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What the Tribunal expects from translated evidence
Most asylum appeals are heard by the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber). An "appeal bundle" is the indexed, page-numbered set of documents that the judge, the Home Office presenting officer and the appellant all work from.
The duty to translate comes from the Tribunal's own procedure rules. Rule 12(5)–(6) of the Tribunal Procedure (First-tier Tribunal) (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) Rules 2014 (opens in a new tab) says a document not written in English "must be accompanied by an English translation". Welsh is allowed in Welsh cases. How bundles are prepared, filed and served is covered by the FtT IAC Practice Direction 2024 (opens in a new tab), in force since 1 November 2024.
In practice this means three things for first-tier tribunal translation:
- Complete. The judge should be able to see everything on the original, including stamps, endorsements and handwritten notes.
- Legible and checkable. The translation should sit next to the original, so both parties can compare them.
- Certified. Each translation carries a signed statement that it is a true and accurate translation, with the date and the translator's full name and contact details.
The judge decides how much weight to give each document. Our job is to make sure the translation itself cannot be the weak point.
A note on time limits: GOV.UK says you normally have 14 days from receiving the decision to appeal if you are in the UK, and 28 days if you are outside the UK. The Immigration and Asylum Bill 2026 proposes replacing the First-tier Tribunal with an "Independent Immigration Appeals Authority", but it is not yet law. Check GOV.UK's appeal page (opens in a new tab) for the current position, and take advice from a solicitor or an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA). We do not give legal advice.
Bundle-ready delivery: index, pagination, searchable PDF
Solicitors tell us the translation itself is only half the job. The other half is fitting it into the bundle without hours of rework. Our tribunal bundle translation is delivered ready to drop in.
| What you get | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Page numbers that match your bundle index | The judge can find "page 143" in the original and the translation |
| One PDF per document, clearly named, for example "Tab 7 – FIR – translation.pdf" | Easy to insert, re-order or re-serve |
| Searchable text, not scanned images | Counsel can search names, dates and places |
| Certificate attached to each translation | No separate sheet to lose |
| Translator notes for stamps, damage and calendar dates | Fewer questions in cross-examination |
| Consistent spelling of names and places across every document | Avoids apparent contradictions |
If your index changes after delivery, send us the new page numbers. We re-issue the headers so they match again.
Mixed-language bundles are common. A Kurdish appellant from Iraq may have Arabic court papers, Sorani letters and a Kurmanji voice note. A Pakistani appellant may have Urdu FIRs and Punjabi WhatsApp messages. We allocate each language to a specialist translator and bring the files back together under one index.
Certified translation
Court judgment, extract from an appeal bundle
- Court
- redacted court
- Case number
- redacted
- Date of judgment
- redacted
- Parties
- redacted v. redacted
- Charge / claim
- redacted
- Decision
- redacted
- Presiding judge
- redacted
- [Round stamp: court seal]
- [Illegible: part of the third paragraph, page edge cut off]
- [Translator's note: pages are translated in bundle order and page numbers follow the original.]
Translator's statement
I confirm that this is a true and accurate translation of the original document.
Date
DD/MM/YYYY
Translator
Full name
Signature
Working to directions deadlines
The Tribunal issues directions: dates by which each party must file and serve its evidence. These dates rarely move, and new documents often arrive from abroad at the last moment.
Staged delivery for large bundles
For a large bundle we agree a staged plan at the start:
- Stage 1 – key documents. The documents your case depends on, for example the arrest warrant and the court judgment, are translated first.
- Stage 2 – supporting evidence. Medical papers, letters and articles follow.
- Stage 3 – volume material. Long chat histories and background documents come last.
Each stage is delivered as soon as it is finished, so drafting can start. Timings depend on the language and the page count, and we confirm them in writing with the quote. Standard delivery is 1 working day for ID cards and certificates, and 2–3 working days for longer documents. Larger bundles are delivered in the stages agreed in your quote. Bundles of 10 or more pages are charged from £14 per page.
