details of the translator or translation company's credentials. The guidance never defines qualified translator, so include the credential details with the translation as the rule asks.
Will my marriage 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 your application exactly as UKVI asks. The decision is always the Home Office's.
