Certified Translation Services in the UK

Yes — we provide certified translations in the format typically required for UK submissions, including a Certificate of Accuracy.

Many standard documents can be delivered within 24–48 hours, subject to language, length and availability. Urgent options may be available for short documents.

Usually no. A clear scan or photo is enough. If originals/certified copies are required, we’ll advise before you proceed.

Certified = signed accuracy statement for official use. Notarised = a notary verifies the translator’s identity/signature. Apostille = legalisation for overseas use under the Hague Convention.

Ask the receiving bank first. For Italian-language shareholder registers, ownership certificates, company extracts, shareholding resolutions or similar know-your-customer (KYC) documents, a signed Italian-to-English certified translation may be the requested format. Notarisation or an apostille is not automatically required just because a UK bank is reviewing overseas shareholders. Request the bank's written document list and instructions on translator qualifications, certification wording, stamps, signatures, source copies and whether it wants a digital PDF, a paper original or both. Banks apply their own checks to overseas owners and beneficial ownership; see UK government guidance on foreign-owned business bank accounts.

Choose the correct authentication route. A certified translation is accompanied by a dated signed accuracy declaration identifying the translator or responsible professional and contact details; see GOV.UK certification guidance. A notarised translation adds the notary's authentication to the specified document or signature; it does not establish the truth of the original shareholder information. An apostille authenticates an eligible official signature, stamp or seal for cross-border use rather than checking the translation's wording. The UK Legalisation Office does not legalise original documents issued in Italy: any Italian-source apostille must follow the appropriate Italian process. If the bank specifically requests authentication of a UK notarial act or translation, confirm the acceptable route with the bank before ordering.

Prepare and check the shareholder bundle: send complete legible Italian originals or scans, including stamps, annexes and reverse pages, with an index and any bank template. Ask the translator to preserve registered company names, accents and spelling, company or registration numbers, shareholder names, share classes and percentages, dates and amounts. Cross-check references against supplied supporting records and flag discrepancies or ambiguous handwriting to the solicitor; do not silently alter source figures to match another record. Agree secure transfer and restricted document access.

Request a quote with the exact bank requirements: state the page count, deadline, certification text and signatory, whether notarisation or apostille coordination needs to be investigated separately, and PDF versus stamped hard-copy/postage requirements. Locate Translate can review the file set, advise on available translation and certification formats and quote for any additional services after checking scope; bank acceptance and notarisation arrangements must be confirmed rather than guaranteed. Upload the Italian documents for a bank-specific quote. If the requirement is instead a Companies House filing, see our Companies House certified translation guidance, which has different authentication rules.

For a UK probate solicitor dealing with both documents: ask Locate Translate to scope the German-to-English will and Spanish-to-English death certificate as two separately certified translations under one matter reference. Confirm the available specialist linguists and the precise destination before instruction. The receiving Probate Registry, solicitor, bank or overseas authority may specify different evidence and certification formats; a signed translation does not by itself establish the validity of the will or authenticity of the death certificate.

Check the probate route before ordering. For England and Wales, GOV.UK probate guidance says the original will is normally sent with the probate application. The current HMCTS PA1P form and practitioner checklist distinguish the latest original will from any additional foreign wills and may require English translations of foreign-language documents. The probate solicitor should identify whether the German will is the operative original, a separate will governing foreign assets, or a document requiring further evidence of foreign succession law. Do not alter, attach paperwork to or mark an original will to create a translation working copy.

For the Spanish death certificate, provide the complete registry document with reverse pages, seals and annotations. If it is not already in English, arrange an accurate English translation; government guidance on overseas deaths explains why an official translation may be needed. The HMCTS PA19 foreign-death-certificate form is specifically for personal applicants without a licensed company's translation certificate; it is not an automatic additional form for a solicitor's probate application. Confirm the actual court or receiving organisation's instructions.

Request legal and document-specific checks. For the German will, preserve clause numbering, executor and beneficiary references, legacies, conditions, dates, handwritten amendments, signatures and any codicils; flag uncertain legal concepts without pretending German and English succession terms are interchangeable. For the Spanish certificate, reproduce full names (including multiple surnames and accents), dates, places, registration numbers, issuing office, stamps and marginal notes. Compare identities across both documents and flag differences to the instructing solicitor without silently changing the originals. Use secure file transfer and restrict access to sensitive estate information.

