Translate a birth certificate only when the visa’s document checklist requires it.
Home Affairs requires English translations for non-English supporting documents. If the translation is completed in Australia, include the translator’s NAATI practitioner number. If it is completed outside Australia, include the translator’s full name, address, telephone number and qualifications in the language being translated.
Submit both the original-language document and the English translation.
The Home Affairs rule, in plain English
Home Affairs separates two questions:
- Does this visa application require a birth certificate? Use the document checklist for the specific visa and applicant.
- If the required document is not in English, what translation details are needed? Apply the translator-location rule below.
Official guidance: Home Affairs — Check twice, submit once and Home Affairs — English translations of documents.
Which translator rule applies?
| Where the translation is completed | What Home Affairs requires |
|---|---|
| In Australia | Use a translator accredited by NAATI and include the translator’s NAATI practitioner number. |
| Outside Australia | NAATI accreditation is not mandatory. Include the translator’s full name, address, telephone number, and qualifications and experience in the language being translated. |
What to submit
- the original birth certificate in its source language;
- the complete English translation;
- the translator details required for where the translation was completed;
- the other identity, relationship or civil-status evidence listed for the specific visa.
A translation explains the source document in English. It does not decide whether the birth certificate is required, prove visa eligibility or guarantee the application outcome.
What if a government office has already issued an English birth certificate extract?
An official document already issued in English does not need translation simply because a related original-language birth record also exists. The separate question is whether that English extract is the document required by the visa checklist and whether it contains the identity or parent details requested for the applicant.
Compare the exact document name and contents with the checklist for your visa or the written request in ImmiAccount. Do not assume that every English extract replaces a full birth certificate. If Home Affairs requires a different birth record and that document is not in English, submit that original-language document with its English translation under the translator-location rules explained above.
What we check before translating
At quote stage, we confirm the document type, issuing country, source language, required English direction, intended visa use, passport spelling, required pages and deadline. The translation follows the source document; a spelling difference is not silently rewritten as if the source said something else.
For a translation completed in Australia, the delivered document shows the NAATI-certified translator’s practitioner details. You can check the translator’s CPN in NAATI’s official certification tool.
Passport and visa uses are separate
A passport application follows Australian Passport Office rules, not a visa checklist. See the separate birth certificate translation guide for Australian passport applications.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a NAATI translation mandatory for an Australian visa?
For a translation completed in Australia, Home Affairs requires a translator accredited by NAATI and the translation must include their NAATI practitioner number. For a translation completed outside Australia, NAATI accreditation is not mandatory; include the translator’s full name, address, telephone number, and qualifications and experience in the language being translated.
Can I translate my own birth certificate for a visa?
Use a translator who meets Home Affairs’ rules for where the translation is completed. In Australia, the translator must be accredited by NAATI. Outside Australia, each translation must include the translator’s full name, address, telephone number, and qualifications and experience in the language being translated. Submit both the original document and the translation.
Does the translation need to be certified or notarised separately?
Translation, notarisation and Apostille are separate processes. Follow the document checklist for your specific visa and any additional request from another receiving institution.
How much does it cost and how long does it take?
We translate Chinese birth certificates for a fixed $39 (Taiwan $43.99, Malaysia $75) with 12-hour PDF delivery; other countries are quoted before we start. See our NAATI birth certificate translation from $39 service page.
Get your birth certificate translated →
Official sources: Check twice, submit once; English translations of documents.
Author: Fiona He
Owner & content lead, 澳洲ABC翻译（ABC Translation Australia）
Last updated: 2026-08-13