Translations & Certifications for UK Set M

[malct]

I think i already know the answer to my question, But just checking through the Certificates for the Set M, I have just found out that the UKBA kept the translations for my wife's Divorce.

It states on section 2.23 that we must provide the original Copies, But it does not ask for translations.

Do we need to show Translations of these Certificates (i think the answer will be yes) Knowing that the UKBA already have the Translations on Record when we applied for the Spouse/settlement visa.

I only wished that i had asked for extra copy's while we were in Bangkok, But i was not forward planning then.

I have until the 9th September to get the translations done and we are looking at sending all documents over to Thailand and get the wife's sister to get them translated and get them sent back or send them to the Thai consulate in Hull for translation which i have had a quote of £100.

we do however have a translation of the marriage certificate and my wife's birth certificate.

Regarding the documents for the Divorce, My wife has the divorce certificate plus she has a paper detailing who gets what!!!

Thank you for any help

Malc

[bobrussell]

One option is to fax/email the original to someone in Thailand and get the translation done there and return by fax/email?

We found that on the day we were due to go to the settlement checking service that we did not have a translation of our daughters Thai birth certificate. There was a mad panic as I sat down at the computer and did a translation (combination of my wife translating and me writing!) It was easy to do a passable and correct translation which was accepted without question.

The translation does not need to be certified so unless the divorce papers are very complicated it should be possible to do something similar! I made sure that the format of the translation of the birth certificate (quite complicated!)matched the original Thai certificate.

My UK decree absolute is a very simple document so hopefully are the Thai ones! It is the translation that is required as the certificate is what counts!

(Having Googled Thai divorce certificate it looks pretty straight forward!)

Otherwise £100 is about par for the course in the UK.

Edited June 12, 2013 by bobrussell

[malct]

Thank you for your reply Bobrussell, I have just been quoted £55 for the translation of the divorce and name change

1) Divorce certificate is £30

2) Changing name document is £25

So if we can do our own translation, Then that would be acceptable? If so, I could have a go at doing our own, But looking back at other translations that we got done in Thailand, These got stamped.

The lady from the Hull consulate told me that they forward the translations to London to be stamped.

[bobrussell]

To the best of my knowledge none of the translations have to be officially certified for ILR. It simply states translations are required!

We kept the format exactly the same (including spacing) as the original leaving signatures blank (obviously). The birth certificate is pretty dramatic 'in the year of the snake' stuff! The stamps on translations are usually non-official put on by the translating company. As such they have no legal standing.

There seems to be an obsession with 'certifying'. I typed this is a true copy of the Thai original and got my sister-in-law to sign it (in Thai!).

It was a true translation and if they wanted to check it they could have done. Nothing underhand, everything correct.

This does not work with marriage certificate translations for Schengen visas (they need official certifying) but for the UKBA/Home Office there should be no problem.

Edited June 12, 2013 by bobrussell

[malct]

Well its worth a Go. Better than paying £55 plus i have time on my side.

[malct]

I have Just read this on the UKBA site, so it looks like i will have to pay for the translation

Translated documents

If a document is not in English or Welsh, you must send us the original with a full translation that can be independently verified by us. This translation must include details of the translator's credentials, and confirmation that it is an accurate translation of the original document. It must also be dated and include the original signature of the translator.

[bobrussell]

The SET (M) guidance notes just specify a reliable translation is required. I am not for a second suggesting you risk an application by sending in paperwork you are not happy with but if you look on the UKBA website you will find differing bits of advice on the exactly the same subject!

"10 DOCUMENTS

Any documents which are not in English must be

accompanied by a reliable English translation."

As long as you are confident that the translation can be verified (they will have Thai translation facilities)then this is still achievable! It was 'certified' as an accurate translation (and was).

My sister-in-law did the translating of the birth certificate, I typed and she signed it.

That said - if in doubt pay the money!!

[kunash]

Thank you for your reply Bobrussell, I have just been quoted £55 for the translation of the divorce and name change

1) Divorce certificate is £30

2) Changing name document is £25

So if we can do our own translation, Then that would be acceptable? If so, I could have a go at doing our own, But looking back at other translations that we got done in Thailand, These got stamped.

The lady from the Hull consulate told me that they forward the translations to London to be stamped.

we have had some translations done from Hull.

Hull, did not send the translations to London. she said we had to do that. When we got them back, the lady from Hull had stamped them. The stamp says ''certified correct translation'', she had signed it, the date and her name. we have decided not to forward them to London for them to certify it. I don't think it is worth it.

when I had my marriage certificate translated in march 2012, at the hull consulate, the honary consul himself signed the translation as well, together with a large red stamp. they obviously don't do that anymore.

[malct]

Thank you for your replies.

Maybe i have miss understood the lady at Hull, Maybe she expects me to send the documents to london?

[malct]

Nothing is ever easy when sorting out paperwork for visa's

I send all the documents and payment to hull this morning via email with a note on the Email saying

Also can you confirm that you place a stamp on the certificates to show that its a genuine translation.

The UKBA only ask that the Documents that says ''certified correct translation, signed, date and name of person"

From the UKBA Web site This translation must include details of the translator's credentials, and confirmation that it is an accurate translation of the original document. It must also be dated and include the original signature of the translator.

