If you need to submit a police clearance certificate, overseas criminal-record certificate or similar document in English, Certified Visa Translation can review the source file and prepare a professional certified translation for the relevant receiving authority. We focus on faithful translation of the document provided; we do not issue police certificates or conduct criminal-record checks.
Request a quote: upload your police certificate and tell us the country of issue, the language, the destination authority and your deadline.
When a police certificate translation is needed
Not all UK visa routes or applicants must supply criminal-record evidence. Some Skilled Worker and Health and Care Worker applicants, particularly in roles specified by the Home Office, may need overseas criminal-record certificates. Other immigration, employment or professional applications may require them depending on their rules.
Where a certificate is being submitted for an applicable UK visa route and is not in English or Welsh, the applicant generally needs a certified English translation. Check the Skilled Worker document requirements or Health and Care Worker document requirements for your circumstances. The translation requirement and the obligation to obtain a certificate are separate issues.
Types of police and criminal-record documents
- Police clearance certificates issued overseas
- Certificates of no criminal record or good conduct
- National and regional criminal-record extracts
- Police certificates bearing handwritten entries, annotations or multiple official stamps
- Official certificates submitted as visa, licensing, professional or employment evidence
We can review whether the text, layout and image quality are suitable for translation. Country-specific naming varies; tell us the issuing authority rather than relying on a generic document label.
What an accurate police-certificate translation should cover
- Identity fields including full names, aliases where shown, dates of birth and document numbers
- Issuing organisation, jurisdiction, reference numbers and dates
- The certificate’s statements, headings, qualifications or recorded outcomes
- Official seals, stamps, marginal notes and signatures where readable and relevant
- Notes on text that is genuinely illegible rather than invented or guessed content
Names and dates must be carefully compared with the source record. Translators should not alter the meaning of a finding, summarise away qualifying language or claim to verify the authenticity of the original police record. A certified translation communicates the content of the document; it is not a new background check.
Certification and authority requirements
For UK immigration submissions, a fully certified translation generally needs a statement confirming accuracy, the translation date, the translator’s or translation company official’s full name and signature, and verifiable contact details. Requirements may differ for embassies, professional regulators, overseas authorities and employers.
Read our UK visa translation requirements guide or the Home Office criminal-record certificate guidance. A translation alone does not prove eligibility for a visa or guarantee acceptance by an authority.
How to request the translation
- Upload every page of the original police certificate as a readable file or scan.
- Tell us the language and where the translation will be submitted.
- Mention any precise requirements for certification, notarisation or a posted original.
- We review the document and confirm price, turnaround and delivery options.
- After translation and relevant checks, the certified document is provided in the agreed format.
For broader legal records, our legal document translation service covers court documents, statements and contracts. For visa cases, see certified UK visa translation services.
Pricing and turnaround
The fee depends on the language pair, number of pages, difficulty of the source, handwritten entries and certification or delivery requirements. Urgent translation can be assessed after a file review. We do not promise a fixed deadline or blanket authority acceptance for every certificate.
Frequently asked questions
Do all Skilled Worker applicants need police certificates? No. The requirement applies to specified job types and circumstances. Refer to the current Home Office instructions for your route.
Is a police certificate translation the same as a DBS check? No. A translator renders an existing document into another language. A DBS check is a separate process.
Can I provide a photograph? A clear, complete photograph may be suitable to obtain a translation quote. Unreadable or cropped text may require a better source image.
Will you change names to match my passport? Names are translated or transliterated faithfully. Where there is an existing difference between documents, advise us before work starts; the translator must not invent corrections.
Ready to order? Send your police clearance certificate for review, including any instructions from the receiving authority.