Pashto and Dari Asylum Document Translation to English

Certified Pashto and Dari to English translation for asylum

Afghanistan is one of the top nationalities claiming asylum in the UK. Afghan documents are usually in Dari, Pashto or both, and they use the Solar Hijri calendar. Both points need care in translation.

A certified translation is the English text with a signed statement from the translator. GOV.UK's page on certifying a document (opens in a new tab) asks the translator to confirm it is a "true and accurate translation of the original document", with the date and their full name and contact details. The Immigration Rules (paragraph 39B) add a signature and, for leave to remain and settlement, the translator's or company's credentials.

Each Pashto to English certified translation UK clients receive from us includes:

• a complete English translation that follows the original layout
• Solar Hijri dates and years with the Gregorian equivalent
• a signed and dated certificate of accuracy with our contact details
• the translator's credentials (we are members of the ITI, CIOL and ATC)
• notes on stamps, fingerprints, photos, seals and handwritten entries

Sample

Certified translation

Tazkira (Afghan national identity document), paper version

Pashto and Dari → English

Full name

redacted

Father's name

redacted

Place of registration

redacted district, redacted province

Registration number

redacted

Date of birth

redacted

Issuing office

Civil registration office

• [Round stamp: civil registration office, partly illegible]
• [Translator's note: dates are in the Solar Hijri calendar; we add the Gregorian date in square brackets.]
• [Signature]

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

We certify to meet the Home Office's published requirements. The caseworker or judge decides how much weight each document receives.

Pashto and Dari documents we translate

Our Afghan document translation covers papers from before and after August 2021. The most common are:

• Tazkira (Afghan national ID), paper and e-Tazkira. See ID card translation for asylum.
• Birth records and school papers. See birth certificate translation for asylum and education certificate translation for refugees.
• Marriage certificates, known as Nikah Khat or Nikah Nama, for marriage certificate translation for family reunion.
• Night letters and threats from the Taliban or other groups, through threat letter translation for asylum.
• Employment letters and ID badges from former government, military or international employers. See employment letter translation.
• Death certificates for family members, through death certificate translation for asylum.
• Letters from elders, shuras and mosques confirming identity or events.

For a full first-claim evidence set, see asylum claim evidence translation.

Pashto and Dari: which one is on your document?

Afghanistan has two official languages: Dari and Pashto. Both are written right to left in the Perso-Arabic script. Many official Afghan documents use both.

How to tell them apart

If you are not sure, look for the extra Pashto letters listed above. Pashto also often uses the word "د" (da, meaning "of") before names. Do not worry if you cannot tell: send us the photo and we will identify the language for you. Every Dari to English translation UK clients order is handled with the same care as Pashto, and mixed documents are quoted in the same simple way.

Dari and Farsi

Dari and Iranian Farsi are close, but Afghan documents use different terms, month names and name spellings. For Iranian documents, see Farsi asylum document translation. If your papers are only in Dari, our Dari asylum document translation page has more detail.

Dates and ages

Afghan documents use the Solar Hijri calendar. Afghan month names are often zodiac-based, such as Hamal and Sawr, rather than the Iranian names. We show every date as written with the Gregorian date next to it. For example, the year 1395 runs from March 2016 to March 2017.

Afghan documents in Pashto and Dari

These are short notes on the Afghan documents we see most. The Afghanistan document translation for asylum page covers the full set.

Tazkira

The Tazkira is issued by Afghanistan's civil registration authority (ACCRA, formerly under NSIA). Paper Tazkiras are in Dari and Pashto. The newer e-Tazkira has field labels in Pashto, Dari and English.

Most paper Tazkiras do not give a full date of birth. Instead they give an estimated age in a year, such as "18 years old in 1395". We translate exactly what is written and give the Gregorian year range. We never invent a date of birth. This matters a lot in age disputes. See Tazkira translation for a full field guide.

Night letters

Night letters (shabnameh) are threats left at a home or mosque, often handwritten. They may carry a stamp or seal. We translate the full text, stamps and any handwriting, and describe the layout.

Employment and ARAP letters

Letters from former employers, including the Afghan government or international forces, can support a claim. The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) has been closed to new applications since 1 July 2025, but these letters are still used as evidence in asylum claims.

English to Pashto and Dari: Home Office letters in your language

We translate Home Office letters into Pashto or Dari, whichever you read best. Our English to Pashto Home Office letter service covers refusal letters, interview records and tribunal decisions.

We usually deliver a Pashto or Dari translation of a refusal letter within 48 hours, or 24 hours on our urgent service. See our Home Office refusal letter translation page for more. Appeal deadlines are short. GOV.UK gives 14 days if you are in the UK. We translate only. For advice, speak to a solicitor or an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA, formerly OISC).

Our Pashto and Dari translators

Our Pashto and Dari translators are UK-based, native-level speakers who work professionally in English. We work to ISO-certified quality processes and never use machine translation for certified work.

1. Both languages. Mixed Pashto and Dari documents are handled as one job, so the whole document reads consistently.
2. Regional knowledge. They know Afghan provinces, districts and tribal names, and common spelling variants.
3. Handwriting. They read handwritten Tazkiras, night letters and village letters.
4. Privacy. Files are handled under UK GDPR, uploaded securely and deleted after delivery.

Pashto and Dari translation price and delivery time

Afghan documents are usually priced per page. A Tazkira is one page. Night letters and employment letters are also usually short.

Prices shown are starting prices and include VAT. We confirm your exact price in a written quote before any work starts. The Home Office does not normally need notarised translations. For deadlines, see urgent asylum document translation. Our translation prices page lists all rates, or ask for a fixed Pashto or Dari quote.

For family members abroad, see our refugee family reunion document translation page. New refugee family reunion applications have been paused since 4 September 2025, and the Home Office said in March 2026 that the route "remains paused". Check GOV.UK for the latest position.