I have just had a reply back saying

I am not employed by a recognized translation company.

I am employed by the Royal Thai Consulate at Hull which was created by the Government of Thailand in 1921.

If we produced a translation of your marriage certificate the translation would be authenticated by this Royal Thai Consulate.

I suggest you check with the UK Immigration or British Passport Office to see if this is acceptable to them.

If it is not acceptable then I regret we cannot help you in this matter

I have wrote back to get a costing to get the paperwork stamped at London, but nothing seems straight forward when it comes to visa's. Lets face it, Have you ever tried to contact the UKBA.. Ah frustration !!

[bobrussell]

I am not trying to persuade anyone to do anything they are not confident with but the SET M advice notes simply state a reliable translation. If they wanted a certified translation they would have asked for it in the notes.

If you can prepare a reliable translation then it is extremely unlikely that you would ever be penalised for providing what has been asked for. If you are unsure then clearly you should not present your own translation.

If it can be confirmed as accurate by the UKBA then you have done your bit! The translation can be 'certified as a true translation' and signed by the translator.

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/applicationforms/settlement/guidesetm0420091.pdf - section 10 Documents.

You can go round and round in circles getting higher and higher authentication, none of which makes the translation any better! The UKBA are inefficient and chaotic but they are generally fair in my experience.

Edited June 17, 2013 by bobrussell

[malct]

just got a email back, They are wanting a extra £20 for certified translation's.

The Hull Thai consulate will send the translations back to me with a request form, so i can get the translations certified by the London Consulate because they need to see the original certificate. I guess that may make sense due to forgery's!!!

I Understand what bob is saying and between my wife and i, We could do the translations, But i would not like to chance it.

I have asked for a on line quote from a company just for a comparison,

If there was only a contact at the UKBA to ask if what is acceptable and what isn't

Malc

Edited June 18, 2013 by malct

[bobrussell]

If you don't feel confident enough to do the translation yourself then any decent translation service will do. There is no requirement for the translation to be certified other than by the translator.

Not sure how the internet translation services work but I bet they don't cost that much!

The UKBA don't want people to contact them because they don't have the resources to deal with any issues raised!

I cannot see the UKBA rejecting any translation carried out at the Hull Thai Consulate anyway!

ILR is a much, much more straightforward process than previous visa applications (until the income requirements complicate things). I was really worried that we had done something wrong because there was so little paperwork and evidence to get together!

If you use the local authority checking service (about £90 I think) they should pick up any missing paperwork.

Edited June 18, 2013 by bobrussell

[kunash]

ukba are quite easy to contact. maybe a short wait. but you might not get much joy out of them

08706067766

I am in the same boat as you mal. I have 3 birth certificates , name change and divorce paper translated by Hull. I am ringing ukba now. I don't want to send the papers to the thai embassy. I don't think it is worth it. the papers have a stamp on them certifying correct translation, signed and dated, with her name. I think from your post 6, that is all they want.

just spoke to someone who said the stamp I have on my papers should be fine. not a problem

Edited June 18, 2013 by kunash

[malct]

I have just spoken the the UKBA, Spoke to a Man who told me that i would need some kind of proof that the translation was done and he doesn't think that a receipt would be accepted.

Some good news, I was told, The POE will do the checking off the documents before you submit the application, and if its not correct, They will tell you and you can book another appointment.

Malc

[7by7]

A certificate placed on the translation by the person who did the translation containing their name and contact details and confirming the translation is correct is all that is required.

No need at all to have the translation certified again by the Thai embassy or Consulate; unless you want to use them for a Schengen visa application.

We had all the necessary documents translated in Bangkok (a lot cheaper than in the UK) and certified just by the translator as above. This was acceptable for all purposes in the UK; including ILR and naturalisation.

Too late for you, malct, but for others reading this remember that in the initial visa application if you want to be sure of getting all your documents back you must provide a copy as well as the original.

[bobrussell]

I have just spoken the the UKBA, Spoke to a Man who told me that i would need some kind of proof that the translation was done and he doesn't think that a receipt would be accepted.

Some good news, I was told, The POE will do the checking off the documents before you submit the application, and if its not correct, They will tell you and you can book another appointment.

Malc

He doesn't think a receipt will do sums the UKBA up to a tee! The reality is they are fudging the issue rather than give a straight yes or no answer. Unless a specific form of certification is stated in the application then it is extremely unlikely that any application will be refused unless a translation is inaccurate!

EU law (Schengen) requires that the translation is certified in a specific way. One page of the UKBA site will say one thing and another will contradict it! It is of little surprise that you got a vague answer and I would suggest a certified translation with lots of important, official looking stamps on it will pass with flying colours!

We had to do the translation of the birth certificate because (mad panic!) on the day we had an appointment at the checking service I discovered the birth certificate translation was missing! There was absolutely no problem with the application but the translation was accurate anyway! The UKBA are not trying to catch you out unless you are falsifying documents.

Both wife and daughter are proud bearers of British passports to prove the point!

[malct]

Received the translations this morning, stamped, certified with Name, So everything OK..

Just what 7by7 said, Make sure you get 2 or more copies while in Thailand.

Malc