When the deadline is days away
When asylum appeal evidence translation is urgent, our urgent asylum document translation service can turn short documents round the same day or within 24 hours. An urgent surcharge, from £10 per document, may apply. For rare languages we tell you honestly if same-day delivery is not possible, before you commit.
Prices shown are starting prices and include VAT. We confirm your exact price in a written quote before any work starts.
Legal aid matters
Translation in legal aid cases is usually claimed as a disbursement. We can provide itemised quotes to support a prior authority application to the Legal Aid Agency. Our page on translation services for immigration solicitors explains how we invoice firms and charities.
Evidence we translate for appeals
Immigration appeal documents translation covers everything the appellant relies on, and sometimes documents the Home Office relies on too. The most common types are:
- Court papers: summonses, judgments, sentences and orders. See court document translation for asylum.
- Police papers: FIRs, arrest warrants and wanted notices, often handwritten. See police report translation for asylum.
- Medical evidence: hospital records and scarring or medico-legal reports from abroad. See medical report translation for asylum.
- Digital evidence: WhatsApp chats, Facebook posts and voice notes, presented with dates, times and senders. See messaging app evidence translation for asylum.
- Press evidence: newspaper and online articles naming the appellant or their family. See newspaper article translation for asylum.
- Political and religious evidence: party cards, membership letters and church letters.
We also translate from English into the appellant's language. Many appellants need to understand the reasons for refusal before they can give instructions. Our Home Office refusal letter translation service covers refusal letters, interview records and determinations.
Our specialist language teams cover the main appeal languages, including Urdu asylum document translation, Arabic asylum document translation, Farsi asylum document translation and Tigrinya asylum document translation, along with Pashto, Dari, Kurdish, Bengali, Amharic and many more.
Fresh claims and further submissions
If an appeal has been dismissed and appeal rights are exhausted, a person may later send new evidence to the Home Office as further submissions. Under paragraph 353 of the Immigration Rules, the Home Office then decides whether the new material amounts to a fresh claim.
New evidence in a foreign language needs the same full, certified translation as appeal evidence. It is often a single urgent document, such as a new arrest warrant sent by family. Our fresh asylum claim translation page explains how we handle further submissions and deliver straight to the representative.
Translation for Upper Tribunal appeals
If the First-tier Tribunal's decision contains an error of law, either side may seek permission to appeal to the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber). The Upper Tribunal looks mainly at the legal reasoning, but where it remakes the decision it may consider evidence again, including new evidence it allows.
Upper tribunal translation follows the same standard as our First-tier work: full, certified, paginated and consistent with translations already in the bundle. If we translated the original bundle, we keep the same name spellings and terminology, so nothing appears to change between hearings. Ask your representative which documents the Upper Tribunal needs before ordering.
Frequently asked questions
How long before the hearing should I order?
As early as you can, and before the directions date for filing evidence, not the hearing date. Bundles usually need to be served well before the hearing. For a typical bundle of 20 to 40 translated pages, contact us as soon as you have the documents. We confirm a delivery date in writing. If a document arrives late, tell us the deadline and we will look at urgent delivery.
Can you deliver straight to my solicitor?
Yes. When you order, give us your solicitor's or caseworker's email address. We send the certified PDFs to them directly, with a copy to you if you wish. Firms can also order on your behalf and receive the invoice. We keep all files confidential under UK GDPR and delete them after delivery unless the firm asks us to keep them.
Do you number pages to match our index?
Yes. Send us your draft bundle index, or tell us the page range for each document. We add matching page references to each translation and name every file by tab or page number. If the index changes, we update the headers so the original and the translation still line up.
Can you translate only the key pages first?
Yes. Many representatives ask for the documents the case turns on, such as the warrant or judgment, within 48 hours, and the rest later. We agree the order with you at the start and deliver each stage as it is finished. Your legal representative decides which pages are key; we do not advise on evidence.
Preparing a bundle now? Send the documents, the index and your directions date for an appeal bundle translation quote. We reply with a fixed price and a staged delivery plan.
Last reviewed 1 October 2026. This page explains our translation service and is not legal advice.