Certified translations and certified copies for an IRCC application

Most people treat translation as an admin chore at the end of an application. Get the birth certificate translated, attach it, move on. Then the file comes back incomplete, or a visa officer cannot rely on a document, because the translation was done by the wrong person, was missing the affidavit it needed, or was attached without the original it was made from.

The rules are strict, and they are not identical across every IRCC application. The Express Entry instructions and the visitor visa guide define the certified translator differently, which matters most to people outside Canada. Here is what IRCC actually asks for.

When IRCC needs a translation at all

The baseline rule is in the IRCC Help Centre: "Unless we tell you otherwise, all supporting documents must be in English or French." Any document in another language has to travel with an English or French translation and the supporting pieces described below.

That covers birth and marriage certificates, police certificates, bank and employment letters, school records and court papers. Partly translated documents count too. IRCC's Express Entry instructions say plainly that "All stamps and seals that aren't in English or French must also be translated."

The phrase "unless we tell you otherwise" is doing real work. Some application guides and document checklists add their own instructions. Always read the guide and checklist for the exact application you are filing, not a general page, and follow the more specific instruction where the two differ.

What a complete translation package contains

A translation on its own is not enough. For a permanent residence application through Express Entry, IRCC asks you to upload, for each document not in English or French:

1. An English or French translation that is either stamped by a certified translator, or accompanied by an affidavit from the person who completed the translation.
2. A scan of the original document, or a scan of a certified photocopy of the original document that the translator worked from.

IRCC adds that the translator should photocopy your original document and stamp it if that is what they based the translation on. You only need to provide a scan of a certified photocopy if the translation was based on the certified photocopy. Where you used a certified translator, IRCC says you can include a scanned letter explaining that you do not need an affidavit because a certified translator did the work.

The point is traceability. The officer must be able to see the source document, the translation, and who stands behind its accuracy.

Who counts as a certified translator

This is where the rules differ by application, and where people outside Canada most often get caught.

For Express Entry, IRCC defines a certified translator as "a member in good standing of a professional translation association in Canada or abroad." Their certification must be confirmed by a seal or stamp that shows the translator's membership number. IRCC also states that a translator who is still in the process of receiving certification or accreditation is not considered a certified translator for its purposes.

The visitor visa guide (IMM 5256) is narrower. It describes a "Canadian certified translator" as "a member in good standing of a provincial or territorial organization of translators and interpreters in Canada." It then says that if the translation is not done by a Canadian certified translator, the person who completed it must provide an affidavit swearing to their language proficiency and the accuracy of the translation. In its words, "Translators who are certified in Canada don't need to supply an affidavit."

So a translator in Lagos, Manila or Mexico City who belongs to a recognised national translation association can stamp a translation for an Express Entry upload. The same translation, attached to a visitor visa application, needs the translator's sworn affidavit as well, because that translator is not certified in Canada. If you are filing more than one type of application, the safest choice is to have the affidavit sworn anyway. An extra affidavit does no harm. A missing one can.

The affidavit: what it is and who can take it

IRCC describes an affidavit for a translation as a document that states the translation is an accurate version of the original text. The translator swears, in front of a person authorised to administer oaths in the country where they live, that their translation is accurate. On the Express Entry page IRCC adds two details that people miss: both the translated document and the original document the translator worked from must be referred to in the affidavit, and the commissioner or notary public must be proficient in English or French in order to administer the oath.

In Canada, an affidavit can be taken by a notary public, a commissioner of oaths or a commissioner of taking affidavits. Outside Canada, IRCC says an affidavit can be taken by a notary public or equivalent, and the visitor guide adds that authority to administer oaths varies by country, so you should consult your local authorities.

Affidavits must not be taken by the applicant or by any member of the applicant's family, even if they are a lawyer, notary or authorised translator. The same family list applies.

The affidavit is the translator's sworn statement, not yours. And for Express Entry it is a fallback: IRCC says to use it only if a translation cannot be completed by a certified translator.

Certified copies: a different thing from a translation

A certified copy, which IRCC calls a certified photocopy or certified true copy, has nothing to do with language. It is a photocopy that an authorised person has compared against the original and marked as a true copy. Applicants confuse the two because the same notary often does both.

IRCC sets out exactly what the authorised person must mark on the photocopy:

• their name and signature
• their position or title
• the name of the original document
• the date they certified the document
• the phrase "I certify that this is a true copy of the original document."

A copy stamped only "certified true copy" with an illegible signature and no name, title or date does not meet that description. Check every certified copy against the list before you scan it.

In Canada, IRCC gives notary publics, commissioners of oaths and commissioners of taking affidavits as examples of people who can certify copies, and tells you to check with provincial or territorial authorities. Outside Canada, IRCC says each country has different authorities to certify documents. A notary public may be able to certify your documents, but you should check with your local authorities to be sure. As with translations, you and your family members cannot certify copies of your own documents.

Where applicants from outside Canada go wrong

The same handful of mistakes come up again and again in files we review.

• Translating only the main text. Stamps, seals, marginal notes and the back of the document are left in the original language. IRCC requires those to be translated too.
• Uploading the translation without the source. The officer gets an English page with nothing to compare it against. You need the original, or the certified photocopy the translator worked from.
• Assuming a foreign certification works everywhere. It may be enough for an Express Entry upload and not enough, without an affidavit, for a visitor visa.
• Letting a relative or your own representative translate. This is excluded outright, however qualified the person is.
• A generic affidavit that does not name the documents. For Express Entry, the affidavit must refer to both the translation and the original the translator worked from.

Can I translate my own documents if I am fluent in English?

No. IRCC does not accept translations done by the applicant. It also excludes family members, even if they are qualified translators, and for Express Entry it excludes your representative or consultant.

My translator is certified in my home country, not in Canada. Is that enough?

For Express Entry, IRCC accepts a member in good standing of a professional translation association in Canada or abroad, confirmed by a stamp showing their membership number. The visitor visa guide treats only translators certified in Canada as exempt from the affidavit, so a translator certified abroad would need to swear one.

Do I need to send the original document as well as the translation?

For Express Entry you upload a scan of the original, or a scan of the certified photocopy that the translator worked from, together with the translation. The officer needs both to compare them.

Who can certify a copy of my documents outside Canada?

IRCC says each country has its own authorities and a notary public may be able to certify your documents, but you should check locally. You and your family members cannot certify copies of your own documents.

Does the stamp on my certificate really need translating if the rest is in English?

Yes. IRCC's Express Entry instructions state that all stamps and seals that are not in English or French must also be translated.

Is a certified copy the same as a certified translation?

No. A certified copy confirms that a photocopy matches the original document. A certified translation confirms that an English or French version accurately renders a document in another language. You may need both for the same document.

If you are unsure whether your translations and certified copies will be accepted for the application you are filing, have them checked before you submit. Book a consultation

Last updated October 7, 2026.