UK Student Visa: Document Translation Rules and Checklist

If your supporting documents for a UK Student visa are not in English or Welsh, you must provide a certified translation alongside each original document. The UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) guidance does not publish a single fixed translation format, so you should check the specific document requirements on the GOV.UK pages for the Student visa before you apply. The core evidence you will need is a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from a licensed student sponsor, proof of English language ability, proof of financial support if you have been in the UK for less than 12 months, and — for some courses — an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate. The translation itself must be accurate and verifiable, and the translator must be qualified to certify it.

What documents the Student visa application requires

The GOV.UK Student visa overview sets out the eligibility conditions you must meet, but it does not list every document in one place. The conditions are that you are 16 or over, you have been offered a place on a course by a licensed student sponsor, you have enough money to support yourself and pay for your course, you can speak, read, write and understand English, and — if you are 16 or 17 — you have parental consent with evidence of it when you apply.

From those conditions, the practical document set is:

• A Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from your licensed sponsor, which is the unconditional offer of a place.
• Evidence of English language ability, which you must prove according to the rules set out on the GOV.UK page for proving your knowledge of English.
• Evidence of financial support, required if you have been in the UK with a valid visa for less than 12 months when you extend, and generally required for a first application from outside the UK.
• A tuberculosis (TB) test certificate if you are from a country where it is required.
• An ATAS certificate if you are studying for a masters degree or above in a subject that requires it.
• Your passport or travel document, which you will link to your UKVI account when you set up your eVisa.

GOV.UK does not publish a single flat checklist for all applicants. The documents you need depend on your country of origin, your course level, and whether you are applying from inside or outside the UK. You should work through the step-by-step guide on the Student visa overview page to identify which items apply to you.

Translation rules: what counts as a certified translation

The GOV.UK pages in the official guidance do not give a detailed specification for translations. They tell you what evidence you need to prove your identity and your eligibility, but they do not set out a translation format. This means you must rely on the general UKVI requirement that any document not in English or Welsh must be accompanied by a certified translation.

In practice, a certified translation for a UK visa application must include the following elements, which are the standard UKVI requirements:

• The original document must be provided alongside the translation.
• The translation must be dated and include the translator’s full name and signature.
• The translator must confirm their qualifications and contact details.
• The translation must be accurate and complete, covering every page of the original.
• The translator must certify that it is a true and accurate translation of the original document.

You should not assume that a simple word-for-word translation from an online tool is acceptable. UKVI expects a translator who can attest to the accuracy of the translation and who can be contacted if the Home Office needs to verify the work. If you are unsure whether a particular translator or translation service meets the requirement, check the GOV.UK guidance on documents you can use as evidence before you submit.

When you need a translation for a Student visa

You will need a translation for any supporting document that is not in English or Welsh. This includes documents such as:

• Academic transcripts and certificates from institutions outside the UK.
• Bank statements or financial evidence issued in a language other than English.
• TB test certificates from countries where the certificate is not issued in English.
• Birth certificates, marriage certificates, or parental consent letters if you are 16 or 17 and your documents are not in English.
• Any police clearance certificate or other document required by your circumstances.

If your passport is not in English, you do not translate the passport itself — the passport is a travel document and is accepted as issued. However, any annotation or stamp that you rely on as evidence may need to be explained, and you should check with UKVI if you are unsure.

The document checklist for a first application from outside the UK

When you apply from outside the UK, the GOV.UK overview says the earliest you can apply is 6 months before your course starts, and you will usually get a decision within 3 weeks. The fee is £558. You will need to prove your identity as part of the application, which you do either through the UK Immigration: ID Check app or by attending a visa application centre to provide biometric information.

Item	What it is	When it applies
CAS	Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies from a licensed sponsor	Always
English language evidence	Proof you can speak, read, write and understand English	Always
Financial evidence	Proof of enough money to support yourself and pay for your course	Usually, and always if you have been in the UK less than 12 months
TB test certificate	Certificate from an approved clinic	If you are from a country where TB testing is required
ATAS certificate	Academic Technology Approval Scheme certificate	If you are studying for a masters degree or above in a relevant subject
Parental consent	Written consent with evidence	If you are 16 or 17
Passport or travel document	Identity document you will link to your UKVI account	Always

You must pay the visa fee for each person who joins you, and you will also have to pay the healthcare surcharge as part of the application. The amount of the surcharge depends on how long your visa lasts.

The document checklist for an extension from inside the UK

If you are already in the UK on a Student visa or a Tier 4 (General) student visa, you may be able to extend. The GOV.UK extension page sets out the requirements more specifically than the overview page. To extend you must:

• Be in the UK on a Student visa or a Tier 4 (General) student visa.
• Have an unconditional offer of a place on a course with a licensed student sponsor, shown by your CAS.
• Show that your studies are at a higher academic level than your current course — the academic progress requirement — unless an exception applies.
• Prove you have enough money to support yourself if you have been in the UK with a valid visa for less than 12 months.

The earliest you can apply to extend is 3 months before your course starts. You must apply before your current visa expires, and your new course must begin within 28 days of your current visa expiring. You must also apply within 6 months of getting your CAS. The fee is £558, and you will also pay the healthcare surcharge. You will need to have your fingerprints and a photo taken, but there is no fee for that. A decision will usually be made within 8 weeks.

There are exceptions to the academic progress requirement. You do not need to show your studies are at a higher level if you are resitting exams or repeating modules, applying for the first time to a new institution to complete a course you started at an institution that lost its sponsorship licence, applying after working as a student union sabbatical officer to complete a qualification you started under your last Student visa, completing a PhD or other doctorate you started under your last Student visa, continuing a medical, dentistry or medical science degree after completing an intercalated course, or applying to extend to complete your studies because you have done or want to do a work placement or study abroad programme.

What you cannot do on a Student visa

Understanding the conditions of your visa matters because a breach can affect future applications. On a Student visa you can study and you can work as a student union sabbatical officer. You may be able to work in other roles, but how much you can work depends on what you are studying and whether you are working in or out of term-time.

You cannot claim public funds, which includes benefits and pensions. You cannot work in certain jobs, for example as a professional sportsperson or sports coach. You cannot be self-employed. You cannot study at an academy or a local authority-funded school, also known as a maintained school. If your application is successful, you will be told what you can and cannot do on your Student visa.

What to do next and what to verify

Before you submit any application, work through the GOV.UK Student visa step-by-step guide in order. The guide covers checking if the visa is right for you, preparing the evidence you need, applying from inside or outside the UK, getting access to your eVisa, checking what you can bring into the UK, and checking what you need to show at the UK border.

For translations specifically, you should confirm the current UKVI requirement on the GOV.UK page for documents you can use as evidence. That page is the authoritative source for what counts as a certified translation. If you are applying for a masters degree or above, check whether you need an ATAS certificate well before you apply, because it can take time to obtain. If you are from a country where a TB test is required, book the test at an approved clinic early.

The fee, the processing time, and the rules on when you can apply are all published on GOV.UK and can change. Check the Student visa overview page and the extension page on the day you apply, and do not rely on any third-party summary for the numbers.