Form 888 must be completed in English, but the current form does not list English fluency as a witness eligibility condition.
Keep the witness’s original-language answers and prepare a complete English translation.
If the translation is completed in Australia, the translator must be accredited by NAATI. If it is completed outside Australia, different translator-detail rules apply.
A parent or other witness can know the couple well enough to complete Form 888 even if they do not speak English. The important points are that the witness meets the form’s criteria, understands the statement they are making and confirms the final English content before signing.
If the witness first gave their answers in German and a family member turned them into English, do not treat the family’s English version as if no translation happened. A safer document package keeps the German source, uses a translation that meets the rule for where the translation was completed, and briefly explains the assistance.
What does Form 888 require from a witness?
The current Department of Home Affairs Form 888 says the person completing it must:
- know the applicant and their partner or fiancé, and the history of their relationship;
- be at least 18 years old;
- complete the form in English;
- provide the requested identity or status evidence where applicable; and
- sign and date the declaration.
The current form does not list an ability to speak English as a separate witness eligibility condition. That means a witness’s limited English is not, by itself, one of the disqualifying conditions printed on the form. It does not remove the need for a truthful, properly understood and correctly translated statement.
When is a NAATI-accredited translator required?
The controlling question is where the translation is actually completed. It is not simply where the applicant, witness or family member lives.
Translation completed in Australia
Home Affairs says translators in Australia must be accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI). A family member translating the German answers in Australia does not avoid that requirement merely because they know the witness.
Translation completed outside Australia
A translator outside Australia does not have to be NAATI-accredited. Each translation must include the translator’s:
- full name;
- address;
- telephone number;
- qualifications; and
- experience in the language being translated.
Home Affairs says these details must be in English. The translator should state their actual qualifications and experience accurately; being related to the witness is not a substitute for those details.
This location distinction appears on the current Partner visa (subclasses 820 and 801) document page. The general Home Affairs “Check twice, submit once” guidance also requires non-English documents to be translated into English.
What if a family member already translated the answers?
First identify where that translation work was done. If it was completed in Australia by a family member who is not NAATI-accredited, replace it with a complete translation prepared by an appropriately accredited translator. If it was completed outside Australia, check that the translation carries all the overseas translator details listed above.
Then check the chain from the witness’s own words to the signed English form:
- Keep the German answers or notes that contain the witness’s original statement.
- Prepare a complete English translation without adding, removing or “improving” facts.
- Record who translated or otherwise helped prepare the English version.
- Let the witness review the final content in a language they understand.
- Have the witness sign only after they confirm that the final statement accurately represents what they intended to say.
These steps are cautious document-preparation advice. Home Affairs does not publish a sentence specifically saying that every set of informal Form 888 draft notes must be uploaded, or prescribing one exact disclosure note for family assistance. The purpose is to preserve a clear and honest record rather than present a translated statement as though the witness wrote it unaided in English.
Should you upload the German original?
Home Affairs says documents that are not in English must be provided with their English translations, and the partner visa page tells applicants to provide both original and translated documents.
If the German answers were the source used to prepare the English Form 888, the safer approach is to retain that German source and include it with a compliant English translation. The completed and signed Form 888 remains the English form; the German text is source material showing what the witness originally said.
Upload clear colour scans or photographs. If a document has more than one page, combine its pages into one readable file where possible. Do not crop signatures, dates or translator details.
How can you disclose translation assistance?
A short factual note can explain the process. For example:
The witness provided the statement in German. [Name and role] assisted with preparing the English version. The witness reviewed the final content in a language they understand and confirmed that it accurately reflected their statement before signing.
This is a practical example, not mandatory Home Affairs wording. It does not replace the NAATI accreditation requirement when the translation is completed in Australia, or the translator-detail requirements when it is completed outside Australia.
Form 888 non-English witness checklist
- Confirm the witness is at least 18 and genuinely knows the couple and their relationship history.
- Complete the official Form 888 in English.
- Keep the witness’s original-language answers.
- Apply the translator rule for the place where the translation was completed.
- Use a complete translation and include all required translator details.
- Explain family or other assistance briefly and truthfully.
- Make sure the witness understands, confirms, signs and dates the final statement.
- Provide the identity or citizenship/permanent residence evidence requested by the form where applicable.
- Upload readable colour copies of the source and translation.
Frequently asked questions
Can a parent who does not speak English be a Form 888 witness?
Yes, limited English is not listed as a disqualifying condition on the current form. The parent must still be at least 18, know the applicant and their partner or fiancé and understand and confirm the statement before signing.
Does a translation by a family member need NAATI accreditation?
It depends on where the translation is completed. In Australia, the translator must be NAATI-accredited. Outside Australia, accreditation is not required, but the translation must include the translator’s full name, address, telephone number, qualifications and relevant language experience in English.
Do I need to upload the German original answers?
Home Affairs requires non-English documents to be provided with English translations. If the German answers were the source for the English Form 888, keeping and providing that source with its compliant translation is the safer, more transparent preparation approach. Home Affairs does not publish a Form 888-specific line requiring every informal draft note.
Can I submit only the typed English Form 888?
The official form itself must be in English. However, if its contents came from a German statement, submitting only the English version removes the visible translation chain. Retaining the source, using a compliant translation and disclosing assistance creates a clearer record.
Who can advise on my visa strategy or evidence risk?
This article covers document preparation, not migration legal advice. Ask a registered migration agent or Australian legal practitioner for advice about your individual application, evidence strategy or legal risk.
Need a translation completed in Australia?
If German or other source material for a visa application needs translation in Australia, ABC Translation Australia can check availability with our NAATI-certified translators. Send clear copies of every relevant page, the source and target languages, intended application and deadline. We will confirm practitioner availability, scope, price and delivery before work begins.
See our immigration and visa document translation service or NAATI-certified translation services in Australia.
Author: Fiona He
Owner and content lead, ABC Translation Australia
Last reviewed: 14 August 2026
