NAATI Certified Translation in Australia

A NAATI certified translation is a translation made and certified by a translator holding a current credential from NAATI, the national body that credentials translators and interpreters in Australia. It is what most Australian authorities, including the Department of Home Affairs, expect for documents translated here. Authorities overseas decide for themselves whether they accept one.

Key takeaways

• NAATI is the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters. It credentials translators; it does not translate documents itself.
• A NAATI credential is held for a language direction, such as Nepali into English. Check that the translator's credential covers the direction you need.
• For Home Affairs, translations made in Australia should be by a NAATI-credentialled translator. Translations made overseas need the translator's full name, address, telephone number and qualifications.
• For DFAT legalisation, follow its current page-marking rules: translator name and practitioner ID, date, and an original NAATI stamp and signature or accepted QR code, together with the marked source copy.
• For use overseas, the receiving authority decides whose translation it accepts. Some want a notarised or apostilled translation; some want a translator in their own country.

What NAATI is, and what it is not

NAATI, the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters, sets the standards for translators and interpreters in Australia and issues credentials to those who meet them. A translator who holds a current NAATI certification can certify their translations, usually with a stamp or seal showing their name, credential and practitioner ID number.

NAATI itself does not translate documents, and it does not approve individual translations. What it certifies is the translator. That distinction matters when something goes wrong: a complaint about a translation is first a matter for the translator, and a question about whether a translator's credential is current is one NAATI can answer. NAATI publishes an online directory of credentialled practitioners on naati.com.au, which is the place to check a translator before you commission one.

You will still see the older word "accredited" on many websites, including in NAATI's own name. Current credentials are described as certifications, such as Certified Translator. For languages where NAATI does not offer a certification test, it may grant a different credential, and some Australian bodies accept that as well. Ask the receiving body if your language falls into that group.

What a NAATI certified translation should show

Receiving bodies differ in detail, but the features they look for are consistent. A translation that lacks one of them is the most common reason a translated document is queried.

• Every page for DFAT. For legalisation, DFAT currently requires the translator's name and practitioner ID, date, and an original NAATI stamp and signature or QR code. It also requires a copy of the source document marked by the translator on every page. Check the current wording before lodging.
• The whole document. Stamps, handwritten notes, seals and marginal annotations on the original are part of the document. A translation that leaves them out may be treated as incomplete.
• Names spelled as in your passport. Tell the translator how your name appears in your passport, so the translation does not create a new spelling that then needs explaining.
• The source document. Many recipients want the source and translation together; DFAT expressly requires the marked copy of the original when legalising a NAATI translation.

Translations for the Department of Home Affairs

Home Affairs asks for English translations of non-English documents. Current application guidance says a translation made in Australia must include the translator's NAATI practitioner number; a translation made outside Australia must include the translator's full name, address, telephone number and qualifications. Check the exact visa or citizenship document instructions because requirements can vary by process.

A NAATI translation for Home Affairs does not automatically need a notary. Provide the source and translation in the format the application requires, and add certification or notarisation only if the applicable checklist expressly asks for it. See NAATI and non-certified translations compared.

Translations for other Australian bodies

State and territory licensing authorities, registries, universities, professional assessment bodies and courts each set their own rules. Many follow the NAATI standard; some add requirements, such as the original document being sighted, or the translator swearing an affidavit about the translation for use in court. Ask the body before commissioning the translation, and ask specifically:

1. Does it want a NAATI certified translation, or will another translation do?
2. Does it want the original document translated, or a certified copy?
3. Does it want the translation certified by anyone else, such as a JP, a lawyer or a notary?
4. Does it need a paper translation with a wet stamp, or will it take an electronic one?

Translations going overseas

A NAATI credential is an Australian standard. Whether a foreign authority accepts a NAATI translation is decided by that authority, not by NAATI or by anyone in Australia. Some countries accept it as it is; some want the translation's authenticity confirmed in a way they can verify; some insist on a translator in their own country, often a sworn translator registered with a local court.

Where the foreign authority wants the translation confirmed from Australia, there are two common routes:

• DFAT directly. DFAT can legalise eligible translations by a NAATI Certified or Recognised Practising Translator when its current marking and source-copy requirements are met. Check DFAT's documents it can legalise page before lodging.
• Through a notary. If the recipient instead requires a translator's declaration, affidavit or another notarial certificate, the notary performs the specified act and states what was verified. Do not assume that witnessing the translator's signature amounts to an independent assessment of linguistic accuracy.

DFAT is Australia's legalisation authority, but convention membership alone does not tell you whether legalisation is required. The receiving authority must say whether it wants no legalisation, an apostille, or an authentication followed by another destination-country step. See NAATI translation with a notary and NAATI translation and notary services.

Where the translation goes	What is usually wanted	Notary?
Home Affairs, translation made in Australia	A NAATI-credentialled translator	Usually not
Home Affairs, translation made overseas	Translator's full name, address, telephone and qualifications	Usually not
Another Australian body	Its own rules; often NAATI	Only if it asks
DFAT, for legalisation of the translation	Current NAATI marking, date, practitioner ID and marked source-copy requirements	Not necessarily for an eligible NAATI translation
A foreign authority	Whatever it specifies	Sometimes, with an apostille

Why translations get queried

When a translated document comes back, the reason is usually one of a short list, and most can be avoided before the translation is commissioned.

• The wrong direction or language. The translator's credential covers a different language direction, or the document is in a regional language or script the translator does not hold a credential for.
• A partial translation. Stamps, seals, handwritten notes or the back of the page were left out.
• Names that do not match. The translation spells a name differently from the passport or from another translated document in the same application.
• Missing details on some pages. The seal, practitioner ID or date appears on the first page only.
• The wrong kind of translation for the destination. A NAATI translation is sent to an overseas authority that wanted a sworn translation made in its own country.

Translating your own documents is a separate trap. Even if you are fluent, or hold a NAATI credential yourself, an authority may not accept a translation of your own documents, or those of a close relative, because the translator is meant to be independent of the applicant. Ask before relying on one. See what to do when a translation is rejected.

What drives the cost and the wait

This page gives no prices or turnaround times, because both vary by translator and change. What drives them is predictable: the language pair, since some directions have few credentialled translators; the length and density of the document; handwriting, stamps and poor-quality scans that take longer to read; and any extra step, such as a notarised declaration or a DFAT apostille. Ask for a written quote and timing from the translator, and ask DFAT and any notary separately for theirs. See what decides NAATI translator rates.

Here is an illustration, not a real case

A Hobart couple need translations of a Nepali birth certificate for a partner visa, and of the same certificate for a school enrolment in Germany. For the visa, they use a translator whose NAATI credential covers Nepali into English, and upload the translation with the original-language document; no notary is involved. For Germany, the school says it needs a German translation, so the English one is no use. They ask the school what it accepts. It wants a translation by a sworn translator in Germany. They arrange it there, and pay for no Australian notarisation or apostille of a translation that would not have been accepted.

In short

A NAATI certified translation is made and certified by a translator holding a current NAATI credential for that language direction. Home Affairs expects one for translations made in Australia, and DFAT wants the translator's details and seal on every page. Neither usually needs a notary as well. For use overseas, the receiving authority decides, and it may want an apostille, a notary or its own translator, so ask first.

Related questions

• Do I need a NAATI translation or will any translation do?
• What is a certified translation in Australia?
• What is a notarised translation?
• When does a NAATI translation need a notary?
• Can I get a translation from overseas for Australia?
• What decides the cost of a NAATI translation?

Not sure what kind of translation your document needs? Send us the complete source document, source and target languages, receiving authority, destination country, deadline and its written certification or legalisation instructions.