Military and National Service Document Translation

Military service document translation for the Home Office: what you receive

Military papers can show that you were called up, that you served, that you left, or that you were exempt. In an asylum claim, these details can be central, for example where a claim involves forced conscription, desertion or service in a force now seen as an enemy. The translation must show exactly what each paper records.

You receive:

1. A full translation of every printed and handwritten entry, including form numbers.
2. Service numbers, file numbers and dates copied exactly.
3. Ranks, unit names and military terms translated, with the original term in brackets.
4. Dates as written, with Gregorian dates added where another calendar is used.
5. Photos, stamps, seals, signatures and fingerprints described, with readable text translated.
6. A certification statement with GOV.UK's wording from certifying a document (opens in a new tab): "true and accurate translation of the original document", the date, and the translator's full name and contact details, with the translator's signature and our credentials. We are members of the ITI, CIOL and ATC.

Sample

Certified translation

Military service discharge certificate

Arabic → English

Full name

redacted

Service number

redacted

Rank

redacted (original term in brackets)

Unit

redacted

Date of enlistment

redacted

Date of discharge

redacted

Issuing office

Recruitment office

• [Round stamp: military unit, partly illegible]
• [Photograph]
• [Fingerprint]

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

Military documents we translate

Call up letter translation

A call-up letter orders a person to report for service by a certain date. Our call up letter translation keeps the reporting place, the deadline, the legal basis stated on the letter and any warning about penalties exactly as written. If there are handwritten notes or a delivery stamp, we translate those too.

National service documents translation

For national service documents translation, including Eritrean national service papers, we translate the service ID, training records and any movement or leave papers. We keep the division, brigade or unit numbers as written, because they help your solicitor match your documents to your account.

Army discharge papers translation

Discharge, release and end-of-service documents show when and how service ended. Our army discharge papers translation keeps the type of discharge, the date and the authority named on the paper. We never change the wording to make it sound more or less favourable.

For letters from former Afghan employers or commanders, see our employment letter and ARAP evidence translation page.

Units, ranks and dates

Military vocabulary rarely matches English exactly. We follow three rules:

• Ranks: we give the nearest English rank, such as "Sergeant", and keep the original title in brackets straight after it. Where there is no clear English match, we transliterate the rank and add a short translator's note.
• Units: division, brigade, battalion and company names or numbers are kept as written. We do not merge or simplify them.
• Dates: Eritrean state documents, including national service papers, use the Gregorian calendar. Iranian papers use the Solar Hijri calendar, and some Afghan papers do too; we show the original and the Gregorian date side by side.

Where part of a stamp or date cannot be read, we mark it "[illegible]" and do not guess.

Where your translated military service document is used

• In your Home Office claim, alongside your statement about your service, conscription or escape.
• In a Tribunal appeal, where every document not in English needs an English translation. See asylum appeal bundle translation.
• With further submissions, if new military papers reach you after a refusal.

The Home Office or the judge decides how much weight these documents receive. We translate; we do not give legal advice. Speak to a solicitor or an IAA-regulated adviser about your case. For threats linked to military service, such as letters about desertion, see our main page on threat letter translation for asylum.

Languages for military service document translation

• Tigrinya: Eritrean national service and Sawa papers. See Tigrinya asylum document translation, and our Eritrean document translation for asylum page for ID, baptism and school papers.
• Arabic: Syrian, Iraqi and Sudanese service booklets and orders. See Arabic asylum document translation.
• Farsi: Iranian conscription, end-of-service and exemption cards. See Farsi asylum document translation.
• Dari, Pashto, Kurdish, Amharic and more: ask us for a quote.

Military service document translation price and delivery time

A service ID or discharge card is usually priced as one short document, from £15. Service booklets can have many pages; we translate every page with entries, from £18 per page.

• Standard delivery: 1 working day for ID cards and single papers, 2–3 working days for longer booklets
• Urgent delivery: same day or within 24 hours, from £10 extra per document

Prices shown are starting prices and include VAT. We confirm your exact price in a written quote before any work starts. See our translation prices page. Your files are uploaded through an encrypted link, handled under UK GDPR and deleted after delivery.