Agree certification, paper copies and the deadline. Ask whether the recipient accepts a dated, signed certificate of translation accuracy identifying the translator and contact details as described in GOV.UK certification guidance, and whether it additionally requests a stamp, wet-ink signature, hard copies or specific wording. Notarisation of a signature and an apostille/legalisation are separate authentication steps and are not automatically needed for every English probate submission. For documents originally issued abroad, confirm the relevant country-specific legalisation route rather than assume the UK Legalisation Office handles the foreign original; see GOV.UK apostille guidance.

For an urgent combined quotation: send legible scans, the German will and all codicils, the Spanish certificate and any reverse pages, the probate or recipient's written instructions, target submission date, required signature/stamp and paper/PDF format. Request separate German and Spanish translation, certification, any supplementary review, postage and optional notarial/legalisation costs, plus a project total and feasible deadline after file review. Submit the probate documents for a case-specific quote. Scotland and Northern Ireland have different probate procedures and should be checked separately.

For a real estate solicitor comparing suppliers: Locate Translate can assess Arabic-to-English translation of a property title deed and related company records under one document schedule. Ask the conveyancer or receiving authority which items actually need translating, whether a signed certified translation is sufficient and when they need it. A UK translation certificate is not proof of property ownership, the authenticity of a foreign deed or approval by a UAE government authority.

Separate the document types: identify each title or transfer deed, title-register extract, cadastral or boundary plan, power of attorney, company registration certificate, memorandum/articles, shareholder list, board authority and relevant appendices. Supply all pages, backs, stamps, seals and plans; flag handwritten areas or scans too poor to read. Agree whether plans and handwritten map labels need translation or separate layout work; a translator cannot independently establish or correct boundary measurements.

Preserve the property and company identifiers: check plot and parcel references, title numbers, registration numbers, plot area and units, ownership names and Arabic-to-Latin transliterations, company names, shareholdings, prices, dates, rights and restrictions, legal terms and signatures. Retain original names alongside an agreed English rendering where helpful. The translator should flag discrepancies between the deed, company register and solicitor-supplied identification without silently reconciling them or giving legal advice. Ask about a second check of numerical data and secure, access-limited handling.

Apply the correct UK Land Registry rule only if relevant: for England and Wales first registration involving certain non-UK corporate bodies, HM Land Registry Practice Guide 1, section 4.4.8, calls for a certified English or Welsh translation of foreign-language corporate evidence when that route is used. Practice Guide 78 specifies certified or notarised translation for certain foreign-language overseas-company evidence. These are application-specific requirements, not a claim that every overseas title deed must be notarised or registered in the UK. The lawyer should confirm the transaction jurisdiction, filing route and any Land Registry requisition.

Do not confuse UAE legal translation with UK certification: if the translated papers must instead be filed with a UAE court or government authority, check the recipient's specific requirements for a registered legal translator or translation house. The UAE Ministry of Justice translator registration system and federal translation-profession legislation set a separate framework. A UK-signed translation or stamp does not itself establish UAE Ministry of Justice registration or local acceptance. Notarisation or apostille/legalisation, if requested, is a separate authentication service; the UK Legalisation Office cannot legalise an original document issued abroad.

Request an itemised turnaround quotation: send a complete indexed bundle, word/page and scan quality information, Arabic dialect or issuing territory if known, legal deadline, intended UK or UAE recipient, required certificate wording, signature/stamp, PDF versus tracked hard copies, and any requested independent review, notarisation or legalisation. Ask for separate fees for deeds, corporate records, diagrams/formatting, certification and postage, with any staged delivery agreed after review. Upload the documents for a scoped quote. If the sole purpose is a Companies House filing, see the separate Companies House certified translation guide.

Our certified translations are prepared for UK official submissions. Because requirements can vary by receiving body and use case, share any specific instructions with us before ordering.

Many official processes require a certified translation prepared by an independent professional translator or agency. Check the receiving body's specific requirements.