Translation for Refugee Settlement (ILR), British Citizenship and Passport

Refugee settlement rules after 2 March 2026

The Home Office announced major changes to refugee protection on 2 March 2026 (opens in a new tab). These are the facts as published. They are not advice, and your own position may differ.

Because these rules are new and still developing, speak to a solicitor or an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) before you apply. We translate documents; we do not advise on eligibility or timing. If you have core protection, settlement translation may be years away, but translations you order now for renewals should already use the name spellings you will need later.

Whatever your route, translations for ILR have a stricter standard than many people expect. Paragraph 39B(f) of the Immigration Rules says a translation must carry the translator's signature. For leave to remain and ILR applications, it must be certified by a qualified translator, with details of the translator's or company's credentials. Our certificates include all of this. Each translation is signed by a qualified translator, and we are members of the ITI, CIOL and ATC.

Documents for refugee settlement (ILR)

A Settlement Protection application is mainly about your time and conduct in the UK, so it often needs fewer foreign documents than your asylum claim. Translations are usually needed when you include family members, or when the Home Office asks you to prove a detail again.

Documents we often translate for refugee settlement:

• Birth certificates of children included in the application. See birth certificate translation for asylum, which also covers ILR use.
• Marriage certificates or Nikah Namas for a spouse or partner. See marriage certificate translation for family reunion for the formats we handle.
• National ID documents such as a Tazkira, Shenasnameh or Eritrean ID, if you are asked to confirm identity. See ID card translation for asylum.
• Divorce or death certificates where a previous marriage has ended.

Your eVisa has replaced the Biometric Residence Permit. GOV.UK says all BRPs have now expired. An expired BRP can be used only to access your UKVI account, view your eVisa or apply to extend, until 31 December 2026 at the latest. It cannot be used for travel.

Documents for British citizenship (naturalisation)

After settlement, many refugees apply to become British citizens by naturalisation. You will usually also need to pass the Life in the UK test and meet the English language requirement; those are separate from translation.

Naturalisation documents translation most often covers:

1. Birth certificate, to confirm your identity, date and place of birth.
2. Marriage or civil partnership certificate, if your spouse's details are included.
3. Name change documents, if your name has changed since you arrived.
4. Foreign passport or national ID, where you still hold one.

A British citizenship certified translation must follow the same Home Office standard as your earlier applications. If the Home Office has already seen a document with a translation, check whether your solicitor wants a fresh copy with a current date.

Some applicants are asked to send certified copies of documents rather than originals. Our certified true copy service for refugees can help if you need to keep an original safe.

Your first British passport: HM Passport Office translations

Once you are a British citizen, you can apply for your first adult passport. HM Passport Office (HMPO) often asks for a translated birth certificate, and sometimes a marriage certificate or naturalisation papers.

For first adult passports (opens in a new tab), GOV.UK says: "If your documents are not in English or Welsh, you need to send a certified translation." HMPO links to the same "Certifying a document" standard as the Home Office. It does not ask for notarisation.

HM Passport Office translation requests are common in our enquiries. Birth certificates from Afghanistan, Eritrea and Iran often show dates in the Solar Hijri or Ethiopian calendar. We keep the original date and add the Western date in a translator's note, so the date on your passport application matches your eVisa.

Keeping name spellings the same across documents

Names cause more delays than any other detail. The same name can be written in English in several ways: Mohammad, Muhammad, Mohammed. Your eVisa, travel document, previous translations and new translations should all agree.

Name spelling translation for Home Office forms

When you order, tell us:

• your name exactly as on your eVisa or Home Office travel document;
• the names of family members as shown on their Home Office records;
• any older translations you have already used, so we can match them.

We use these spellings in the translation and add a translator's note if the original script supports another spelling. We never change a name to make it fit; we follow the spelling the Home Office already uses.

When spellings still do not match

Sometimes your birth certificate and your eVisa show different names or dates, and a translation cannot fix that. A statutory declaration for name spelling is a formal statement, made before a solicitor or commissioner for oaths, explaining that both refer to you. Ask your adviser whether you need one.

If you later need to use UK documents abroad, for example to register a marriage in another country, our apostille translation service covers legalisation.