Translation for Visa and Residence Permit: Required Documents

General Requirements: What Is Always Needed

Regardless of the destination country, a visa or residence permit requires translation of a basic package:

• International passport (photo page and all pages with visas)
• Internal passport (main pages and registration)
• Birth certificate
• Marriage / divorce certificate (if applicable)
• Criminal record clearance certificate

All translations must be in the language of the destination country (or in English if the embassy accepts documents in English). More about translation for embassies.

Schengen Zone (Germany, France, Spain, Italy, etc.)

Tourist Visa (C):

• Employment certificate (position, tenure, salary) — translation into English or the country's language
• Bank statement — translation certified with bureau stamp
• Hotel reservation and flight tickets — usually accepted in English without translation
• Medical insurance — in English or the country's language

Residence Permit / Blue Card (Germany):

• Higher-education diploma — notarized translation into German + apostille on the original
• Employment record book or reference letters — notarized translation
• Children's birth certificates — notarized translation + apostille
• Criminal record certificate — notarized translation + apostille (valid for 6 months)
• Employment contract with the German employer — provided by the employer in German

Germany is the most demanding Schengen country regarding translation quality. All documents must be translated by a sworn translator (beeidigter Übersetzer) or notarized.

USA (B1/B2, L1, H1B, Green Card)

The US Embassy accepts documents in English. Notarization is not required — a translation certified with the bureau stamp, accompanied by a Certificate of Translation Accuracy, is sufficient.

Non-Immigrant Visa (B1/B2):

• Employment certificate — translation into English
• Bank statement — translation into English
• Property documents (if available) — proof of ties to the home country

Work Visa (H1B, L1):

• Diploma — translation + credential evaluation (WES, ECE, or equivalents)
• Employment record book — translation with job-duty descriptions
• Recommendation letters — translation into English

United Kingdom (Skilled Worker, Student, Family Visa)

UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration) requires translations to be done by a "competent translator" and to include:

• Full name and contact details of the translator
• Confirmation of the translator's qualifications
• Date of translation
• Statement of accuracy and completeness

Notarization is not required for the UK, but the document must be accompanied by a Declaration of Translation. We provide this document free of charge with every order.

For a student visa, you will also need a translated school certificate or diploma with grades and a passport translation.

UAE (Resident Visa, Golden Visa)

The UAE is a special case. All documents must be:

1. Translated into Arabic
2. Notarized in Russia
3. Apostilled (for Hague Convention countries) or legalized through the consulate
4. Attested by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Golden Visa (10-year residence permit):

• Passport — copy + translation into Arabic
• Diploma — translation into Arabic + apostille + UAE MFA attestation
• Bank statement — proof of financial standing
• Marriage and children's birth certificates — full legalization cycle

Average preparation time for a UAE package is 2–4 weeks, including apostille and mailing.

Notarization and Apostille: The Correct Sequence

A common mistake is the wrong order. The correct sequence is:

1. Obtain the original document (or a duplicate from the registry office/archives)
2. Apostille the original (if required)
3. Translate the document together with the apostille
4. Have the translation notarized

If you translate first and then apostille — you will have to retranslate, because the apostille is part of the document.

Timelines and Pricing

Standard translation timelines for visas:

• 1–3 documents — 1 business day
• 5–10 documents — 2–3 business days
• Full residence-permit package (15–25 documents) — 5–7 business days
• Urgent translation (up to 5 documents per day) — ×1.5 surcharge

Translation cost starts at 850 RUB per page. Notarization — from 1,200 RUB per document. Apostille — from 2,500 RUB (state duty of 2,500 RUB + our processing fee).

Send document scans via the form on our website — we will calculate the cost and timeline for your package within 30 minutes.